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Team McGuire members participate in ruck march

  • Published
  • By Airman Rebekah Phy
  • McGuire Public Affairs
MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. --  Team McGuire members recently participated in a six-mile ruck march at Dover Air Force Base, Del., to benefit Korean Veterans.

"My motivation for participating in the event was to show my support for Korean War Veterans and help maintain my physical fitness," said Master Sgt. Gregory McMillan, 818th Global Mobility Readiness Squadron force protection flight chief.

Other participants agreed.

"The honoring of our Korean War Veterans was a great reason to be a part of this," said Tech. Sgt. Michael Vendzules, 818th GMRS NCO in charge of training. "The Korean War is often the forgotten war and providing an opportunity to have them be the focus of something as outstanding as this is good to go in my book."

"It was a great opportunity to be part of a four-person team representing the 818th Contingency Response Group and Team McGuire," said Staff Sgt. Jessica Alman, 818th CRG airfield manager.

"I wanted to participate in the ruck march to benefit our Korean War Vets - anything to support our troops, I'm all for that," said Master Sgt. Bubba Beason, 818th CRG first sergeant. "But, the event also added to the training we've been doing for Air Assault School."

Several of the ten participants are preparing to attend the Army Air Assault School, a two-week intensive course on helicopter operations and combat assault techniques, at Fort Campbell, Ky.

One of the requirements for graduation from the school is completion of a 12-mile ruck (25 lbs.) in full BDU's, carrying an M-16 rifle and wearing a helmet and web gear, in less than three hours, Sergeant Beason said.

To prepare, the team would ruck at least 10 miles a week around base, Sergeant Beason said. They also performed strength training for their lower body and back.

"When I was first assigned to the 818th CRG, I didn't even know what a ruck was," Sergeant Beason said. "Now I'm running all over the base, with five or six other people, with 40 lbs of weight strapped to my back."

In the end, all of the training and hard work seems to be worth it.

Their goal for the six-mile ruck march was to run the whole time, Sergeant Beason said. "We also wanted to see how much better we had gotten since our initial six-mile ruck in December."

Each person cut at least 15 minutes off of their initial time, Sergeant Beason said. Everyone on the team has also completed the 12-mile ruck in less than three hours, he said.

The team seems to have gained even more than the physical benefits.

"We went for six miles with 30 lbs," said 2nd Lt. Vanessa Swan, 305th Aerial Port Squadron ops officer. "I can barely imagine having to go through it for weeks and months in a hot climate. I now have a greater appreciation for the veterans who marched in war."

"The ruck march was a significant event honoring past heroes and honing our warrior edge," said Chief Master Sgt. Andy Kaiser, 621st CRW command chief. "It is definitely something I would love to see at McGuire."