Staff sergeant becomes only airman in his class to complete Army Air Assault School

An Air Force staff sergeant enjoyed a rare distinction recently as the only airmen in his class to complete the 10-day U.S. Army Air Assault School.

Staff Sgt. Ivan Sauer, assigned to the 195th Wing Security Forces, was the only airman to graduate from the course in late May and receive an Air Assault Badge, according to a Wednesday release.

“After seeing I was the only Airman, I felt I was shouldering the weight of the whole Air Force and the pressure was intense,” Sauer said in the statement. “I had to finish.”

The course completed by Sauer, located at Camp San Luis Obispo, California, is designed to train service members in air assault missions, sling-load procedures and rappelling techniques that include helicopter operations. The school is taught by specialized air assault sergeants from the Warrior Training Center Brigade at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Sauer, who only became aware of the opportunity to attend the course just two weeks before it commenced, said he was ready for a “top-tier challenge,” per the release.

The airman said his previous experience at the U.S. Army’s Ranger School prepared him for military training opportunities like this one. Sauer also placed third earlier this year in the 18-mile Norwegian Foot March located at Mather Air Force Base, California, and completed the Army Best Warrior Competition, according to the announcement.

The 195th Wing Senior Enlisted Leader Senior Master Sgt. William Wade assisted in identifying Sauer as a candidate for the air assault course, while stressing to him that there were only five airmen at the beginning of the course.

“I am so incredibly proud of Staff Sergeant Sauer! He demonstrated the elite standard of our 195th Wing defenders,” Lt. Col. Sahira DeMarco, deputy group commander for 195th Operations Group, said in the release.