CATM prepares Airmen for safe deployment Published July 28, 2017 By Airman 1st Class Erick Requadt 23rd Wing Public Affairs MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Airmen learned to shoot safely to qualify for deployment at the Combat Arms Training and Maintenance range July 25. Airmen getting ready to deploy have to go through CATM four months prior to deploying. When it comes to safety, Staff Sgt. Larneal Laymond, 23rd Security Forces Squadron combat arms instructor, emphasized its importance as well as the 1:7 ratio the instructors provide for the shooters. “The biggest thing with weapon safety is making sure they’re keeping their weapon pointed in the right direction,” Laymond said. “You get a lot of people who don’t shoot weapons every day, so it’s very easy to just take it as the extension of your arm, and turn to your left or your right and there’s an individual facing there. They don’t do it on purpose, of course, they’re just trying to talk to the individual next to them or trying to get the instructor’s attention, and they accidently flag the person next to them. So we’re usually standing pretty close to each person. There’s a 1:7 ratio to instructor to shooter, so we’re all standing behind pretty much each shooter, making sure everything is safe at all times.”