Victory Base personnel climb to glory

Photo By Staff Sgt. Joy Pariante | Competitors prep their ruck sacks and mentally prepare before the 10th Mountain Division Climb to Glory Combat Ruck March , Feb. 15, at Lost Lake, Camp Victory, Iraq.  

02.16.2009

Story by Staff Sgt. Joy Pariante 

13th Public Affairs Detachment

By Staff Sgt. Joy Pariante
13th Public Affairs Detachment

Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and civilians from multiple coalition forces came together at Lost Lake on a dark, chilly Sunday morning to try and make it to the top.

The10th Mountain Division invited all services and civilians from across Iraq to join them in a traditional 10th Mountain ruck march, with a twist. The 10th Mtn. Div. 10-mile combat ruck involved teams of five running with a 35 pound ruck and weapon through a two-mile course accented with obstacles such as a water hazard and a wall vault.

"It doesn't matter if you're 'Semper Fi' or 'All the Way,' today you're all going to climb ten miles to glory," said Lt. Col. Gregory Jaksec, G6, 10th Mtn. Div., at the start of the event. More than 70 teams participated in the novel event that organizers hoped would bring relief from the monotony of deployment to Camp Victory.

The event was coordinated and executed by the non-commissioned officers of the G6 section of 10th Mtn. Div. to bring a little of what they love about their home at Fort Drum, N.Y. to Iraq. "We do a lot of rucking back at Fort Drum, New York and we wanted to bring a little of that fun to Victory Base," Jaksec said.

Jaksec and primary coordinator Sgt. Maj. Donald Spicer, sergeant major, G6, 10th Mtn. Div., agreed that the expressions on the competitors' faces showed the event served its purpose of both challenge and change. Jaksec said you could see the determination and sense of accomplishment on the faces of the ruckers as they crossed the finish line or handed off their ruck and weapon to their teammates.

Spicer said if it wasn't for his supervisory role in the event, he'd be competing right alongside his fellow troops. "My mouth was watering and it hurt watching everyone go by," Spicer said. "It was dying, I love these things."

Spicer and his NCOs did quite the job of creating a fun and challenging route for the first event of this kind ever held in a combat zone. Besides carrying their ruck and an M-16, participants had to weave their way through trees, vault over 3 foot high concrete barriers, run up and down sandy hills and avoid falling in the murky waters of Lost Lake to complete their 2-mile loop.

"You obviously have to be in good shape just to finish," said 1st Lt. Seann Kim, scout platoon leader, 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, who was the captain of the winning team. "It was definitely a mental and physical race today."

Kim's team finished the 10 mile race in 1 hour, 21 minutes and 5 seconds. The second place team, also hailing from 1st Bn., 2nd Inf. Reg., finished just two seconds behind. The third place team from Multi-National Corps – Iraq's C6 section.

Winners received mini t-walls that were decorated by hand by the 10th Mtn. volunteers. Participants received t-shirts to commemorate their climb to glory.

• Date Taken: 02.16.2009
• Date Posted: 02.16.2009 08:33
• Story ID: 30070