Army Reserve Soldiers, Tough Mudder successfully host Southern California event

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Felix Fimbres | Staff Sgt. April Brombacher, a Civil Affairs noncommissioned officer with the 416th Civil Affairs (Airborne), low crawls underneath barbed wire during Tough Mudder SoCal in Temecula, Calif., Oct. 25. Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile military style obstacle course that focuses on endurance and teamwork. The U.S. Army partners with Tough Mudder because it encourages participants to strive for the best, push their personal limits and encourages participants to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Felix R. Fimbres)  

TEMECULA, CA, UNITED STATES

10.25.2014

Story by Staff Sgt. Felix Fimbres 

311th Expeditionary Sustainment Command   

TEMECULA, Calif. – Local soldiers from the U.S. Army Reserve meet and encourage Tough Mudder SoCal participants during a recent event.

The U.S. Army is sponsoring Tough Mudder for the second year; many soldiers involved are Reservists and members of the community.

“I'm here motivating civilians who may be interested in becoming future soldiers and showing them just a little bit of what we are about,” said Staff Sgt. Daisy Rosas, a unit administrator for the 11th Military Police Brigade in Los Alamitos, California, and an Army Reserve drill instructor, “People are very happy we're here; they want to see us [drill instructors] in action. I had someone come up to me and ask me, ‘Can I see how you yell at someone?’”

Participants got to see plenty of yelling as the drill sergeants routinely toured the grounds motivating people the best way they know how.

“I thought his was Tough Mudder, not soft mudder! Someone get him two graham crackers and a piece of chocolate to go with this marshmallow,” one of the drill sergeants yelled in character via bullhorn while the participants laughed. The drill sergeants also shared their "motivation" at the Army Activation space.

The Activation space allowed guests to meet local Army Reserve Soldiers, recruiters and even race against the clock in a timed physical challenge for prizes. The challenge includes pullups, pushups, low-crawl and moving a weighted sled while being motivated by multiple drill sergeants.

However, soldiers did more than simply shout at participants; they also gave participants high-fives at the starting line and wished them good luck. Some of the participants thanked the soldiers for their service and shook their hands.

Throughout the race, Soldiers cheered the participants and helped provide advice for overcoming some of the obstacles. One obstacle in particular, the Berlin Wall, a 12-foot tall obstacle is particularly tough on the participants. Soldiers on the wall provide advice on tackling the wall that require a variety of methods for participants who wants to do it alone or those who have teammates to help them.

One of those participants who had teammates was Lance Cpl. Erik Galvin, who became a triple amputee after an IED attack near Saigin, Afghanistan, in 2011. Thanks to the Wishes For Warriors Corp., he was able to participate in the event while his wife watched. The U.S. Army partners with Tough Mudder because it inspires racers to strive for the best, push their personal limits and encourages participants to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. Tough Mudder helped raise over $6.5 million for the Wounded Warrior Project, which has helped the transition of thousands of returning veterans.

• Date Taken: 10.25.2014
• Date Posted: 10.30.2014 18:57
• Story ID: 146624
• Location: TEMECULA, CA, US