Run 800m
15 Power Snatch 135/95
Run 600m
10 Power Snatch 135/95
Run 400m
5 Power Snatch 135/95
Run 200m
On
November 6, 2009, my Soldiers and I deployed from Fort Carson, Colorado to Camp
Leatherneck in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province. Our Army unit of 85 Soldiers, along with 15,000 U.S.
Marines, is currently situated in an area of southern Afghanistan infamously
known as the “Desert of Death” due to its high temperatures and desolate
location. Shortly after our
arrival, I realized that the unsafe environment and sandy “moon-dust” terrain
significantly inhibited our ability to stay in shape by running long distances—something
that we Army folk are very accustomed to doing. Looking for alternative workouts to increase our
cardiovascular and muscular fitness between missions throughout our year-long
tour of duty, I managed to find a group of Marines here who introduced me to
CrossFit.
Since
February, my group of three has expanded to a following of ten dedicated
CrossFitters, with handfuls here and there joining us at our daily 1700 (5PM)
workouts to see what it’s all about.
Unfortunately, most of these outsiders do not stick with us for long,
usually claiming that the WODs are too intense and difficult. But I suppose that’s the difference
between them and our dedicated followers, who would all agree that the high
intensity and difficulty is why we love CrossFit so much! To date, we have completed the WOD for 109
consecutive days, which I think really speaks volumes. Even while on mission, the CrossFit
model has given us the ability to tailor our workouts to whatever our current
operating environment is. Fortunately,
we never need to change how we do Burpees!
Back
in March, fully aware that we’re the only group of Army CrossFitters representing
a small minority among thousands of Marines on our base, we decided to finally
make it official and name our group the “Leatherneck Legion.” Now that we had an official group name,
I soon suggested the idea of designing a t-shirt that we could wear while doing
the WOD. Not surprisingly, the
idea was met with overwhelming support!
After searching lots of websites and sending dozens of emails to a
number of CrossFit organizations, I received an immediate response from Justin
Riley of East Sacramento CrossFit.
To my surprise, Justin graciously said he would strongly consider
sponsoring a t-shirt for our group if he could summon enough support.
Establishing
our group name has since given our “Legion” of followers a strong sense of
pride and self-conviction. We know
that even while at war, separated from our loved ones, and in 120+ degree
temperatures, we’re still able to summon the motivation to constantly challenge
ourselves while balancing the demands of our daily mission requirements. Most importantly, CrossFit has given me
and my Soldiers a way to release high levels of stress that have mounted due to
our non-stop and sometimes unpleasant daily operations. Ultimately, my personal experiences
have convinced me that it is fair to say that CrossFit has helped my Soldiers
and I fight this war better and more effectively.
My fellow members of the Leatherneck Legion, Fort Carson, Colorado’s 68th
Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, and I would like to thank East Sacramento
CrossFit for your selfless support of us in the fight over here in southern
Afghanistan. Your donations and
the unwavering support of CrossFit East Sacramento mean the world to us as we
work hard to defend our country.
Thank you again and God Bless!
CPT
Andrew Filauro
68th Combat Sustainment
Support Battalion
Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan
Help us make CrossFit shirts for these soldiers by making a donation. The shirts will be a tan dessert color and will feature our logo as well as"Leatherneck Legion, Operation Enduring Freedom 09-10" as well as the definitions of CrossFit. Those of you who donate at least $40 will receive one of the shirts for
yourself as well. Please bring donations to the box ASAP so we can get these guys fitted in style.
