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Fort Lewis hosts team-building day with Seahawks

Photo By Staff Sgt. David House | Staff Sgt. Danny Rogers and Sgt. Elisa Del Valle, 42nd Military Police Brigade, 508th...... read more read more

FORT LEWIS, UNITED STATES

06.10.2009

Courtesy Story

5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORT LEWIS, Wash. — Football is often referred to in terms of war. The undefeated team in the Super Bowl may be 'marching to victory after a hard-fought campaign,' or the weary quarterback may 'come out of the trenches' in the final seconds to give his team one more opportunity to 'grasp victory from the enemy after a grueling battle on the grid iron.'

While the descriptions may be similar, players and coaches of the Seattle Seahawks spent June 4, on Fort Lewis getting a small taste of where the similarities end between Soldiers and football players.

Fort Lewis Soldiers hosted the team to a day in the life of a Soldier.

The event, which was aimed to enhance the players' understanding of today's Army and stress the 'team' similarities between the Army and the National Football League, gave the Seahawks an opportunity to check out equipment, like Stryker vehicles and Blackhawks, as well as get hands-on training with dog handlers and medics.
Four players and a coach traded pads and helmets for body armor and rifles to run a 'litter obstacle course' with Soldiers from the 62nd Medical Brigade. The football players, assisted by the Soldiers, treated simulated casualties and rushed them through the woods on litters, maneuvering the stretchers up hills, over walls, across a narrow bridge and low-crawling with protective masks all amidst simulated gunfire and explosions as well as smoke.

Professional athletes spend a lot of time conditioning their bodies to be in peak physical condition, but the added stress of battle simulations and additional weight of Army equipment gave the Seahawks a new appreciation for military fitness.

"This was an awesome experience," said Mike Teel, a Seahawks rookie quarterback. "We think we're physically fit, but this is a whole different realm of physical fitness that really gives me a new respect for Soldiers."