Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Jeffrey Schultze | Tech. Sgt. Ryan Bobzin, 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance...... read more read more
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SOUTHWEST ASIA - Before 7 a.m. about 50 airmen from 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing performed various fitness events Oct. 12, 2011.
Not only were the airmen testing their physical capabilities, but they were completing events in memory of Lt. Col. Lee Archer and Capt. Wendell Pruitt, two Tuskegee airmen otherwise known as the "Gruesome Twosome."
Gruesome Twosome, which is the first team event at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, was created by Staff Sgts. Shaun Collette and Christopher Barbour, both from the 332nd Expeditionary Force Support Squadron.
"I was at [Joint Base Balad] for five months before coming here, and we had to give speeches in our unit about Tuskegee airmen and Air Force instructions," said Collette, who is deployed from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. "The 'Gruesome Twosome' is a known Tuskegee team, which is why we chose them for our first event."
The first place team was 1st Lt. Jonathan Daley and Staff Sgt. Levi Jungwirth, the second place team was Staff Sgts. David Heinz and Joshua Koenick and the third place team was Airmen 1st Class Labrandon Jones and Joshua Medland. Their times were 23:23, 23:43 and 23:46 respectively. The first place coed team was Staff Sgt. Jasmine Horton and Airman 1st Class Tyler Borsberry with a time of 27:12.
The significance of the day starts off with the date. Gruesome Twosome, held Oct. 12, is the same day the "Gruesome Twosome" shot down three German planes in Hungary, bringing their total to five aircraft shot down. This gave the Tuskegee airmen an ace.
"Coincidentally, Oct. 12, 1944, also fell on a Wednesday," said Barbour, who is deployed from Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
Each of the events conducted during Gruesome are also symbolic.
The first event was 44 pushups while wearing a flak vest. The number 44 is significant because it is the same year Archer and Pruitt became a team.
The second event was a 1 mile run while wearing a flak vest, which symbolizes the burden the pair carried looking after bombers.
Halfway into the mile, was a surprise event, 47 squats with flak vest, which stands for the P-47 Thunderbolt, which was the aircraft flown by Pruitt.
Gruesome Twosome also consisted of 51 sit-ups without a flak vest, correlating to the P-51 Mustang, which is the aircraft the duo flew Oct. 12, 1944.
Lastly, participants had to move 239 pounds of water onto a pallet, which represents how many combat missions the duo has flown and the pallet embodies the vessel used to complete the missions.
"We hope everyone left happy and with more knowledge about our heritage," said Collette, who is a native of Burlington, Vt. "We're not just another unit, we have a continuing legacy."
"This event should give a preview of our future endeavors," added Barbour, who is a native of Birmingham, Ala.
The event's success is also credited to the volunteers who helped facilitate.
"We had about 100 people out there, and for a small community, that makes me feel really happy," said Collette.
| Date Taken: | 10.12.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 10.14.2011 04:27 |
| Story ID: | 78470 |
| Location: | (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION) |
| Web Views: | 256 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Red Tail Fitness: Gruesome Twosome: More than a fitness event, by Capt. Amber Kelly-Herard, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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