It's a time to remember the sacrifices of my brothers and sisters in arms. Those who have perished so that we can live freely.
Whenever I get the chance to put on my uniform, it is a sobering reminder of the fact that what we have signed up for has a price.
...and some of us have paid it...
..while the rest of us go home and live our lives. Sometimes we wonder why we were spared and continue to move along like nothing else has happened.
When news hits of a loss, whether it be through combat, an accident or a death in the line of duty, I cannot really describe how it affects us.
Often due to distance, displacement or operational commitments, we don't have time to mourn. We lack the opportunity to really get through these losses in a way that allows us to to fully process the gravity and enormity of what happened and integrate the loss into who we are.
Every time I see a flash across the news or social media of another brother or sister who has perished in the line of duty, it becomes so apparent that they wear the same cloth as I did.
When you wear it everyday to go do your job, it is just part of who you are. While deployed, everyone is going through the same thing and we easily dismiss how much of a risk it is to be where we are. It's easy to take for granted the danger that goes into the most routine of duties and tasks.
Until you hear the news that someone who you ate chow with last week is no longer around. You go on with business as usual because you have a job to do.
...while their loved ones will never been the same.
Now that I'm out but still drilling, I have my feet in two worlds. One where these losses are tragic, foreign and confusing and the other where we the mission still continues in the face of them.
This is why Memorial Day is such a big deal to service members, veterans and their families.
...and why I am proud to be a member of the CrossFit community.
It's one of those rare places where all of us can come together and acknowledge how much these things affect us and change us...and where we can all offer everything that we have up suffering together.
Yesterday at Big D, we ran the classic workout "Murph" in honor of LT Michael Murphy, a US Navy SEAL who was killed in the line of duty on June 28th, 2005 during Operation Red Wing in near Asadabad,Afghanistan. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for exercising a complete disregard for his own life and safety to make every effort to contact higher headquarters to send out reinforcements for his men when they were overwhelmed by an assault of enemy Taliban forces that vastly outnumbered their four-man team. His bravery led to the rescue of one of his teammates and the recovery of the remains of those who perished in battle.
If you want to know more about the legend behind this WOD, click in the link.
Like me, Murph was a Penn State graduate. This workout always hits close to home.
This Hero workout is a tribute to Murph because while he was alive, it was one of his favorites. He called it "Body Armor" and doing it Prescribed means wearing body armor or a 20 pound vest.
The WOD consists of the following:
1 mile run
(Any Order for the following)
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 air squats
Cash-out:
1 mile run.
Given that with my rehab I can't do push-ups or pull-ups, I had to modify this with single armed ring-rows and floor press. We also had no extra 20 pound vests so clearly I wasn't doing it prescribed.
So... I went with boots and utilities so it would at least be a little bit harder.
I headed down to Big D to do it at 10am. There were a whole bunch of people from the community and the usual suspects there to get it done.
I don't know what got into me. I ran it HARD. Harder than any other workout I've done.
I did the first mile in 8:30. I was shocked.
...then I went to the rest and I tried to break it up 10, 20, 30. It worked for 3 sets and the I started to fatigue, so I just started doing rounds of Cindy 5, 10, 15. I just kept moving. I did not stop to catch my breath or anything.
There were people of all different kinds of fitness, backgrounds and abilities working out with us. I shared the rings I was doing rows on with a mother/daughter team. It was awesome to see them supporting each other.
...Laurie came up to me in the middle of my second to last round of Cindy while I was doing squats and said "PAUSE". I looked up and she just hugged me...
..gotta love the support of this community.
I booked the second mile back in less than 10 minutes, leading two teenage girls who had stopped to walk and I finished in a disgustingly fast 42:15.
Hopefully when I get rehabbed up and able to do the entire WOD I am just as fast as before.
But more importantly, every time I run one of these WODs, I try to remember those who I have encountered in my career that are no longer with us.
SSgt Hasan Murchinson
GySgt Adam Benjamin, KIA OEF 2009
1stLt Ryan Iannelli, KIA OEF 2011
Maj Ryan Hansen
Offering it up for my brothers and sisters this weekend.
...give thanks for them and pray for their families this weekend.
Because this weekend is all about them.
