Photo By Sgt. Steven Fox | Team Lady Raiders pose together after their completion of the MARSOC Mud, Sweat and...... read more read more
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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Service members, along with their families and local community members gathered aboard Stone Bay, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune – home to U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command (MARSOC) – for the unit’s annual Mud, Sweat and Tears run, April 25, 2015.
The MARSOC-sponsored Marine Corps Community Service event challenged runners with a 10k movement through obstacle-rich terrain comprised of swamps, creeks, fallen trees and plenty of mud – chest-high pits filled with it and steep slopes soaked in it.
The run attracted roughly 1,700 people, military and civilian – young and old, and MARSOC capitalized on the opportunity to strengthen bonds with the local military and civilian community. Many of the course obstacles, by purpose of design, required a collaborative effort, allowing Marines and Sailors with the unit to foster relationships with visiting parties.
Among the participants was the MARSOC commander, Major Gen. Joseph L. Osterman, and MARSOC Sergeant Major, Sgt. Major John W. Scott.
“This event ties MARSOC directly in with our local community,” said Osterman. “We are pleased to host this event, as it also provides the local community an opportunity to rub elbows with our Marines and Sailors, while building awareness for MARSOC and who we are and what we do as the Marine Corps’ component of U.S. Special Operation Command.”
Before the mud run’s commencement, MARSOC recruiters held the MARSOC Strength Challenge, in which active-duty military members competed in a battery of different challenges featuring pull-ups, kettle-bell carries, a sled push and sled pull.
“A lot of time, thought and effort went into developing the strength challenge to make sure it’s molded around the basic physical attributes you need as a MARSOC operator,” said one of the MARSOC recruiters. “This also allows us to see who the performers are, because the people who come out for the MARSOC Strength Challenge generally aren’t your half-steppers, or your 80-percent guys; we’re looking for the 100-percent guys.”
Any parties interested in going MARSOC, or simply curious about the command, were able to stop by the recruiting tents to get their questions answered by tending critical skills operators.
The challenges wrapped up in the early afternoon, but many of the participants stuck around to cap the day’s festivities off at the MARSOC-sponsored cookout to eat, drink, and socialize before the awards ceremony.
Osterman and Scott presented various awards, ranging from 1st, 2nd and 3rd place medals, to plaques, checks and ornamental wooden paddles, to all victorious event participants.
The Lady Raiders, a team consisting of four MARSOC Marines and one civilian, placed first among females in MARSOC’s race.
“We really enjoy the aspect of competition, but it’s more about the teamwork and camaraderie for us,” said Lady Raider team member, Capt. Christie Everett. “Some of us got individual awards, too, but it was more important to us that we performed well as a team than performing well individually.”
Also during the event, the MARSOC Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Cathy Johnson, also set up a booth in recognition of April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Johnson and several volunteers offered information about sexual assault prevention to all participants.
| Date Taken: | 04.27.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.27.2015 16:32 |
| Story ID: | 161424 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 315 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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