Photo By Sgt. Michelle Reif | A Marine Corps engineer pounds apart a block of cement in order to be the first team...... read more read more
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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Explanations for how and why St. Patrick became the patron saint of engineers are many and varied. One account states that engineers adopted him because of his history as a cathedral construction worker. Another tale speaks of university engineering students, longing for a day free of work and studies, claiming St. Patrick as their own so they may take his holiday off. Whatever the origin may be, the engineering Marines aboard Camp Lejeune came together in his honor for a day of good sportsmanship and friendly competition.
Marine Corps Engineer School hosted the annual St. Patrick’s Day Engineer Field Meet, on Ellis Field, aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, March 12, 2015. Participants in the competition included the Marines of 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Marine Wing Support Squadrons 271, 272, and 274, and 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion.
“It makes me proud to watch the engineers come out here and want to compete,” said Col. Scott Baldwin, the commanding officer of Marine Corps Engineer School and native of Newberg, Oregon. “A lot of people may shy away from competition, but you normally don’t see that out of engineers; they jump in and throw themselves fully into it.”
Approximately 700 Marines were serenaded by a bagpipe player as they gathered on the field for the morning welcome. Baldwin spoke to the engineers about the spirit of the competition and challenged them to fight for the right to hold the four-leaf clover trophy for the coming year. Finally, the Marines were commanded to man their battle stations.
The competition began with the battalion commander chariot race. A team of six Marines sprinted their battalion commander around the track in a chariot of their own design and construction. The observing Marines cheered on their team and laughed when chariot wheels spun off, forcing the Marines to lift their battalion commander onto their shoulders and continue the race.
“You spend a lot of time with your peers in the Marine Corps,” said Sgt. David P. Brittain, the operations chief for 8th ESB and native of Lenoir, North Carolina. “They don’t really get a chance to see their superiors do fun things, because they see them as ‘the one who’s in charge.’ Then they come out here and get to see them have just as much fun as they are.”
Throughout the day, the Marines competed in 15 events that held a theme of engineering skills and strength. Events included water hose, stake drive, pin drive, obstacle course, crosscut saw cut and water bucket relays. Marines also competed to drag a 20,000 pound backhoe loader and to break open a concrete block with a sledge hammer.
While all Marines fought valiantly for their units, in the end there could only be one winner. Baldwin awarded the trophy, as well as bragging rights, to 8th ESB.
“Somebody is going to win and somebody is going to lose today,” Baldwin said. “But at the end of the day, we’ll all shake hands and walk away as brothers and sisters in the engineer community.”
| Date Taken: | 03.12.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.13.2015 12:51 |
| Story ID: | 156944 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US |
| Hometown: | LENOIR, NC, US |
| Hometown: | NEWBERG, OR, US |
| Web Views: | 614 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Marine engineers compete for St. Patrick’s Day trophy, by Sgt Michelle Reif, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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