News>Airmen test their mettle during Combat Endurance Challenge
Photos
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Staff Sgt. Paul Goldsmith, 730th Air Mobility Squadron Global Decision Support System II system administrator, performs a low-crawl during the Combat Endurance Challenge at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Oct. 1, 2011. The 730th AMS sponsored the event raising approximately $1,700 for the National September 11 Memorial. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- A team of Airmen from the 374th Maintenance Squadron propulsion flight runs to their next task during the Combat Endurance Challenge at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Oct. 1, 2011. The task locations were spaced apart from each other, forcing the weary teams to run to each station to avoid time penalties. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Airmen from the 730th Air Mobility Squadron carry one of their team mates as the fourth of 10 events making up the Combat Endurance Challenge at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Oct. 1, 2011. Each task simulated strenuous activities military members might face in combat, testing their endurance to see what team could complete all tasks in the least amount of time. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Capt. (Dr.) Suzanne Depaulo, 374th Medical Operations Squadron family medicine physician, carries a 60-pound rucksack around the high school track during the Combat Endurance Challenge at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Oct. 1, 2011. The 374th Medical Group team held regular practices during the two months leading up to the event to make sure each team member could keep up during the challenge. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- A team of Airmen from the 374th Maintenance Squadron accessories flight push a humvee as their first task during the Combat Endurance Challenge at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Oct. 1, 2011. The humvee was steered by a team member, but the engine was turned off. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- A team of Airmen from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force performs ranger push-ups during the Combat Endurance Challenge at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Oct. 1, 2011. The JASDF team was one of the few teams able to complete all 30 ranger pushups, a task requiring each member to put their feet on each other's back using only their arms to support the team's combined weight. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- A team of Airmen from the 374th Maintenance Squadron accessories flight run a lap around the high school track during the Combat Endurance Challenge at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Oct. 1, 2011. The teams had to stay together and were not allowed to start a new task until each member had arrived at the station. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- A team of Airmen from the 374th Medical Group sprint to the finish line during the Combat Endurance Challenge at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Oct. 1, 2011. The medical group took first place for the second year in a row. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)
by 2nd Lt. Christopher Love
374th Airlift Wing/Public Affairs
10/4/2011 - YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Eight teams of U.S. Air Force Airmen and one team from the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force competed in the third annual Combat Endurance Challenge here Oct. 1 at the Yokota High School football field to raise funds for the National September 11 Memorial.
At just over three miles, the competition consisted of 10 events completed in succession, to include a humvee push, ranger push-ups and litter carry, with the victory going those with the lowest total time.
To add to the challenge, contestants were required to wear flack vests throughout the competition hosted by the 730th Air Mobility Squadron.
"The CEC started off as just a squadron event," said Master Sgt. Kenneth Morain, 730th AMS superintendent of combat readiness and this year's CEC chairman. "Last year we decided to open it up to the base. I think we're definitely going to continue to do that."
Morain regarded this year's event as a success, raising $1,700 for the memorial at ground zero.
"I think any time you can raise a dollar for something like this, it's worth the cost," he said.
This year's first place finish went to the 374th Medical Group, whose leader, Maj. (Dr.) Patrick Bull, an orthopedic surgeon with the 374th Medical Surgical Squadron, led the team to its second first-place prize in as many years.
This group of doctors and medical personnel took the preparations for this event quite seriously.
"We've been training for about two months," said Bull. "On the weekends, out on the flight line, in our gear, with a 70-pound rucksack on, running around in the heat, with our body armor on. . . . That's how we won last year."
Yet even after such preparation, one event in particular still posed a formidable challenge for this team leader.
"The low crawl--oh it hurts!" the major said. "It is just painful. You get down on the ground and start crawling, and it creates fatigue that you're just not prepared for.
"I remember last year, laying in the low crawl and thinking, 'I'm not going to finish.' That's how defeating it was mentally."
Grueling as it might be for the competitors, the low crawl proved most entertaining for one spectator.
"I like the low crawl the best," said Staff Sgt. Zach Edwards, 374th Maintenance Squadron propulsion flight aerospace propulsion craftsman. "You're pretty much just competing against yourself."
Edwards, who underwent a small endurance challenge of his own as he carried his child back and forth across the field, came out early Saturday morning to support his fellow Airmen from the prop shop.
"It's great weather for the event, and it's a great cause," he said. "This is probably one of the most exciting things I've done since I've been here."
