Grappling with my Destiney

Photo By Sgt. Audrequez Evans | Sgt. First Class Alex Araujo of the Panthers Observer Coach/ Trainer team poses with his medals after Brazilian Jujitsu class at Hohenfels training area, Germany, Dec. 4, 2019. Araujo is ranked number five in the world. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Audrequez Evans, Joint Multinational Readiness Center)  

HOHENFELS, BY, GERMANY

12.04.2019

Story by Spc. Audrequez Evans 

Joint Multinational Readiness Center

HOHENFELS, GERMANY- - “I just tell them everybody starts from the bottom so it takes time- they have to be patient with it, and everything will happen over time. You know I never thought that I would be sitting here ranked No. 5 in the world,” said the 17- year veteran.
Sitting on the combative mats with a look of fire and determination in his eyes, Sgt. 1st Class Alex Araujo, a native of Rancho Cucamonga, California, assigned to the Panthers Observer Coach/ Trainer team at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, sits focused and ready to begin training. Araujo is a level three combatives instructor and welter weight Brazilian Jujitsu fighter, his interest was sparked in the sport in his teenage years after having compete in wrestling matches and learning jujitsu in high school.
“I wrestled in high school and I was the two-time county champ in California in 1999. My brother and I got into jujitsu in my Brazilian neighbor’s garage. They taught us a lot.” Araujo said.
After graduating high school Araujo joined the military in 2002 as an indirect fire infantryman (11C). Araujo became disconnected from the sport, placing his soldierly duties first above all. It was not until he became a Drill Sergeant several years later that he was reintroduced to his passion.
“In 2008 I participated in level one combatives and I caught a spark of interest again. So, I went through levels one, two and graduated from level three master combatants course in 2009 at Fort Benning, Georgia,” said Araujo
Having competed in his first combatives competition in 2009 and winning, Araujo would go on to deploy six times since then until 2018. Training and exercising his passion however he could. He would eventually be stationed at the JMRC, where he would be grappling his love again.
“When I came here to Hohenfels in 2018 my Sgt. Maj. Christopher McMillan spoke to me about how he competed last year in The Europeans and he took home some medals and telling me to come check out a few fights and see if I was interested in competing ” Araujo said.
Taking the words of his leader to heart, Araujo decided to compete in the next fight. Devoting time to make sure he was well prepared for the challenge ahead; he threw himself into an intense training regimen.
“I trained for maybe 23 weeks and then I went to Munich and took a gold medal in my first competition.”
With his will and dedication Araujo kept training to further his skill and sharpen his technique. It became clear to him that he wasn’t going to stop chasing his dream. Continuing to compete all over Europe.
“So far I've competed in seven competitions all over Europe. I've taken five gold medals and two silvers right now in the IBJJF that is the International Brazilian Jujitsu Federation. I'm currently ranked No. 5 in the middle weight masters divisions in the world,” expressed Araujo. Use a quote of him saying he’s working or training to transition to your next paragraph.
Araujo trains constantly, taking his timeout during lunch and dedicating three days a week to not only train for his passion but also teach others. The free program he works in is not only offered to soldiers, but both German and American civilians as well
“I like coming here to train and help build the camaraderie with the soldiers. We also reach out to the German community we have plenty of Germans that come down here from Neumarkt and surrounding areas they come down here and I train 3-5 times a week,” Araujo said.
Working as an Observer Coach/ Trainer at JMRC training foreign allies comes naturally to Araujo. His demonstration of balancing both work and passion is admirable. Araujo has made sacrifices to get to where he is but feels it is well worth the reward of his success.
“I look at the fighting chart and most are on the weekends, so I just look to see which ones around which ones are close by and I just kind of take the time and make the call and kind of talk to the family- the wife- how to make that decision of a I'm giving up X, Y and Z. In doing so I have given up drinking and anything like that so that I have extra money to do things like that. I put it toward this and it's something I can bring back to JMRC and team Hohenfels,” said Araujo.
Looking toward the future Araujo aspires to become a basic training 1st Sgt. He feels he could benefit new recruits by teaching them the basics of soldiering. Providing them the tools to be productive members of the service.
“When I leave here my plan is to go back to basic training to be a 1st Sgt. down there with soldiers and provide a good foundation of you know teaching soldiers everything from marksmanship drill and ceremony customs and courtesies. I believe that combatives is a good foundation for soldiers to learn that self-defense and confidence”
Sgt. 1st Class Araujo intends on continuing to train as well as train others. He is eagerly awaiting the Europe National Brazilian Jujitsu Championships next year.

• Date Taken: 12.04.2019
• Date Posted: 12.07.2019 09:40
• Story ID: 354545
• Location: HOHENFELS, BY, DE
• Hometown: RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA, US