Island Warriors hike with toys, compete in combat competition

Photo By Kristen Wong | Staff Sgt. Larry Lintz, platoon sergeant, Weapons Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, and his wife help their daughter climb over a bar at the Boondocker training area, Dec. 19. Families were invited to the Boondocker training area for the Island Warrior Combat Competition III and Toys for Tots drive, which included a 9-mile hike, toy collection and a series of physical competitions. This was the first time the unit included a Toys for Tots drive in their combat competition. The Marines and sailors hiked carrying toys and wearing festive decorations with their combat gear. The Island Warriors donated more than 550 toys were donated to the Toys for Tots campaign. The five companies in 2/3 also competed in four different events including tug-of-war, an obstacle course, pugil sticks and a sandbag relay. Weapons Company won the wooden-battleaxe trophy for the overall competition.  

KANEOHE, HI, UNITED STATES

12.19.2011

Story by Kristen Wong 

Marine Corps Base Hawaii

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Kaneohe Bay — More than 500 Marines and sailors from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, hiked 9 miles carrying heavy packs, weaponry, Barbie dolls and bicycles, before beginning the Island Warrior Combat Competition III and Toys for Tots Drive at the Boondocker training area, Dec. 19.

Conditioning hikes are nothing new for the Island Warriors, and squad competitions like these are held once a month, but 1st Lt. John Bartucco, outgoing adjutant, 2/3, said this is the first time a Toys for Tots drive was incorporated into the competition.

“[The competition] promote[s] the warrior spirit, unit camaraderie, [and] unit cohesion,” said Lt. Col. Justin Dunne, battalion commander, 2/3.

Early in the morning, the Island Warriors began their trek at the battalion armory behind Bldg. 1087, hiking to the Range Training Facility Kaneohe Bay, Mokapu Gate, around the Nuupia Ponds and ending at the Boondocker training area. Bartucco said all Marines and sailors were allowed to substitute one piece of gear for a toy donation to the Toys for Tots campaign. Some went a step further, wearing tinsel, bows and reindeer antlers, or even painting their faces.

Sgt. Maj. Steven Collier, battalion sergeant major, 2/3, came up with the idea of incorporating toy donations with the hike. The toy donations were an opportunity to “give back to the community,” Dunne said.

The Marines and sailors dropped their heavy packs on the fields, and relaxed for a bit in the hot sun, staying hydrated and nourishing themselves with fruit. They lined up and one by one, and added their donation to the growing stack of toys. More than 550 toys were donated.

Lance Cpl. Ashton Neher, first team leader, Echo Company, 2/3, volunteered to carry a green bicycle that he and his fellow Marines pitched in to purchase.

“It was not very comfortable,” Neher, a Texas native, said. “But it’s going to a good cause.”

As the Island Warriors rested, Santa Claus passed out candy, but it was back to business as all 2/3 companies made a horseshoe formation to receive instructions for the morning’s events.

Each of the five companies competed four times in the squad obstacle course relay, squad tug of war, sandbag relay, and pugil sticks. In addition to the events, each company scored points depending on how many toys they brought. Marines and sailors flipped over bars, climbed a wall and a rope, and hoisted themselves over large logs.

“[The competition is] a lot of fun,” said 2nd Lt. Seth Babcock, platoon commander, 2nd Platoon, Fox Company, 2/3. “It’s a good workout.”

Babcock was one of the Marines representing Fox Company in the obstacle course.

During tug of war, members of both teams laid on the ground before jumping up and grabbing the rope. Farther down the field, Island Warriors ran with heavy sandbags, depositing them at one end of the field and running back to the next teammate holding another sandbag.

Nearby, in the soft, brown patch of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program pit, Marines and sailors put on facemasks and gloves, and pelted each other mercilessly with pugil sticks.

“There’s nothing like developing the warrior spirit than being in the arena,” Dunne said.

Lance Cpl. Colton Campbell, rifleman, Golf Company, 2/3, faced off with 2nd Lt. Martin Thomas, platoon commander, 2nd Platoon, Echo Company, 2/3, in pugil sticks, resulting in a scuffle that landed in the audience.

“Thomas was pretty tough,” said Campbell, of Des Moines, Iowa. “It all happened pretty fast. Before you knew it the gloves were off and we started swinging.”

Thomas, of Charleston, S.C., has eight years of pugil stick experience. He said his strategy was to “control the chaos [and] strike back.” He said the competition promoted camaraderie among the service members.

While the Marines and sailors sweated profusely and pushed themselves to win the competition, their children watched from the sidelines. The 2-year-old daughter of Staff Sgt. Larry Lintz, platoon leader, Weapons Platoon, 2/3, experienced her own obstacle course, carefully climbing a few high bars with the help of her parents.

Lintz’s wife had never attended a competition like this before.

“It’s actually nice to see what my husband does everyday,” she said.

After the last of the obstacle course competitors hustled back to the starting line, the unit gathered together on the field, where Dunne held the coveted wooden shark-tooth battleaxe, and announced the winner of the competition. With a resounding cheer, Weapons Company proudly claimed the axe for their third consecutive win.

“[The competition is] a good way to kick off the battalion Christmas leave block,” Bartucco said. “We also thought it would be a good way for the battalion to contribute to the Toys for Tots drive, so this was a great way to include both of these events in a productive, festive, and fun way.”

• Date Taken: 12.19.2011
• Date Posted: 12.20.2011 17:45
• Story ID: 81630
• Location: KANEOHE, HI, US