Rider Mentor Program expands motorcycle safety training on Guam
The Department of the Air Force Rider Mentor Program trainer course was held at Andersen Air Force Base for the first time Sept. 24–25, 2026.
Nine U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps service members participated in the course to expand motorcycle safety mentorship and increase access to required training for military riders across Guam.
“Currently, there is no way for any rider on the island to get their Level II or Level III refresher done,” said John McLaughlin, deputy chief of traffic safety and motorcycle safety program manager at the Air Force Safety Center. “This will make that possible for all the riders on the base to get their training in accordance with the instructions.”
The program supports mandatory motorcycle training requirements including:
- Level II training within one year of earning a Level I initial license
- Level III refresher training every five years afterward.
Training combined practical motorcycle-riding skills with classroom discussions on rider behavior and risk management. Participants practiced emergency stopping, quick turns and swerving while learning how to mentor other riders.
U.S. Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Charles Hardesty, provost sergeant for the Provost Marshal's Office at Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz and motorcycle program mentor, attended the course to become a rider mentor instructor and help develop new motorcycle riders.
“We need more instructors and more trainers out there to provide guidance and oversight regarding safe riding so that we don’t have any incidents on or off installation,” Hardesty said.
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Paul Witt, director of the 36th Wg Equal Opportunity Office and a 20-year motorcycle rider, attended the course to share his motorcycle driving experience with new riders.
"The roads here in Guam are different from the ones we're used to in the States," Witt said. "The coral aggregate used to build them makes driving more precarious in the rain as they become slippery—and we get a lot of rain here."
Witt added that graduates – now rider mentor instructors - can take their combined experience and share it with other riders, regardless of whether those individuals are new to the island or riding for the first time.
By establishing trained rider mentors and mentor instructors in Guam, the course expands local access to motorcycle safety training and peer-to-peer mentorship for military riders across the island.
For more information about becoming a motorcycle safety representative, rider mentor instructor or to complete required motorcycle safety refresher training, contact the 36th Wing Safety Office at commercial (671) 366-7233, DSN 366-7233, or 36wg.se@us.af.mil.
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