Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Selvage | A soldier assigned to 7th Engineer Battalion makes his way through the water pit with...... read more read more
FORT DRUM, N.Y. - Muleskinner Challenge is a phrase not uncommon for soldiers assigned to 10th Sustainment Brigade to hear. More than 80 soldiers from the brigade’s five subordinate battalions participated in the seventh Muleskinner Challenge on June 18.
These challenges are rigorous competitions used to test the soldiers’ physical and mental strength and endurance.
Each team that competed in the challenge was made up of two Soldiers. The challenge was composed of four demanding events: pulling the heavy load, Six Heroes, the Thunder Run and the Mogadishu Mile.
The challenge started with a one-mile ruck run, which Soldiers conducted while wearing their body armor without protective plates, Kevlar helmet, protective mask, assigned weapon and rucksack weighing 35 pounds.
At each event station, soldiers received a set of instructions covering the task and standards as well as a brief background of what each event represents.
Soldiers arrived at the first event, pulling the heavy load, with uniforms damp with perspiration and partially out of breath from the unforgiving run. Teams grounded their rucksacks and weapons in preparation for the first event.
Muleskinners trace their heritage directly back to the Alpine infantrymen and their pack mules that formed the mountain medical, supply and maintenance battalions that supported the 10th Infantry Division during World War II. To this day, Muleskinners continue to pull the heavy load.
To complete station one, soldiers had to drag a sled – males pulled 135 pounds while females pulled 95 pounds – through a muddy field 50 meters out to the turnaround point and back followed by 50 air squats to complete one round. They had to complete as many rounds as possible within 12 minutes.
Soldiers were drenched with sweat as they pulled sleds across the start line to complete their final round before time expired.
After completing the lower body workout, Soldiers seized their weapons and continued their trek through puddles of muddy water on their way to the second event.
The tasks for the Six Heroes seemed even more challenging than the first event.
Since 2005, elements of 10th Sustainment Brigade have provided world-class supply, maintenance, medical, transportation, engineering, law enforcement and explosive ordnance disposal support to Operation Enduring Freedom; however, many have made the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan. To commemorate their lives and service, this workout paid tribute to the six soldiers who did not make it home.
Soldiers were instructed to don their protective masks before executing six rounds of six kettle bell swings, 12 hand-released pushups and 18 lunges. They had 15 minutes to complete the event.
“The Six Heroes event – that involved wearing a protective mask while swinging kettle bells – was by far the most exhausting event,” said Capt. Jason Dunbar, 10th Sustainment Brigade safety officer. “The Muleskinner Challenge made you rely on your teammate and tested your mettle.”
Exhausted and gasping for air, soldiers removed their protective masks and pushed on to the next event, the Thunder Run, where their combat lifesaver skills were put to the test.
Soldiers of 10th Sustainment Brigade units have served multiple deployments in support of Operation Desert Storm, Desert Shield and Operation Iraqi Freedom I–V. Sustainment support commands went further into enemy territory than other units of their kind during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm and led the way into Baghdad during the OIF “Thunder Run.”
The fatigued warriors arrived at the third station, where a haze of smoke covered the area and sounds of machine gun fire and explosions boomed through stereo speakers to replicate a combat environment.
Working together, soldiers rendered first aid to a simulated casualty before picking up a sandbag-loaded litter and attacking four obstacles.
Soldiers carried the litter over a low wall before crossing some rough terrain. They climbed a small hill and crawled through the final obstacle, a small tunnel.
“The litter carry was the most challenging event because of the obstacles in place as you were carrying the litter and the sandbags on it,” said Spc. Ramon D. Salcedo, an intelligence analyst assigned to 10th Sustainment Brigade Headquarters.
Once teams made it through the course, they trudged through a murky water pit with weapons and protective masks held high to avoid any water damage.
Some soldiers who conducted the challenge in the early morning hours found the water pit extremely cold and uncomfortable, while other soldiers who participated later in the afternoon, when temperatures were higher, enjoyed the cooling sensation the water gave their overheated bodies.
Soaking wet, they continued their march to the final station, the Mogadishu Mile.
Weary-bodied soldiers received instructions for the fourth event as they tried to regain control over their breathing.
In December 1992, the 10th Sustainment Brigade, known as a division support command at the time, deployed to Somalia in support of Operation Restore Hope. The Muleskinners’ responsibilities grew dramatically as they sustained, maintained and cared for several rotations of division soldiers while supporting humanitarian assistance to the local population. The event represented the Mogadishu Mile that led battle-fatigued soldiers out of the war-torn city.
Soldiers were required to lay flat on their back with a sandbag, which weighed 40 pounds for male soldiers and 20 pounds for the females, and return to a standing position for three minutes before taking off on their one-mile journey.
After the run, soldiers returned their sandbags to the station’s start point and headed toward the finish line, where officials recorded the team’s overall time.
Soldiers celebrated with high-fives and congratulated each other on the strenuous task they accomplished.
What they thought was the end of their participation in the Muleskinner Challenge VII was merely a mirage. A surprise event was waiting for them around the corner.
The soldiers – still highly motivated but physically spent – headed to the final event of the challenge.
Teams then completed the surprise firefighters event, in which they completed an obstacle course consisting of knocking down eight targets with a fire hose, moving a weighted tire with a sledgehammer, pulling a 165-pound dummy on a stretcher approximately 75 meters and then carrying the dummy to the finish line.
First Lt. Leo Walker and 1st Lt. Luke Colson tied for first with 1st Lt. Rudy Chelednik and 1st Lt. Joseph Adams, all assigned to 7th Engineer Battalion, in the male team category.
Capt. Joshua Meador, assigned to 10th Special Troops Battalion, and teammate 1st Lt. Julia Neutkens, assigned to 548th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, placed first in the coed team category.
“Soldiers have been pushing their bodies and minds to the limits during Muleskinner Challenges since June 2010,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Jose A. Castillo, 10th Sustainment Brigade senior enlisted leader. “I am proud of the soldiers and challenge them to start training for the next one: climbing Whiteface Mountain.”
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 07.31.2013 15:40 |
| Story ID: | 111145 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 190 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Sustainment Brigade soldiers rise to Muleskinners Challenge VII, by SSG Michael Selvage, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
