JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
The 628th Security Forces Squadron announced Aug. 31 the official re-opening of the small arms range at Combat Arms.
This has been a long time coming.
The range was officially shut down in February of 2009 when it was noticed that bullet fragments were leaving the small arms range and a considerable amount of smoke was being inhaled by students and instructors. All firing from February 2009 to June 2010 was conducted at Naval Weapons Station Charleston and Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C.
During renovations, the 638th Civil Engineer Squadron contractors not only upgraded the combat arms range but also finished the range in a remarkable five months ahead of schedule allowing the range to open in June as opposed to November. The new fan ventilation system installed is being benchmarked and is poised to be the primary fix for ventilation issues throughout the Air Force for inhalation problems.
In celebration of all the hard work put in to the re-opening of the range, Combat Arms hosted its Wing Combat Shoot-out Competition to acknowledge the accomplishment. Senior leadership or their designees participated in a 9mm pistol shoot-out consisting of 10 rounds from the seven meter, 15 meter, and 25 meter lines with a 10 second time limit per round of firing.
Participants included 628th Mission Support Group commander, Col. Ben Wham, 628th Civil Engineer Squadron commander, Lt. Col. Richard Sanders and 628th SFS commander, Capt. Matthew Foisy, as well as various leadership representatives throughout the wing. Chief Master Sgt. Garth Freund, from the 628 SFS, stole the show and earned his bragging rights by achieving the highest score.