US Navy stops pepper spraying sailors every 3 years

Master-at-Arms 1st Class Cathy Garcia sprays pepper spray into the eyes of Electronics Technician 3rd Marie Matlock. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Andrew Wiskow)

U.S. Navy sailors will no longer have to relive the painful pepper spray experience every three years.

The Navy announced Tuesday sailors will only have to get pepper sprayed in the eyes once, instead of the every three-year requirement that had been in place, after it received complaints about the agonizing training.

“One and done! Effective immediately we are ELIMINATING the 3-year recertification requirement for pepper spray as part of our force protection training,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson wrote in a Facebook post with a video.

“Once you get that experience you’ll never forget it, and you’ll be able to fight through pepper spray for the rest of your career,” Richardson said.

In the training, sailors are hit with pepper spray in their eyes and forced to protect themselves against an attacker by performing self-defense moves. It’s supposed to help in case of similar, real-life situations. The Navy’s official YouTube page posted a 2015 video where a sailor, who was pepper sprayed, said she felt like “a blow torch” had hit her face.

“I couldn’t breath and it felt like my eyes had glass and like pepper in it,” the sailor said.

Pepper spray can cause difficulty in breathing and temporary blindness for about 30 to 45 minutes after the liquid hits people’s eyes.