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    Obstacle course construction on Fort Hood

    Obstacle course construction on Fort Hood

    Photo By Sgt. Kyle Fisch | Soldiers with the 104th Engineer Company, 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer...... read more read more

    FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

    11.18.2013

    Story by Sgt. Kyle Fisch 

    14th Public Affairs Detachment

    Sgt. Kyle Fisch
    14th Public Affairs Detachment

    FORT HOOD, Texas - Lately, soldiers and their families may have seen several construction zones throughout Fort Hood, wondering what is going on.

    Soldiers of the 104th Engineer Company, 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade are constructing seven new Functional Fitness courses at locations such as West Fort Hood, Division West, 48th Chemical Brigade, 11th Signal Brigade, III Corps, and Keyschnik Gym and there are two being renovated.

    Each Functional Fitness Course will have multiple obstacles available to soldiers and their families for physical training on Fort Hood.

    “These Functional Fitness Centers will essentially be kin to the Air Assault obstacle course, not the same, but similar,” said 1st Lt. Benjamin Speckhart, the unit executive officer of the 104th Engineer Company. “The obstacles being installed like the pull-up bars, dip bars, cargo nets and rope climbs, will vary the way soldiers do PT in the mornings.”

    The specific purpose of these obstacle courses is to improve a soldier’s ability to perform everyday tasks.

    “Functional Fitness, also known as Operational Fitness, is designed with the soldier in mind,” said Maj. Gen. Anthony Ierardi, the 1st Cavalry Division commander and acting III Corps commander. “It is intended to improve the body’s ability to perform everyday activities, rather than isolating muscle groups like traditional workouts.”

    These new courses are being constructed to provide a new direction in physical fitness for soldiers.

    “Functional Fitness is an initiative started by Lt. Gen. Milley and Command Sgt. Maj. Schroeder to provide our soldiers with world-class facilities to improve their fitness,” Ierardi said. “The units on Fort Hood are high-performing organizations and deserve the very best we can offer in preparing them for the stress of combat.”

    The 104th Engineer Company prepared for this project for approximately two months.

    “We have known that we would be tasked with this project for a few months now, but could not start any in-depth planning, since we did not have any details at that point,” Speckhart said. “We started in-depth planning around September.”

    Engineers are working diligently to accomplish this task by the projected end date of 20 December 2013, Speckhart said. But as with many things in the Army, this is subject to change as unexpected events may come up.

    Building these seven Functional Fitness Courses and modifying the two outdoor courses already in place, by the projected end date, is possible due to soldiers of the 104th En. Company working on this project with assistance from a few other units on Fort Hood, Speckhart said.

    By utilizing the multitude of facilities and the extensive amount of equipment available, soldiers and their families can keep up with every aspect of their physical fitness.

    Whether you want to utilize the concepts of Functional Fitness or just conduct weight training at Fort Hood Fitness Centers. The Great Place has everything a soldier or family member needs to attain their physical fitness goals, Ierardi said.

    So keep your eye out for the completion of a course near your neighborhood.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 11.18.2013
    Date Posted: 11.22.2013 14:41
    Story ID: 117235
    Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US

    Web Views: 422
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN