Photo By Maj. Brendan Cassidy | Participants of the 629th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion, 58th...... read more read more
ARLINGTON, Va. (Oct. 8, 2023) – Sgt. Chris Gardner finished the Army Ten-Miler ahead of more than 9,000 fellow participants. The temperature having risen more than ten degrees since the 8:00 a.m. start time, Gardner wore matching arm-warmers bearing the distinctly recognizable pattern of his home state’s flag. Although Maryland’s is just one of four U.S. state flags that don’t include blue, his arms contrasted with the distinct “oriental blue” of his team jersey that signified his professional branch.
Sgt. Gardner’s efforts were not solo: he was among nine members of the 629th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion who competed this year, the first such team within the 58th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade as part of this massive running event. Gardner joined team captain Maj. Andrew Self, the battalion commander Lt. Col. Joseph Pieper, its senior enlisted leader Command Sgt. Maj. Ryan Haynes, Capt. Henry Chen, Staff Sgt. Ian Goulet, 2nd Lt. William Hart, 1st Lt. Aaron Son, and 1st Lt. Matthew Weber. Capt. David Buchanan, commander of the brigade’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, ran as an honorary member of the 629th and donned the matching blue jersey.
Maj. Self, a resident of the Capital Area and the battalion’s S3, finished first among its members with a time of 1:15:26 (1519th overall). For months he served as the driving force, recruiting and offering training plans to team members through a scorching summer that seemed to abruptly end during the chilly weekend of the race.
Reflecting on the event, Self said, “I’m incredibly proud of our Soldiers. The event was about esprit de corps, but it was also about showcasing the unit to the wider Army community. This unit is still relatively new, so that fact that we were able to field two teams and secure 3rd and 4th place among the entire National Guard, demonstrates the caliber of our Soldiers and their drive to make this the premier military intelligence unit in the National Guard.”
The Army 10-Miler is the second largest ten-mile race in the United States and the Army’s flagship running event. The 629th’s two teams included a variety of ranks and Military Occupational Specialties. In an organization known for community involvement and being comprised of numerous full-time employees in and around the nation’s capital, representing the 629th gave its soldiers a well-earned sense of achievement.
Operating out of Laurel, Md., the 629th EMIBn traces its lineage back to 1986. It has participated in numerous key National Guard activations and joined its parent unit, the 58th EMIB, as one of the last National Guard formations to complete a deployment to Afghanistan (2020-21).
| Date Taken: | 10.08.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.20.2023 17:03 |
| Story ID: | 456250 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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