'Combatives' Training Builds Patients' Skills, Confidence

The American Forces Press Service reports that military amputee patients are taking their desire to return to active duty to the mats through the Modern Army Combatives Program of Fort Knox, Kentucky, which is visiting Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, this month.

The Combatives team will train up to 20 Walter Reed soldiers to be Level 1 instructors of the three-level program, said Roger Lemacks, administrator of the US Army Amputee Patient Care Program at WRAMC.

Based on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu form of martial arts, the program provides "a good activity for them because it's something they can still do to a high level," said Jason Keaton, Combatives civilian instructor. "Close-quarter fighting is definitely part of the training the modern soldier needs."

Keaton was born visually impaired and today is considered legally blind but has been wrestling since he was four years old. "A lot of times when you have a disability, people ... think that maybe you can't do something but, of course, you know you can," he said.

Army Sgt. Orlando Gill, a Walter Reed patient, agreed that the close-quarter fighting skill set is a handy tool to have.

During his second tour in Iraq, Gill was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade while on patrol in Ramadi, resulting in the amputation of his lower right leg. He has been at Walter Reed for 15 months.

"We do missions in the cities, which is close quarters," Gill, said. "If somebody comes up real close, you can't bring up your weapon at times, so you have to go hand to hand. So this training actually does help a lot."

Gill said he hopes to return to Iraq as a medic to continue helping others as he was helped after being injured. His ultimate goal, he added, is to become a physical therapist.

As the Combatives program continues to spread throughout the Army, Keaton gets positive comments about its use. Soldiers returning from the front lines tell him they're glad they had the skills or that they wish they had them.

The training will be especially helpful for the amputees who are able to return to active duty, Keaton said.

"These guys, from working with them, I can tell that they're able to do it, sometimes even better than ... some guys coming in that would have all their limbs," he said.

-- excerpted from the American Forces Press Service

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