Pope women learn self defense Published Nov. 13, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Jon LaDue 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Fourteen Pope women can feel a little bit safer and confident in themselves after completing the Rape Aggression Defense course Nov. 7 and 8 here. The two-day class involved classroom instruction on safety principles, techniques and situational awareness on the first day. The second day was spent learning, applying and reviewing physical techniques that could be used if need be. Going into the first of three physical scenarios, each woman entered the room, one-by-one, not knowing what to expect. The first situation simulated two people passing each other on a sidewalk. The women were instructed to walk back-and-forth in a straight line between two points while the male walked in the opposite direction. The women did not know what to expect until the instructor, Mr. Curran, grabbed them and wrapped them up. The women utilized the defensive measures they were trained on, using their "outside" voices and fleeing from the scene once the attacker was immobilized. The students described the first scenario as intense and said anticipating what was going to happen was a little scary. But once the attacker assaulted them their reaction took a bit of different view. "We were prepared when it did happen ... and that is empowering," one of the students said. Following the three practical simulations, the students watched themselves on video. Many said before seeing the footage that they didn't feel they did anything, but were surprised to witness everything they had learned had actually been applied. "I think they did learn to have that ability to protect themselves and when they say "no," to be able to back themselves up in case somebody gets physical with them," said Mr. Curran. This is the second class this year and Pope leadership plans to run the course once every quarter. This is Mr. Curran's first time instructing here. He used to teach the class in Boston, Mass., but received an invite from Maj. James Hodges, 43rd Security Forces Squadron Commander and Capt. Michael Cheatham, 43rd SFS, because of his experience with the course and his close proximity to the base. Mr. Curran has mostly instructed for police stations and at hospitals and has completed about 15 classes and instructed a total of 200 women. He said the typical four-week class was condensed to two days at Pope but that the students were picking it up very quickly. "Overall the students were great, they really learned the moves and they showed that they could apply them in real situations. Many of them said they learned a lot and that they were going to tell their friends, so they could get involved." Mr. Curran suggested that more females take advantage of the free class in the future, even if they feel they might not need it. "The biggest thing is to have the knowledge on just being aware of what is going on around you. Do you really have the mental awareness, the physical ability to back it up and to know what is and isn't effective, this class can help to achieve those things." For more information on the program or for future class dates, call the Airman and Family Readiness Center at 394-2538.