F3 Greenwood

A return of sorts

YHC was joined by three other pax to celebrate 730 days of YHC being known as the Juggernaut (and a host of other names which are far less flattering!). It’s been an interesting couple of years with a lot of ups and downs and there is not a place any better suited for YHC to celebrate than REDFriday with the very first workout YHC ever Q’d.

It was muggy, but luckily – as Alpo noted – the soccer field drains well so it wasn’t very soggy or anything. #Sarcasm

We grabbed some coupons and headed to the marsh to honor the 19 men – 11 Navy SEALs and eight Army Commandos – who lost their lives on 6/28/05 during Operation Red Wings. This incident has become widely known thanks to the book and movie “Lone Survivor.” Most everyone is familiar with the four-man SEAL recon team of Marcus Luttrell, Danny Dietz, Matthew Axelson and Michael Murphy. Murphy’s weekly workout he referred to as “Body Armor” has even become a cultural workout phenomenon known simply as “The Murph.”

But there were 16 other men killed that day in the peaks of the Hindu Kush Mountains, all of which were part of the Quick Reaction Force that was supposed to be the backup to the recon team. The Chinook chopper they were in sustained a perfect hit by an RPG as the team was about to fast rope down to the mountainside, destroying the aircraft and killing everyone aboard.

  • Lt. Michael P. Murphy
  • Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Axelson
  • Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny Dietz
  • Staff Sgt. Shamus O. Goare, 29, of Danville, Ohio
  • Chief Warrant Officer Corey J. Goodnature, 35, of Clarks Grove, Minnesota.
  • Sgt. Kip A. Jacoby, 21, of Pompano Beach, Florida
  • Sgt. 1st Class Marcus V. Muralles, 33, of Shelbyville, Indiana
  • Master Sgt. James W. Ponder III, 36, of Franklin, Tennessee
  • Maj. Stephen C. Reich, 34, of Washington Depot, Connecticut
  • Sgt. 1st Class Michael L. Russell, 31, of Stafford, Virginia
  • Chief Warrant Officer Chris J. Scherkenbach, 40, of Jacksonville, Florida
  • Chief Petty Officer Jacques J. Fontan, 36, of New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel R. Healy, 36, of Exeter, New Hampshire
  • Lt. Cmdr. Erik S. Kristensen, 33, of San Diego, California
  • Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffery A. Lucas, 33, of Corbett, Oregon
  • Lt. Michael M. McGreevy, Jr., 30, of Portville, New York
  • Petty Officer 2nd Class James E. Suh, 28, of Deerfield Beach, Florida
  • Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffrey S. Taylor, 30, of Midway, West Virginia
  • Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric Shane Patton, 22, of Boulder City, Nevada

 

It was this incident – which, at the time was the largest loss of life in American Special Forces history until Extortion One-Seven on 8/6/2011 – that first elevated my conscious mind to the reality of what it was like in Afghanistan. It would hit home even more so when I first stepped foot in the God forsaken wasteland on 12/8/2016. There is absolute and total blind hatred of Americans there. It’s something I will never forget.

The workout went like this:

  • 5 Rounds (no time kept. This WOD is ALL about the TEAM)
    • 3 manmakers
    • 8 burpees
    • 3 manmakers
    • 8 thrusters
    • 400m run

Five rounds for the year, 2005. 3 manmakers for the three SEALs killed that day. 8 burpees for the 8 SEALs killed on the helicopter and 8 thrusters for the 8 Army Commandos also killed on the helicopter.

With some time to kill, we went for some 5 minutes of misery. Clock is set for five minutes. Each man, one at a time, goes max effort on an exercise until he starts to slow down then hands off to the next man. This is a sprint, so give everything! We did burpees first and then the collaborative conscience elected for chest presses after it was determined that the legs could not handle not one more thruster. If you’re not pressing, then you are doing a static hold at full extension. #Ouch

Count, name, chat, talk about Op RW, pray

NMM:

YHC has been out for a few weeks with a nasty little injury in my leg. First day back and it showed, but how do you miss your own anniversary? Honestly, it was that singular fact that made me commit fully to posting this morning. I’ve been hanging on with bloody fingernails for about the last year or so. It felt good to be back in the gloom. Big shout out to Alpo and Sugar who just refused to let me let go. I owe you fellas big time.

It was weird learning Alpo’s code for #BowChickaWowWow. #CleanTheBedroom #TMI

With the tragic loss of Cheech in Lexington, I have been forced in a most unpleasant way to evaluate exactly what this F3 thing is really all about. What does it mean when I call someone “brother” and they call me the same? It implies a greater connection than the typical relationship with other men. To me, that means bloody fingernails are just the beginning of the effort I must make to hang on. Aye.

It’s good to be back in the gloom.