Photo By Staff Sgt. Jennifer Spradlin | Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, hoist a tire into the back of a...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – Living up to the old Army motto, “We do more before 9 a.m. than most people do all day,” the Soldiers of 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, are pushing their way through a multi-event competition to prove their squad has the mental and physical toughness to be the best before the sun has fully risen.
The challenge: Complete a timed three-mile loop with a 100-meter Humvee push and tire flip, two-person tow bar run, a sprint and high crawl section and, finally, wrap it up with a wall climb. The reward: Owning the best squad streamer for the month.
In addition to bragging rights, the event is designed to reinforce teamwork and unit cohesion, both necessary elements to mission success
“I think these events really bring us closer as a squad. It’s a team effort. When you’re running with the tow bar, it’s actually the Soldier in the back that is setting the pace and pushing the front Soldier to keep going,” said Pvt. Eriberto Gilramos, an automatic rifleman with C Company, 5-20.
“The tow bar run was the most challenging part of the event for me – it’s really hard on the shoulders. But we motivated each other, and we got through it,” he said.
More than 13 squads participate in the competition, each returning to the finish line with uniforms soaked through and gasping for breath. They congratulate and pat each other on the back, wandering over to the finish line area, when they’ve recovered, to check their squad times.
“Our vision was to reinforce infantry skills, mental and physical fitness, in order to increase the esprit de corps of our unit, and I think we achieved that,” said 1st Lt. Idi Mallari, assistant operations officer.
“I’m very proud of the effort put out by these Soldiers. Everyone was really motivated, and at the end of the competition everyone was excited. They had positive feedback about the different events,” he said, emphasizing that physical fitness was a priority for the command and that this event highlighted their commitment as Soldiers to being combat ready.
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 08.15.2014 13:23 |
| Story ID: | 139463 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 133 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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