Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Taylor | 1st Lt. Seann Kim from the 172nd Infantry Brigade's 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry...... read more read more
By Sgt. Michael J. Taylor
Multi-National Division - Center
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq – "One mile, no sweat. Two miles, better yet" are the words of a well known cadence that 10 Soldiers from the 172nd Infantry 'Blackhawk" Brigade brought to life as their teams claimed 1st and 2nd place in the 10th Mountain Division's 10-Mile Combat Ruck Relay held, Feb. 15.
The gold-trophy team from the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment and silver-trophy team from the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment beat out 65 other teams to claim their victories during the combat relay.
The 10-mile relay is a race where members of five-person teams from various units within the Multi-National Division - Center navigated two miles each around Lost Lake here with a 30-pound rucksack strapped on their backs and a rifle in hand.
Each person had to navigate around trees, over barriers and through narrow paths to make it to the next person on their team.
With final times of 1:21:05 and 1:21:07, the 1-2 Inf. and 2-28 Inf. teams provided the audience a breathtaking finish as they fought through the course to claim the gold. Dominating the race, both teams finished more than seven minutes ahead of their nearest competitors.
"I told you," said 1st Sgt. Kurt D. Hopson, of Bravo 1-2 Inf., as if he expected nothing less than greatness from his team. "Our Soldiers trained hard and were very motivated for this event."
When asked about the team's strategy prior to the race, Hopson commented, "There is no team strategy, our guys are just going to go out there, run hard the whole two miles and come out on top."
"It feels great to win," said 1st Lt. Seann Kim, last runner and leader of the 1-2 Inf. team. "1-2 has to represent. We strive to be the best in everything we do."
1-2 Inf. and 2-28 Inf. were not the only teams from 172nd Inf. Bde. that took part in the relay race. A total of six teams made the trip to Baghdad and represented the Blackhawk Brigade. A second 2-28 Inf. team finished seventh and the 9th Engineer team finished 10th which gave the 172nd Inf. Bde. a total of four teams finishing in the top 10.
A team from the 172nd Support Battalion came in 30th place while an all-women team from their battalion came in 34th.
The all-women's team was the only all female gender team that competed in the race. Fighting hard and staying tough, the Blackhawk Brigade women beat out more than half of the opposing teams, which were made up of all males or mixed genders. They displayed courage and lived the Blackhawk motto, "Strength with Honor."
"We are going to do excellent," said Pfc. Alicia C. Litchfield, prior to the race. "Whether we come crawling across the line, limping or running, we will give it our everything."
The women's team finished with an impressive time of 1:56:16.
This was the first time that the 10th Mtn. Div. ever held the 10-Mile Combat Ruck Relay. It was planned and organized by two senior non-commissioned officers, Sgt. Major Donald L. Spicer and Master Sgt. Glenn Honts. The relay was thought of as a way to give Soldiers and civilians something different and unique to compete for and also to promote team cohesion.
"The relay was open to all service members, civilians and even other country's armies, such as Ghana and Great Britain," said Spicer.
"The idea of the 10-Mile Combat Ruck Relay was ultimately to give the competitors something that was very challenging," said Spicer. "But the guys from the 172nd Inf. Bde. really made it look easy."
"Our battalion constantly strives to be the best," said Kim. "Whether it is a 10-mile race or patrols in our sector, everyone does the best job they can every time."
"It is that same dedication to duty and personal courage that allowed us to emerge on top and win the gold trophy," he added.
| Date Taken: | 02.15.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 02.18.2009 08:22 |
| Story ID: | 30154 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 288 |
| Downloads: | 113 |
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