60 warriors braved the rain to enjoy our annual Memorial Day convergence. It was a little wet out. Some call it rain, SEALs call it Frogman weather, Bulkhead calls it training. This pic is sums it up because many personalities are featured including our newest FNG Gambler and also Ripcord.
According to the STPT workout group gathering in the rain and anticipating max enjoyment for their long canoe portage, this is what went down, more or less:
COP All PAX mosey to Browns Island. Greeting, disclaimer, mission. COP: 30x SSH, 10x DQ, 50x Merican, 10x LBC, 10x right leg straight LBC, 10x left leg straight LBC, 10x both legs straight LBC (Inspired by Chum Bucket!), 10x APD, 15x squats. Break into 4 groups
Rosie breakout Q: Mosey over to the stage for a triple check with monkey humpers and flutter kicks. Loop around the stage and to the bridge for a Dora 100 merkins, 200 box cutters, 300 squats, runner goes across the bridge and back. Back to the base of the hill to meet up with the rest of the PAX.
Florence breakout Q: At Bridge #1 : Triple Check – Dips, Squat Jumps, Timer runs across Bridge and back
Mosey to Fountain Line up in incline Plank position around the fountain, Curb Crawl clockwise around the fountain for a full loop Hold incline Plank on fountain, PAX at the front does 20 incline Merkins while rest of PAX hold Plank, Repeato down the line until everyone has done 20 incline Merkins
Mosey to Bridge #2 Tripe Check – Gomer’s 1 legged LBC’s, Crab Cakes, Timer runs across the bridge and back. Mosey to the War Memorial hill
Heist breakout Q: Mosey over T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge. On the way did 20x copperhead squats and 5 burpees.
Across the bridge and worked our way down to the rock climbing area:
1) Pax held wall sits. Went down the line for 10x donkey kicks
2) Pax then held plank and did 10x dirty hookups (hand wall walks)
3) Lunge walked back to the stairs.
Moseyed back across the bridge Triple check: Picnic bench dips/incline merkins and running to gate.
Gomer breakout Q: Mosey across middle bridge to Tredegar. 11s Merican + WW2.
Mosey to Belle Isle bridge. 20x WW2 at the bottom of each rainbow, 15x WW2 at the top. Return the way we came.
Convergence Q: Meet at the bottom of the War Memorial Hill. 1x burpee for each light pole for a total of 10 on the left and 10 on the right. At the top, 10x Grass angels and 10x Australian grass angels to finish the job.
Memorial Day sharing outside the Virginia War Memorial. Thanks to all who were able to share and those who remember lost ones in their hearts.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” George S. Patton
Probation took us out. Prayers for Florence Family, Gomer’s work, Hitchhiker.
2nd F in the mizzle is the best. Venmo @uberrock if you want to help. Thanks to Lighthouse for picking up the vittles, and to Heist and Florence for bringing coolers of gatorade and water.
Announcements:
- Sign up for summer tour
- Sign up for breaking bread
NMS – Great fun seeing everyone out there! Who doesn’t love a convergence? Really excited to see PAX we have not seen in a while. Great to see 2.0s. Welcome to Gambler, former crew chief for Kiowa scout helos.
My memorial call out today is to COL Donny Ollar. This is his bio from 2015.
https://www.swd.usace.army.mil/About/Leadership/Bio-Article-View/Article/610162/col-donovan-ollar/
Donny is a brother of mine from our pre-Ranger program for 6 months while at Engineer Officer Basic at Fort Leonard Wood, MO in 1993. He went on to serve 28 years as an officer in the Army. Donny is a West Pointer and a football player. During PT, we sometimes partnered up and carried each other up and down a hill. Pretty sure we used to trade off carrying the 240B while patrolling. He learned how to shotgun beer under arguably the best tutelage (with some other WP alum, it was oddly satisfying at the time). After EOBC he went to Ft Polk, I went to Germany. We lost touch. The last time I was at FLW in 1999 as a EOAC student, Donny was a EOAC small group instructor and we ran into each other in the hall and had lunch together. He deployed multiple times, including 2 tours in Afghanistan and 2 tours in Iraq. After leaving the Army, he committed suicide, leaving behind his wife and two daughters.
This impacts YHC tremendously two ways 1. We had a lot in common and might have had much more, but Donny made the Army a career. 2. I did not know of his passing until recently – he and I were simply not in common circles despite all our modern connectivity – I have to think how many more are out there have I lost touch with?
The cynic will say, it was a job that you got paid for and that you signed up for, but at best, that point of view is awfully short sighted. The transition from *that life* where the abnormal is normal is challenging and that we all take it on differently.
This sums it up: A war is not over until its last veteran passes on. How grateful we, that have not had to experience war, should be because of those who have.
The lesson for us is that as men we probably dont want to share inner challenges, but we must – we can get though it together. Call me anytime.
Get some!
