Photo By Sean Hall | 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) soldiers fill up a box during the Ruck for Your...... read more read more
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(EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla.)– The 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) held its second annual Ruck For Your Lives event on Camp “Bull” Simons, Eglin Air Forces Base, Fla., on Oct. 25, 2019. Everyone was encouraged to pack a rucksack with 35 pounds of non-perishable food and complete a four-mile course around the base.
The event is a way for Service Members and their Family Members of 7th SFG(A) to give back to the local communities as well an opportunity to allow Service Members and their families to get to know more about the resources available to them.
“Ruck for Your Lives has two primary purposes,” said Capt. Casey Nelson, a clinical psychologist, assigned to the 7th SFG(A) and one of the organizers of the event. “First and foremost, it aims to put resources directly in front of Soldiers and their families. As the name suggests, we want to emphasize all of the ways we can improve the lives of our Soldiers and their families if given the opportunity. We have added so many new personnel, programs, and resources to help 7SFG(A) Soldiers and their families over the last year that many people don't know who we are, what we do, and how we can help them. Ruck for Your Lives provides a venue to make those introductions and get that information out to the people who can use it. This year we had representation from 11 different organizations located on Camp “Bull” Simons and Eglin AFB. Secondly, the event serves to build stronger community ties by giving back to the towns our Soldiers live in. The Soldiers and family members that participated in this year’s event came through in a big way for the Crestview community. Through their generosity, we were able to donate over three and a half tons of food to Sharing and Caring, a local food bank in Crestview, Fla., before the holiday season when food pantries are historically at their most depleted.”
This year’s Ruck for Your Lives numbers demonstrate that the 7th SFG(A) wants to grow continually.
“This year, over 300 Soldiers and Family Members participated, a more than twofold increase in participation from 2018,” said Nelson. “We were able to collect 7,400lbs of food donations, an 85% increase from 2018. These donations will feed countless families in the greater Crestview, Fla. area until well after the New Year including the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.”
Each of the 7th SFG(A)’s battalions competed against each other to see who could donate the most food, while individual participants competed to have the heaviest rucksack and finish in the fastest time.
Many participants brought their families, pets, and wore costumes helping to raise the overall experience of the event.
“I always enjoy being able to participate in events such as this because it helps to build the morale for the entire unit, and it gives us the ability to give back to the local community that has been very supportive of us,” said Spc. Christopher Bellanfant, a multimedia illustrator. “It was a great time seeing everyone dressed up and just having fun with the event.”
The organizers are already looking forward to next year's Ruck for Your Lives, hoping to see an even higher turnout.
“Overall, the event was a huge success,” said Nelson. “We essentially doubled everything when compared to last year: the number of participants, the amount of food donated, the number of resources present for Soldiers and families. Hopefully, we can continue to grow this event similarly next year with even more participants, food donations, and resources present.”
| Date Taken: | 10.30.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 10.30.2019 16:19 |
| Story ID: | 349955 |
| Location: | FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 98 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 2019 Ruck For Your Lives Was 3.5 Tons Of Success, by SFC Christopher Schmiett, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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