FORT BRAGG, N.C. - The women of 2nd Aviation Assault Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade trained for self-defense during "protect your body and your soul" training at the 82nd Airborne Division Combatives and Advanced Tactics School, March 27.
The Corsair battalion chaplain's assistant, Pvt. Steven Lee, introduced the group to Shaolin Kung Fu forms and applications of self-defense.
"The Kung Fu drills you learned today have been around for over 5,000 years," Lee said. "Throughout the different dynasties, the Shaolin Temple was destroyed many times and yet the monks managed to come back and rebuild it every time. Kung Fu is worth preserving and we can learn a lot about resiliency from the Shaolin monks."
Lee, a former member of the Shaolin Monks Performance Team and USA National Wushu Team, is a two-time World Legends of Kung Fu champion. His training served to equip and inspire the women to protect themselves, both physically and mentally.
Spc. Tara Maloy, a wheeled vehicle mechanic assigned to Company E, 2-82 ASLT, joined the training because she wanted to improve her ability to defend herself.
"I personally haven't been in a real-life situation where I have had to ward off an attacker, but I think these skills are important to know and practice," said Maloy.
The session addressed more than just bodily self-defense. Second Lt. Lindsay Keith, a military intelligence officer with 2-82 ASLT, found that the training strengthened her body and mind.
"Today's training made me feel more confident in my abilities to protect myself physically and got me thinking about my inner-self, too," said Keith. "I was expecting the physical part when I signed up, but now I can see how the two are closely related."
Corsair Chaplain Capt. Greg Sink ended the session with a reminder of the old adage "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
"We learned how to protect our physical selves today, but sometimes I think it is more important we do this in the spiritual realm," Sink said. "We must protect our souls and the essence of who we are as individuals."
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