D-Day
Pax: Chitwood, Beano, T-Bone, Squirrel, Colt, Neo, X-Box, Flying Tomato, Rifleman, Schlitz, Josey, Aruba, Napalm, Bluegrass, Meat Sweats, Poacher
BEAT DOWN & DOWN PAINMENT
Warm-Up
- Mini Chesto
- Windmills
- Imperial walkers
- Hamstring & Hurdler’s stretch
- Count off by 2s & secure 6x coupons
- Coupons to Stations: 1, 5 (x2), 7 (x2), 8
The Thang
8x stations (4 min/station, 1 min rest):
Equipment required: 6x blocks, sled, tire, 2x filled water cans, 2x jump ropes, cones
- Station 1: Obstacle Emplacement
- Partner 1: Tire flips x 1 min
- Partner 2: Coupon rifle carry x 1 min
- @ each minute, rotate exercises
- Boxtrot to next station/45 sec rest
- Station 2: Assaulting the beach
- Partner 1: Bear crawls x 1 min
- Partner 2: 10 yd suicides to 40 yards x 1 min (10 sec rest after each round)
- @ each minute, rotate exercises
- Boxtrot to next station/45 sec rest
- Station 3: Save Your Buddy
- Buddy carry your partner x 1 min, flapjack
- Minute 3: Squats x 1 min
- Minute 4: Jump rope x 1 min
- Boxtrot to next station/45 sec rest
- Station 4: Resupply
- Partner 1: Water can carry 1 min
- Partner 2: LSF 1 min
- @ each minute, rotate exercises
- Boxtrot to next station/45 sec rest
- Station 5: Climbing Point Du Hoc
- Partner 1: Blockies
- Partner 2: Bent over rows
- @ each minute, rotate exercises
- Boxtrot to next station/45 sec rest
- Station 6: Running for Cover
- Partner 1: Pull sled x 1 min
- Partner 2: Ride sled x 1 min
- Flapjack for minute 2
- LBCs x 1 min both partners
- Minute 4: 50m 75-80% sprint; 10 sec rest; AMRAP x 1 min, both partners
- Boxtrot to next station/45 sec rest
- Station 7: Bangalore
- Partner 1: Coupon crawls (Bear crawl with coupon)
- Partner 2: Coupon curls
- @ each minute, rotate exercises
- Boxtrot to next station/45 sec rest
- Station 8: Higgins Boats
- Partner 1: Swimmer
- Partner 2: Coupon swings
- @ each minute, rotate exercises
- Boxtrot to next station/45 sec rest
- Station 9: Run the gauntlet
- Partner 1: Box jumps
- Partner 2: Hand Release Merkins
- @ each minute, rotate exercises
- Boxtrot to next station/45 sec rest
Announcements: Q-Source immediately following the F1. Better men series tomorrow and Alcatraz, part Deux tomorrow night.
Prayer: Bluegrass led us out in prayer. Prayer for Snake & his family. Prayers for the Greatest Generation of warriors from D-Day.
Moleskine: D-Day, another year.
I ran the Q on June 7, 2022, commemorating D-Day before visiting the Normandy region in France last July. While we acknowledge the incredible sacrifice and valor of our nation’s “Greatest Generation,” it is hard to appreciate fully the true exceptionalism of the men and women of the 1930s and 1940s, who shaped our world in unimaginable ways. Predominantly young men left everything they knew to embark on an endeavor that threatened their existence as a nation and way of life. They knew that loss against their foes in the Axis Powers was simply unacceptable. Many of those men, young and inexperienced, found themselves leading others for their very survival. The D-Day landings in Normandy took a heavy toll on Allied Forces.
Through deception, careful planning, bold execution, many contingency plans, a little luck, and some divine intervention, the Allies pulled off perhaps the largest, most complex amphibious assault in history.
Most of the photos from D-Day, especially Omaha Beach show only the initial landings. Only 11 of the 106 photos taken by war photographer, Frank Capa, survived due to a processing accident in London. These photos allow the observer to have a still frame sense of the chaos, fear, dedication, and bravery from June 6. However, the beach landings represented only the beginning of the hell that Allies would endure in the next several days. After the highly defended beaches, Allies had to maneuver through four canalized valleys to make inland. All of the valleys had numerous obstacles, were heavily wooded, and had German interlocking machine gun and artillery coverage. That part of the fight was less documented by photos, video, and other documentaries, like Saving Private Ryan. During these assaults up the valleys, young men immediately stepped up to lead when many of their leaders did not survive the initial assault. They led to survive. They led to support their buddies. They led because they knew it was required.
We can take great lessons from their example and see it in our own F3 Sandhills group today. We see young pax stepping up to lead – starting other workouts in other AOs for similar reasons. They support their buddies and the team. They know it is required. They know that gathering each other for fellowship is about improving themselves and others – physically, mentally, and spiritually. One doesn’t have to assault the beaches of Normandy to make an impact on their buddies or a team. One needs only to identify a need to lead and stick his neck out to do so.
If you haven’t led in a second, stick your neck out. You don’t have to have experience or training. You do have to demonstrate a little bit of courage. The team will support you.
Aye!