Photo By Staff Sgt. John Suleski | A Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point aircraft rescue and firefighting Marine picks...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. – A cold, windy morning turned into a heated day of competition. In the end, seven Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Marines from Marine Corps Air Station New River emerged victorious at the 25th annual ARFF Rodeo on MCAS Cherry Point, Oct. 1.
The team competed against four teams from MCAS Beaufort, MCAS Quantico, MCAS Cherry Point and Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue. This victory was the third consecutive victory for the air station Marines.
The challenge included six timed events mirroring the regular duties of the ARFF Marines, said Lance Cpl. Adam J. Mathews, one of the seven competitors from New River.
The air station’s most notable events were the saw event and the bucket brigade, said Sgt. Juan L. Padin, New River ARFF Marine.
The saw event included three Marines: one held a 55-gallon drum, another stood by with a fire extinguisher, and the last sawed the drum in half. As sparks flew, Cpl. Brice C. Kuehn, a New River ARFF Marine, cut the drum in 21 seconds.
The team’s other large accomplishment in the rodeo was the bucket brigade, said Padin. In the event, five Marines carrying buckets ran 50 yards from a pool of water to a 55-gallon drum, filling it as fast as possible.
The last event decided the victory, he said. Before the event, several teams were evenly matched and the winner of the exhaustive bucket brigade would win it all.
“It gave me a bleeding ulcer,” joked Sgt. Maj. Steven P. Crawford, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron sergeant major, in a formation the following Monday about how the victory was incredibly close. However, being close to defeat made the victory sweeter, he added.
The ARFF Marines were tense after the first five events, said Master Sgt. Guy M. Doughty, ARFF staff non-commissioned officer in charge.
Padin said seeing the other teams do it first helped pump up the team because they knew they could do it better.
The air station Marines did it faster because of good communication.
They avoided bumps between Marines that made other teams spill water, said Padin. They set a new rodeo record time of one minute, 17 seconds.
Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Gorry, Marine Corps Installation East commanding general, awarded the rodeo trophy, made from a water nozzle, to the New River team.
Taking back the trophy wouldn’t have been possible without the two months of rigorous training the team did before the competition, said Padin. This training included performing the bucket brigade repeatedly.
Padin’s dedication to train for the rodeo also drives him as an ARFF Marine. He said he loves doing what he does because he likes having people depend on him and having the responsibility of protecting lives.
His dedication isn’t just limited to him. His fellow Marines try to be the best they can at what they do, and it shows through their repeated triumphs. Padin said the team has not been the same throughout the years, proving excellence is not a virtue reserved for the seven individuals who participated this year.
Because of the ARFF Marines, the rodeo trophy has taken residence aboard New River for two years and will remain for one more. When asked where the trophy belongs, the team knows, “back seat, buckled up!” Because it’s not leaving the air station for a long time.
| Date Taken: | 10.11.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 10.11.2011 09:42 |
| Story ID: | 78307 |
| Location: | NC, US |
| Web Views: | 234 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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