Photo By Sgt. Ryan Hallock | Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Henderson, machinery technician with the...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - On Aug. 6, 2011, a Chinook helicopter carrying 31 Americans was shot down by insurgents in the Wardak province in Afghanistan. Thirty service members and one military dog were killed in the crash. More than a year has passed since 31 of our nation’s heroes paid the ultimate sacrifice. They gave their lives en route to a special operations mission to reinforce an engaged unit of Army Rangers.
The mission still continues for those in uniform, but for the families who lost their fathers, brothers, friends, soul mates, and loved ones, life will never be the same.
Mackenzie Tobin embarked on a mission in the wake of the tragedy. She and one of her partners, Amanda Justus, knew they had to act to show their support for the 30 families and used their CrossFit backgrounds for inspiration. The two military spouses along with two other partners who served in the Navy co-founded the 31 Heroes Project.
Four weeks after the day of the crash, the non-profit organization hosted a CrossFit event to benefit the families. It soon became an international event and was held at more than 430 gyms worldwide with more than 10,000 participants from the CrossFit community. $300,000 was raised and given directly to the 30 families.
“I am incredibly humbled by the military families I interact with on a regular basis,” said Tobin. “They never complain about the sacrifices, and there is always a sense of pride in either their direct service, or that of a family member. The families are the reason we get up every day and do this work!”
The project has grown and spread to gyms all around the world, and now to Guantanamo Bay for the second annual event honoring our fallen. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Henderson took the reigns and organized the 31 Heroes Project at GTMO after members from his unit approached him to bring the event to life.
“It means a lot to me because I get to directly support the families who have lost someone overseas,” said Henderson, a machinery technician from the Maritime Safety and Security Team. “I would like to know that my family’s taken care of if I were to get killed in the line of duty.”
The money the CrossFit community raises will now get divided to further support even more families who have lost loved ones. One third of the donations will go to the memorial fund for the 30 families, one third will go to The Travis Manion Foundation, and one third will go to the Snowball Express, foundations whose mission is to assist the families of fallen heroes.
Henderson’s 31 Heroes Project at GTMO brought 22 CrossFit athletes and workout enthusiasts together to support the cause and raised $951 when the workout was finished.
This year’s “workout of the day” as it is known in the CrossFit community involves a rigorous 31-minute, high-intensity, can’t-quit, as many repetitions as possible workout.
“One team, one fight.” The motto lived and breathed throughout the military is the same motto for the 31 Heroes Project. Teams of two worked out simultaneously as the sun beat down upon their faces. Each aspect of the 31 Heroes workout bears special significance. The CrossFit athletes gave the course everything they had, knowing that each minute of the workout symbolized one of the 31 fallen heroes.
While one partner ran 400 meters carrying a 25 or 45-pound sand bag, the other began the 8-6-11-repetition scheme workout. It started with eight thrusters: the participant lifts a weighted bar, squats down, and then thrusts it over their head to finish one repetition. Veins were left bulging as they headed into the next portion of the workout. The athletes had to tame the beast within, the one begging them quit, to give up and find shade.
“31 minutes of CrossFit is pretty intense,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Thomas Shaughnessy, a boat crew member with the MSST. “Hearing the cheers from the sidelines and remembering what you’re doing it for helps push you through it. Those were 31 silent heroes that you never hear about, who put their lives on the line every single day they went out.”
Next in the athletes’ way of the finish line were six 15-foot rope climbs followed by 11 box jumps. The rope stretched high into the blazing sun, which dared those strong hearted enough to reach the top. Whichever partner was on the ropes, weights, or boxes, the other was embracing the suck on the run. The workout is a constant testament to the teamwork displayed by all those who have defended the freedoms of the United States.
“The big thing about CrossFit is the community,” said Henderson. “Everybody’s in it for the cause. The support from the base has been amazing.”
The prize for completing the workout is the sweat pouring out of their bodies, cooling them down as the temperature approached 95 degrees Fahrenheit by midmorning. It’s a competition against their inner resistance, to see how many cycles they can complete before the clock reads zero. Be it five, 10, or 15, each team knows the ultimate prize is raising money for families who have lost loved ones to this profession.
“This event provides us all the opportunity to honor and remember the incredible service members who have made unbelievable sacrifices for all of us,” said Tobin. “We can all come together to show, through our sweat, blood, and sometimes tears, that we will never forget!”
Blood, sweat, tears, emotions; everything came pouring out at GTMO.
“Serving with guys like that, it digs deep,” said Master Sgt. Gregg Ramsdell, who has served with the special operations community his entire career and was out tearing up the CrossFit course with the best of them. “Not everybody really knows who goes down.”
The 31 Heroes project is open to registration to all those wishing to honor our fallen military heroes – past, present and future, and support their families. It costs $31 to register online at www.31heroes.com.
“The 31 Heroes project would not exist without the wonderful people who support us,” said Tobin. “I love waking up every day knowing I get to interact with service members and families from every branch.”
| Date Taken: | 08.04.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 08.09.2012 15:57 |
| Story ID: | 92936 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 246 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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