Run. Hide. Fight. It’s a terrifying reality no one wants to face — but one that demands preparation. Inside the Guam National Guard compound, the sounds of gunfire and chaos echoed through the halls, thankfully, only in training.

The Guam Airport Police took the lead — running Guard soldiers and civilians through intense active shooter drills. Split-second decisions, simulated evacuations — all designed to sharpen instincts and save lives when seconds matter. Chief Vince Naputi said, "It was easy for them to approach us. They actually requested for my boss, and then he handed it to us and asked if we can do an active shooter training for one week which was supposed to be 150 but I think they are tracking 300 right now."

Naputi, the Chief of Airport Police,  says his military-certified training came at the perfect time. "They actually invited us up to the Air Force to get certified, as an active shooter instructor and with that certification, it talked a lot about military installations."

With incidents like the shooting at Fort Stewart still fresh — the training is more than relevant. "They devised a training that took care of what the military was dealing with at the time, and here we are today, I was going back and get refreshed and re-certified, and they were affiliated with the PAC-AF region," he explained.

The goal: turn panic into preparedness, and give participants the confidence to react — not freeze. "They are high-valued targets , their biggest threat is insider threat for the most part, especially here on Guam where it could be a co-worker that would commit this horrific offense," Naputi said.

That’s why the course walks through real case studies — showing how active shooter tactics have changed over the years. "So now they commit this horrific offense and after they're done they are met with law enforcement and they've evolved tactically where they are wearing vests, helmets," he said.

For the Guard, it’s training built on teamwork — soldiers and police, shoulder to shoulder.

Mark Scott, Guam National Guard Public Affairs, said, “We’re thankful for Chief Naputi and the professionals at Airport Police for coming over and helping us refine our active shooter tactics. We can all learn from each other. And it’s this kind of relationship building and interagency partnerships that will not only benefit our organization, but the readiness of our community as a whole.”

Naputi said, "Even with law enforcement, we have to change. With these guys we have to give them the information. With the information we even test them to run hide. For most people we haven’t gotten to the fight yet… but in the end, they are probably going to want to live and which means they are going to fight."

And his advice is simple — prepare now, adding, "For us, I would say to everyone out there - if you don’t have an active shooter policy, standard operating procedure, or a plan ..the first thing I would do would be to ensure that you write one up. If you aren’t a big agency, and you’re a small office, then my thing to everybody is make your plan, train your plan and then test your plan."

Officials say these drills don’t just ready the Guard — they make our community safer. Because readiness isn’t just a military responsibility. It’s everyone’s.