Photo By Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Wright | Gunnery Sgt. Brice Snyder (right) speaks with Arthur MacDonald, father of Lance Cpl....... read more read more
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DOVER, N.H. - Not everyone knew each other, but that didn’t matter; they still cheered and motivated everyone who was up on the bars. You didn’t need to know everyone because a common goal was set: honor those who were lost and make it to the end.
Marines, poolees and other community members celebrated the Marine Corps birthday in their own unique fashion at the Iron Empire gym in Dover, New Hampshire, Nov. 10. While most in the community had a normal Tuesday work day, more than 100 people conducted a workout in memory of fallen service members.
For notable military holidays such as the Marine Corps birthday and Veterans Day, Gunnery Sgt. Brice Snyder has been conducting “hero workouts” in honor of his friends who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. At every occasion he would create a circuit workout with one comrade in mind and honor his memory, reflecting on the time they spent together and what they had been through.
“As Marines, physical fitness is just what we do,” said Snyder, operations chief for Recruiting Station Portsmouth, NH. “But what is also part of who we are is how we honor the legacy of our Corps and the men and women who have gone before us to make the Marine Corps the finest force that it is today. So I combined the two and paid my dues in sweat and pain every military holiday for them.”
For the Marine Corps birthday this year, Snyder was going to honor Lance Cpl. Gregory MacDonald, a Master’s Degree holder who deployed with Snyder to Iraq in 2003 where he lost his life in battle. Snyder went the gym he attends asked if he could have a small portion of the area for his workout. The operators of the gym were interested in the background of his workout, and the idea sprung from there.
“We told him that he could do his remembrance workout here by all means, but we also wanted to dedicate a day to it,” said Daniel Wright, sports performance coach with Iron Empire. “We’re all about showing our support to the armed forces and believe in that support being more than just acknowledging what our troops do. We wanted max participation for this event, so we opened up the gym for the day for anyone to do the remembrance workout with us.”
Word spread through the gym’s social media profiles, eventually culling nearly 150 participants and local Marines to the workout. The ages ranged from young Marine poolees to older community members who weren’t directly involved with the military, in addition to the local Marine recruiters.
“A quick 20 minutes to honor the men and women who keep you and your country safe, that shouldn’t inconvenience anyone for the troops,” said Justine Goodine, a poolee with Recruiting Substation Southern Maine. “We’re bettering ourselves, we’re paying homage to the Marine Corps, and we’re supporting each other. Those qualities are what should make up one’s remembrance.”
Arthur MacDonald, father of LCpl. MacDonald, was also in attendance for the duration of the event, talking to the participants and re-enforcing that he will always be a part of the Marine Corps family.
“The enthusiasm and friendliness of everyone in the program is truly inspirational,” said Arthur MacDonald, the father of LCpl. MacDonald. “I know of no better way to celebrate a Marine birthday than to spend it with the people who dedicate their lives to defending our freedom and honoring the sons and daughters of me and everyone else.”
As the event wound down in the dark hours of the evening, small puddles of sweat and chalk handprints covered one half of the gym. The participants were gone and the motivational music was off, but it was the intangibles that mattered, not what was left.
“Come in, work out, remember; that’s what today was about and it was completely worth it,” said Wright. “Things like this shouldn’t be about money or advertisement, it should be about that remembrance and giving back where you can, and I hope we did a little of that today.”
| Date Taken: | 11.10.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.23.2015 15:07 |
| Story ID: | 182660 |
| Location: | DOVER, NH, US |
| Web Views: | 245 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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