Lt. Col. Koaalii C. Bailey is a United States Air Pressure Fight Rescue Officer presently serving because the Commander on the 308th Rescue Squadron, a place he has held since July 2022. His job is actually to Command and lead warriors to save lots of lives when known as upon.
“Being in command means I’ve a possibility to serve extra individuals. My job is to steer, manage, prepare, and equip, Pararescue Warriors to be their greatest when issues couldn’t worsen for a service member in want Rescue”
Clearly, the husband and father of three should keep prepared and in high form to carry out his job to the very best of his capacity, which requires him to be “Able to Struggle Tonight”. Happily for him, that’s one thing he has cultivated right into a behavior and way of life.
“Should you’re going to name your self a warrior– health isn’t non-compulsory,” mentioned the previous faculty soccer participant. “Demanding your absolute better of your self will make the distinction when chaos and uncertainty encompass you in fight. As Aristotle mentioned, ‘We’re what we repeatedly do. Due to this fact, excellence isn’t an act however a behavior.’”
There was a great probability that Bailey would discover his means into service ultimately as a result of it runs in his blood of his forefathers. He shared that he had males in his household service in our nation’s conflicts going again to the Civil Warfare.
“It’s undoubtedly one thing that’s valued and appreciated in my Tribe.” His title Koaalii actually interprets within the Hawaiian language to Royal Soldier. Not directly form or type Koa was going to serve, shield, struggle, and rescue others.
Upon faculty commencement, he was searching for a brand new problem and he discovered it in Particular Operations of the army. There was a pararescue workforce in his dwelling state of Alaska the legendary Rescue Staff 212 Rescue Squadron, which is what led him down the trail he has been on since. In Alaska he and his teammates had been at all times prepared to depart in a second’s discover to rescue each army pilots and Alaskan out of doors fanatic that discovered the ragged fringe of the place life and demise can rely immediately on Pararescuemen being prepared and match to reply.
“I wish to assume I might keep in form, even when I wasn’t within the army, however the reason for Freedom and Love for nation provides an depth to my exercises that may not be there to the identical diploma if I didn’t know that I had teammates relying on me being prepared.”
This ardour for excellence has been helpful as a result of he’s been in difficult, horrible fight conditions throughout his a number of fight deployments the place he has performed a crucial function in saving American and Accomplice Nation lives in hurt’s means who had been all experiencing their most painful, scary, scary day of their lives. In Bailey’s eyes, health is about greater than lifting weights and working. “When you are able to do one thing via your bodily preparation or psychological capability that resulted in saving a human life it’s a tremendous feeling”. In each sense of the phrase, army service members are fighters and preventing (hand at hand) is probably the most visceral a part of struggle. Bailey devotes plenty of
focus and dedication to combatives, he believes the dealing with the worry of being knocked out or choked out elicits a cathartic expertise that’s crucial in molding a Warrior Ethos. Struggle, flight, or freeze could be a aware Response and Selection as people; if we take time to develop the talents required to behave not simply be acted upon. To perform his combative based mostly coaching session targets together with his workforce he incorporates drawback fixing whereas underneath stress eventualities, anaerobic exhaustion, and a remove that immediately faucets right into a airmen’s want to by no means hand over Resiliency.
“The purpose is time environment friendly, price efficient, sustainable coaching, that helps each teammate develop into a stronger warrior and higher determination maker.”
Bailey leads by each instance and instruction. That’s why he’s been striving to create for each airman in his squadron, Particular Operator or Assist Airmen to have a deep reference to the rescue mission and on a weekly foundation. His technique to do all of the above is what he calls “Dilemma Targeted Warfighting,” or DFW for brief. Bailey described it as dynamic drawback fixing whereas dealing with stress.
“Know-how isn’t the reply to every little thing sooner or later struggle—sure critically necessary however if you happen to’re going to name your self a warfighter it is best to in all probability know easy methods to struggle and shield your self and your loved ones.”
Bailey works with Pararescuemen, who’re warfighters in each sense of the phrase. Their ability set is world-class. He additionally works with many different individuals in supporting roles whereas they’re on missions. The possibilities of them participating with a enemy is actual. The purpose is to have a spectrum of choices to guard and defend freedom and love. Fight and hand at hand expertise are simply an choice we don’t wish to neglect.
“A human based mostly weapon system is what It might come right down to.”
For these causes and extra, Bailey’s DFW system is one thing he’s creating and constructing on so the individuals he leads can shield themselves and one another by fixing issues underneath these worrying situations. He cited the artwork of JIU Jitsu preventing as a key element in serving to teammates perceive easy methods to successfully and effectively acquire micro advantageous over an enemy till you may primarily take their will to withstand or struggle again leading to them tapping (quitting), napping (getting choked out, or snapping (breaking a bone). Any transfer or technique that may exploit a weak point of that opponent to make your scenario higher and theirs worse—It turns into a human based mostly chess match that in a really possible way ends in checkmate. Being match and ready to struggle may also assist enhance self-confidence as a result of the warfighter is aware of they did all they may to be prepared.
“That idea of health in relation to fight and utilizing it regularly is what I’m so obsessed with, not simply in my army profession, however normally.”
Bailey hopes that the work he’s completed and continues to do will affect youthful People to think about the Air Pressure of their futures. Except for having the ability to serve their nation. Bailey feels they’ll profit themselves in some ways.
“On the finish of the day, it comes right down to freedom and love. When you have the need to protect freedom and have a love on your fellow People, having these idea means serving within the Air Pressure is an absolute choice for you, whether or not you wish to serve a full profession or do a tour. It’s one thing that you would be able to look again on and worth the expertise. Contributing to one thing better than your self that hopefully helps you develop into a extra succesful and resilient human is a win/win scenario. I hope anybody who chooses to serve will expertise that.”