Happy New Year's

Marines,
When you are ringing in the New Year, remember to remain in control. Keep aware of what's going on and ensure that you maintain a good head on your shoulders. Don't drink and drive or get in a car with those who drink and drive. Stay away from parties where there will be illegal drugs present. Steer clear of fights, and situations where there could be danger. In short, think things through in all your relations with others.
As the old saying goes, all things done in the dark will one day be brought into the light. So just remember the line from our hymn and "keep our honor clean".

Happy New Year's to one and all.

Semper Fi,

-CO

Uniform Note

Despite it being the last Friday of the month, tomorrow we will be in green digitals just like today.
Semper Fi

-CO

Marine Corps hand-to-hand evolution through revolution

Dec. 26, 2007; Submitted on: 12/26/2007 09:36:26 AM ; Story ID#: 2007122693626

By Staff Sgt. Leo A. Salinas, Headquarters Marine Corps

WASHINGTON (Dec. 26, 2007) -- Stifling.

That’s this gym. A true sweat box. Just standing there, the heat was, well, stifling. Cramped, compact, full of chaos.

There wasn’t much room for just sitting on the sidelines.

And this is where Marcos Estrada and family were hanging out for the day.

Estrada, along with his son and brother, is one of many aspiring fighters and martial artists in the gym.

Between the long nights and hectic pace of his day job, he is a fighter. He trains in grappling and Gracie-Barra – a sort of scientific jiu-jitsu. He practices boxing and kickboxing for striking.

What separates Estrada from the rest of the sweat-soaked pugilists is he’s not fighting for a title. He already has one.

Estrada is a Marine.

He serves as a master sergeant in one of the most challenging duties in the Marine Corps: wartime recruiting.

The Marine Corps has the reputation as the America’s premier fighting force and one of the most prolific fighting militaries in the world. But sharp uniforms and boastful bravado is not what got them there. They are known as warriors, and warriors fight. With whatever they can grab, they fight. Sometimes it comes down to bare hands.

What separates Estrada from the other paper lions of his hobby is he is not only training for a fight, he is training for war. Like the Marine warriors before, his warrior mindset is only as good as his training, and he is always training for war. Hand-to-hand and close-quarters combat is a small but powerful tool for the Marine.

In the beginning

The bayonet is what brought Marines closer to their enemy. Although Marines were used and are known as accomplished riflemen, fighting in trenches during World War I and World War II proved to be a birthing of close-quarters combat with the Marines.

This brought new ideas and research by Marines fighting in foreign wars that would improve the Corps’ fighting skills. However, the Marine Corps would use a hodgepodge of ideas and methods. Along with a killing attitude, this would prove useful over many years. But war evolves. Bullets would get bigger and badder. So the Marine Corps decided that it was time for it’s warriors to evolve.

By 1989, a new fighting system would integrate both physical conditioning and open handed tactics to the Marine Corps.

“Marines have always stood up to the evil of the world, we have always understood the need for the ability to kill our opponent in combat,” said Ron Donvito. “Close combat is the oldest and most basic form of combat known to man. The individual Marine has been, is now, and always will be the true weapon. Technology only enhances the efficiency of the weapon.”

With this mindset, Donvito would devise a new close-quarters combat method as a civilian. He would eventually enlist in the Marine Corps and introduce this fighting system to his command. After careful deliberation, the Corps found a fighting form they liked and would teach it for the next decade.

The system, known as Linear Infighting Neural Override Engagement, was designed to be executed at full speed and full contact with no special training aids or training areas.

“The focus of all close combat training is to foster aggressiveness and to instill the warrior spirit,” Donvito. “Marines have always been the cutting edge of combat proficiency; LINE was designed to inject this skill set into every Marines’ daily life.”

LINE system develops confidence in the abilities of the individual Marine and toughens the Marine through the repetition of striking, being struck, throwing and being thrown, grappling in boots and gear on the ground in all types of terrain and weather to fit the Marines every clime and place attitude, said Donvito.

“It has always been a source of pride for me to have made a difference in the training of Marines,” said Donvito. “The lessons that I learned and the experience that I gained as a Marine have allowed me to continue to refine the system.”

However, the Marine Corps would eventually want to evolve with modern-day tactics.
These tactics included a termed used by a previous commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Charles Krulak, called the “three-block war.” This was a way that the lowest enlisted leaders would view the modern day battlefield; able to adapt to any situation. What the Corps wanted were complete warriors, not just efficient killers.

A review board of Marines and civilians with various degrees of martial arts experience concluded that the current system had to be revamped to better equip Marines with the skills needed in the changing mission of the Marine Corps, said Master Sgt. James Coleman, chief instructor trainer for the Marine Martial Arts Center of Excellence.

“Less than lethal skills were identified as an integral part of the "new" three block war principle. All techniques were utilized with gross motor skills, not fine motor skills which are needed for non-lethal techniques,” said Coleman.

This new program, known as the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, was further pushed by another former commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James L. Jones, Jr. His experience as a young platoon commander in Vietnam would propel Marine close-quarter combat into the next century.

“He noticed that there was a perception about the Republic of Korea Marines all being black belts in a martial arts discipline,” said retired Lt. Col. Joseph C. Shusko, MACE director. “The North Vietnamese would not engage them. The ROK Marines also looked different because they wore a tiger stripe uniform. So when the bad guys saw the tiger stripe uniform they avoided confrontation and attacked other forces. That’s why we have a different uniform and martial arts - thanks to General Jones.”

MCMAP would be based on basic martial arts discipline, but would incorporate extra criteria that would enhance the Marine as a more complete warrior. Special emphasis was placed on physical, mental, and character discipline. Also, Marines would now study warrior cultures such as the Spartans, Zulus, and the Apache. Moves, such as throws and strikes, are borrowed from various fighting styles, along with a colored belt system that would show program progression.

“MCMAP reinforces the concept that all Marines are riflemen and that the end state is always combat readiness and the Warrior Creed,” said Shusko. “The Warrior Creed teaches the following: Wherever I go, everyone is a little safer, wherever I am, anyone in need has a friend, when I return home, everyone is happy I am there.”

What the future holds for close quarter combat is anyone’s guess. The Marine Corps has initiated a more rigorous physical fitness program, which is at its infant stages at the MACE. However, as the battlefield changes, so will the modern-day warrior.

“We are doing well teaching all Marines MCMAP,” said Shusko. “We are now incorporating Combat Conditioning under the physical discipline of MCMAP to make Marines more physically fit to meet all challenges throughout the entire spectrum of violence they may encounter.”

Fight for fun

Master Sgt. Marcos Estrada is no stranger to combat.

Estrada served as an infantry unit leader in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.

“The command is aware that I do this and has been a great means of support. They are aware of how intriguing this is to our target market here in the community and how it has effectively appealed to the young men and women in selling the Marine/elite warrior image,” Estrada said.

Estrada constantly draws analogies between MMA and the Marine Corps.

“In a combat zone, you don’t always know when you are about to get into a shoot out. Here (in the cage), you do,” said Estrada, a 32-year-old Chicago native. “So I was more nervous than being on any patrol that I had ever been during Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom and being an infantryman, I’ve been on a couple. Not to mention, you have the support of twenty something other Marines strapped to the teeth with weapons and ammo if things go wrong.”

The thrill of competing inside a cage in front of hundreds, possibly thousands of MMA enthusiasts is tempting for Estrada to take his craft to a higher echelon.

“I would love to fight on the bigger stage, but my work schedule is not conducive with that of which would be required of someone in a bigger stage, so I think that I’ll stick to local shows,” the 33-year-old Estrada said.

In 1999, a former Marine named Joey Goytia came into Estrada’s recruiting office with one of his kickboxing students that expressed interest in the Marines. As the young man was took the Enlistment Screening Test, he told Estrada about the school that he ran and the classes he taught at his school.

“It was right about the time the Ultimate Fighting Championship had really begun to get popular so I was already excited. I got hooked,” Estrada said. “From the time that I began training in MMA to my first fight was about 5 years.”

With grueling hours in the office and on the streets and demands of the recruiting environment, Estrada makes sure that his training does not interfere with his mission of seeking out and recruiting the best young men and women America has to offer.

“I train early in the morning or late evening so that it doesn’t interfere with my work schedule. I often come back to the office after my evening workout to ensure that there are no surprises waiting for me when I get to the office in the morning,” Estrada said.

Mixed-martial arts, which has recently experienced a surge in popularity thanks to increased cable television and pay-per-view exposure, along with a modest acceptance in mainstream sports, recently developed a relationship with the military.

“It’s a great way to get in shape, and a very humbling sport. Find a place that is a right fit. The first or maybe even the second or third place that you try may not be the right one for you. The place that I train right now is the perfect balance of humble but very talented athletes. We are there to help each other, encourage one another and support each other, whether it’s to fight or just for recreation,” Estrada said.

Who are the Warriors?

Marines have prepared each other for battle for over 230 years. Techniques have evolved but Marines have adapted and made them their own.

Anyone can be taught how to punch, how to kick, how to defend himself , but the Marine Corps continues to find way to master their enemies with the primal extinct of hand-to-hand combat.

Future focusing on hand to hand combat centers on conditioning the body for the rigors of combat. As the military find itself in the Long War, new armor and weapons have become a focal point and precedence for troops.

However, hand to hand combat teaches the Marine to be the self-sufficient warrior. One mind, any weapon.

Happy Holidays

‘Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,

in a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone.

I had come down the chimney with presents to give

and to see just who in this home did live.

As I looked all about, a strange sight did I did see...

No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand.

On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land.

With medals and badges, awards of all kind,

a sobering thought soon came to my mind.

For this house was different, unlike any I'd seen.

This was the home of a U.S. Marine.

I'd heard stories about them, I had to see more,

so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door.

And there he lay sleeping, silent, alone.

Curled up on the floor of his one bedroom home.

He seemed so gentle, his face so serene.

Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine.

Was this the hero of whom I'd just read?

Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?

His head was clean shaven, his face weathered tan.

I soon understood this was more than a man.

For I realized the families that I saw that night,

owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight.

Soon around the nation, the children would play,

and grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day.

They all enjoyed freedom, each month and all year,

because of Marines like this one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone,

on a cold Christmas eve in a land far from home.

Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye.

I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.

He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice,

"Santa, don't cry. This is my choice.

I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more.

My life is my God, my Country, my Corps."

With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep.

I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.

I watched him for hours, so silent and still.

I noticed he shivered from the cold night’s chill.

So I took off my jacket, the one made of red,

and covered this Marine from his toes to his head.

Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold,

with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold.

And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride,

and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.

I didn't want to leave him, so quiet in the night,

this guardian of honor so willing to fight.

But half asleep he rolled over, and in a voice clean and pure, said,

"Carry on Santa. It's Christmas Day, all secure."

One look at my watch and I knew he was right.

Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi, and goodnight.

December 19th

Building 9804, pull up bars at 1500.
Green on green, beanies & gloves are optional.
Water source of any kind mandatory.

Here's what we will do after (1) round of the warm-up...

Five rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
75 pound Sumo deadlift high-pull, 21 reps
75 pound Thruster, 21 reps

We will scale this to your ability level, you don't have to do the above, that's what I'll be doing today (Monday) on my own and in case you're curious it's from the www.crossfit.com WOD last Wednesday.

So you don't think I'm crazy with the weight/numbers, think a moment about scaling it to your ability. This workout will stress me to no end, it will be F*&KING hard. That's how its meant to be, hard, but not impossible.

So 75 lbs may be impossible, but a 45lb or 25lb bars may not be, or some 10-15 lb dumbells may not be. We will scale it to your ability in order to build your strength.

Once you're done post your weight and time...

Maybe Mr. T is pretty handy with computers...

Combat Fitness

It is indeed a curious thing. The physical fitness test has been found at fault because it became an end where it was once a means. Rather than existing to measure the fitness of Marines we started to train to the standard and to train for no other purpose than the standard.

Enter the new CFT.

The combat fitness test aims to provide course correction. But there is a slippery slope on which we can all stumble. Don't get wrapped around the axle on the test itself. Examine the common threads throughout the test and train to those requirements. We, the Marines, have identified that combat places stresses on the body for which "fit" Marines may not be prepared, unless specifically prepared through training to combat conditions.

Expect the unexpected, last Wednesday was a good primer. Writ large, we will make changes to our PT schedule in type and scope.

The only constant is change, the only easy day was yesterday.

S/F
-L CO

Family saves Marine son's flag after house fire

From the Gastonia Gazette...
By Adam Linhardt
November 29, 2007 - 1:52PM
Kendra Lowman and her parents arrived home Wednesday after a night of service at First United Methodist Church in Clover and then some shopping to find their house on fire.

“We were pulling into the neighborhood and I said ‘Daddy, what’s with the fog,’” the Western Carolina student said.

Turns out the fog was smoke and it was coming from the family’s front porch and living room.

Neighbors on the 2500 block of Fairgreen Drive noticed the fire and rushed over with hoses to quell flames stemming from an electrical socket used to power their outdoor Christmas lights, said Kendra’s mother, Linda Lowman.

Union Road firefighters had the fire under control in minutes, said Chief Frankie Capps.
The chief estimates the fire did about $15,000 in damage, mostly to the living room and porch, he said.

“Most of it smoke and water damage,” Capps said.

The family may have been gone at the time, but Linda, her husband Ken and Kendra — whose name is a combination of her parents’ names — were worried mainly about two things: their 13-month-old puppy “Zoey” and a special American flag.

Zoey was OK, a little scared from the sirens, but didn’t suffer a scratch.

“I was so worried about the flag,” Linda said.

One of her son’s, Ken Jr., is a Marine — currently a sergeant major — who has been on numerous tours in Iraq. He sent his family a flag that flew over Camp Ramadi in Iraq. The family put the flag in a shadow box along with a picture of Ken and other mementos.

“There’s a little water damage, but I think it’s going to be OK,” Linda said.

“I didn’t want to lose that,” the mother said holding the flag.

“He’s in Maryland now and wants to go to Afghanistan,” she said. “Says they have him behind a desk and he’s getting bored.”

Crushed holiday lights and other Christmas decorations adorned the front lawn and the porch where firefighters gutted the window area to squelch the fire before it got into the attic.

“This street looks like a little McAdenville at night,” Linda said.

The family has insurance, Ken said.

“Everybody including Zoey is OK,” the father said. “So we’re pretty lucky.”

“And lucky to have such neighbors,” Linda said. “The firemen said it could have been much worse.”

Combat Conditioning

We'll be at the Marine Barracks tomorrow at 1500 for PT. Uniform is full cammies less rank and covers. As it will be cold beanies and gloves are an option. After a bout of combat conditioning we will review some ground fighting.

Hydrate.

Semper Fi,

CO

Awards Formation

Monday, 0630 at the Marine Barracks.

PFT Complete?

Awaiting results in the morning but we should be mostly complete for the biannual PFT. Very good work done by all. Next week we will conduct a mock combat fitness test. Keep in your thoughts that next week brings us to the last month of 2007 which means the holidays are upon us.

I ask that we all keep two things in mind as they approach: safety & mission.

Everything you do to get home and enjoy holiday time off and family needs to be executed in a manner where all hands enjoy and safely return.

We have a job to do, many of our fellow Marines will not be with us, either because they are forward on the edge of battle or because they have passed from our ranks only to be united with us upon that final muster. Keep those Marines, their families and their legacy in your hearts and minds as you stay focused on all matters presently at hand. We have a mission, failure is not an option.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

For all of us this is a time of year where friends and family feature prominently in our lives. Ensure you celebrate safely and return to the fight ready to engage on Monday. The extended Lima Company family will be a part of what I give thanks for today. Thank you all for allowing me the privilege of leading this command.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.

[2007 Thanksgiving Safety Message]

Gouge for next week

Tuesday the 20th:
0800: BNCO visit to Co L HQ
0900: 1st Plt spaces
1030: 2nd Plt spaces
1200: 3rd Plt spaces

Wednesday the 21st:
0630: Service Bravo Inspection
0730: Gaffney Fitness Pool in full utilities, no boots
1130: Turkey Bowl

Happy 232nd Birthday Marines, and Semper Fidelis...

Take the time to pause and reflect today, 10 November 2007, on the Birthday of our Corps. Many Marines are far from home, some will not return.

They serve in honor.

Always honor them and their memory.

PT for Wednesday the 14th

Time: 0630
Uniform: Green on Green sweats, gloves and beanies optional
Place: DINFOS PT field pull up bars

There will be sustainment. There will be functional fitness. There may be some suffering for all to enjoy. Hydrate and bring a water source.

Semper Fi,

CO

Changes

I hope everyone remembers that tomorrow is sleeves down, woodland MarPat utilities as the uniform of the day.
Additionally I hope that everyone realized today was daylight savings and adjusted their clocks accordingly. I anticipate Marines late or completely missing MCMAP in the morning, hopefully I'm wrong.

A Theoretical Hierarchy of Development
From: Crossfit.com
A theoretical hierarchy exists for the development of an athlete. It starts with nutrition and moves to metabolic conditioning, gymnastics, weightlifting, and finally sport. This hierarchy largely reflects foundational dependence, skill, and to some degree, time ordering of development. The logical flow is from molecular foundations, cardiovascular sufficiency, body control, external object control, and ultimately mastery and application. This model has greatest utility in analyzing athletes’ shortcomings or difficulties.

We don’t deliberately order these components but nature will. If you have a deficiency at any level of “the pyramid” the components above will suffer.

Q & A part 2

Functional Fitness Question & Answer session pt 1

The 10 General Physical Characteristics

PFT

Yes, good for you, good for me, the PFT will be next week, the 31st and the following week, the 7th. Eat right, sleep right, hydrate and take your vitamins.

Most of all don't forget that its the PFT. So remember that once you declare for score--you need to finish the entire event, run and all.

Oct 5th Functional Fitness and Fight Gone Bad

Oct 5th Functional Fitness training

Today it dawned on me that I am due to write an after action report for Friday's afternoon of functional fitness (aka CrossFit) training on Ft Meade. Without a doubt it was a success, although I can't be sure how many of the attendees "got it" or took away the desired message. What I am sure of is that each person who went through the lecture, instruction, demonstrations and work-out on Friday at the very least was exposed to an outstanding alternative view of fitness. I suppose the best way to begin is with how it got started.

The second week in September of 2007 I attended the CrossFit level 1 certification seminar held in Quantico, VA. It was a two day whirlwind of fitness training that challenged the widely held paradigms of modern body building, endurance training, nutrition and fitness at large. Personally I was in awe for the greater part of both days--mainly because I had been following CrossFit Inc's fitness regimen through their website (www.crossfit.com) since the summer of 2005. Until the August it never dawned on me that I would ever attend one of their trainer certification seminars, but right after my birthday the September Quantico Certification showed up on the main page. With some trepidation I clicked until I received my attendance confirmation e-mail.

The certification was enlightening and felt like somewhat of a homecoming, if you'll pardon the heady reference. It was the first time in two years that I was surrounded by people to whom CrossFit was "it". There have been others whom I exposed to CrossFit who 'got it', there were time when I had visited affiliates, even the CF HQ in Santa Cruz, CA--but this! This was a two day seminar of roughly ~75 individuals who not only follow the program, but who had taken the next step and sought out a higher level of training just like I had. Not only that, but there was the man who'd started it all, Greg Glassman, and his whole crew from Santa Cruz! I was truly blown away.

The stage was now set for me to put in motion the training we eventually conducted Friday October the 5th. In the seminar I picked up as much knowledge as I had picked up trying to train myself for two years via the web and my sporadic visits to affiliates. The real reward, however, was the chance to meet others who trained using the CrossFit methods. All stood out, all impressed me, but I'll highlight two here. One, Nick, turned out to work nearby me in Maryland. Also he was training in the local affiliate, CrossFit Annapolis, that I had at that point still failed to visit. The other, Andrew Thompson, was a fellow Marine officer, a Major who runs a like-minded group of individuals in their pursuit of elite fitness on board Quantico. I got contact info for these two and others, and when I got home I sent out a quick e-mail to make contact and express my thanks for their part in my two day experience.

After a few weeks went by and more and more folks sought me out to ask about CrossFit. I was showing people how to do a kettlebell swing or a squat, putting together workouts for Marines, then for my wife's friends and for my Marine Corps Martial Arts classes. It was affirming that people not only came, but came back. Since long before I knew exactly what I was doing (or was in any way qualified to do it) I was trying to spread the word about CrossFit. I toyed with the idea of trying to get a CrossFit seminar for my Marine Corps unit as others have done. After some initial exploration the high price, even with a military discount, was too much to bring up the chain of command without first demonstrating the success of the program. Even this seemed so daunting that I shelved the idea. Then I went to train with Dale Thomspon at CF Annapolis (and experienced firsthand that he was a really good trainer.) For a few weeks I also continued corresponding with Andrew Thompson, the Major from Quantico, and he had said to let him know if there was anything he could do to help get my unit's program going. Over the course of a few days an idea formed in my head--this is what my wife would call a dangerous time to be around me.

In the Marine Battalion I am a part of I bear the honor and privilege of leading one of the three companies of Marines. As a company commander I had been slowly gaining ground up to that point by showing the brutal efficiency of CrossFit workouts during my once a week Commander's PT session. My approach was based on my experience with seeing many 'new idea guys' come and go in the Marines. My willingness to finally go out on a limb and introduce my success with CrossFit was due in most part to the new Concept for Functional Fitness. The Marines released this as guidance and a general statement on how/why the Marines need a greater level of all encompassing fitness to support our combat operations. This was the kind of all encompassing fitness I had gained training in the CrossFit methods. With mission type orders to get this level of physical preparednesses for my Marines I now felt armed to go forth and spread this to all who'd listen.

To date I had already found 'allies' among the other companies who saw the need for better fitness training. The training chief and company commander of the largest of our companies knew about CrossFit, and wanted to know more about what I'd learned. This set me up to attempt to give the entire company some training, but I still held back. What tipped me over was about ten minutes of working out with a Marine SSgt during martial arts training. We did 3 rounds of a 400m run, 15 over head squats, 10 dips and 5 pull ups, or some such workout to that effect. So 3, 2, 1--go! And after my old carcass beat him (slightly) and we moved on to our martial arts training he brought up a point worth lingering on: this type of physical training evoked the same physical responses in his body that combat had evoked in Iraq. Stress like that is pretty difficult to prepare for; the fear, the unknown, the adrenaline, the endorphins, it all came about through this type of physical fitness program. I had read and seen video to these effects, but hearing the SSgt compare his first hand experience upon with intro to CrossFit tipped me over the edge--this training needed to happen and it needed credibility, more than just my own.

I put out a call for help to the local CrossFit community, asking Nick, Ryan and Andrew for their assistance in giving a short period of instruction, demonstration and exercise so that I could introduce as many of the leaders of our three companies to CrossFit as I could manage. To keep the training simple I wanted to have 20-25 Marines and limit attendance to those who actually plan and conduct their small unit training--the martial arts instructors, platoon commanders, executive officers, and training chiefs, etc. I wrote up an operations order and then with a bit of good faith and the help of the company training chiefs I locked on training spaces and crossed my fingers.

My requests for helps were answered quickly. Andrew and Ryan were on board, so was Nick who although not an affiliate, was also a CrossFit level 1 trainer and hey--the more the merrier right? Before long we had even more to be merry about, as Jesse Woody from Primal fitness heard about our training from one of my Marines. Each one of these guys volunteered their time, their expertise and brought their equipment to boot! Within the space of a few phone calls and some e-mails all of them eagerly adjusted their own schedules and committed to help me train a group of Marines whom they had never even met. Fortune truly smiled on us, because these guys all really stepped up to the plate.

All four volunteered their time, made the drive in, dealt with my constant communications, endured the security process of getting on base and also brought gear. Our Marines had some weights, some space and a desire to learn. The affiliates brought out their C2 rowers, kettlebells, Olympic bars, bumper plates, plyometric boxes, rings, chalk, slam balls--you name it, they brought it. It was humbling to see just how generous and sharing this part of the larger CrossFit community was willing to be to spread the word.

We started the day meeting up for lunch, where we shared thoughts on life, politics, employment, gyms, and of course--fitness. We quickly sketched out how the day would roll and went back to it. In the Marine Barracks there were 24 Marine leaders waiting for us, the trainers regrouped and after a short intro we kicked off with Andrew giving a three part class to cover 1) What is CrossFit 2) the hierarchy of physical development and 3) the 10 general physical skills defined by Jim Cauley of Dynamax. In about an hour through his lecture and a short question and answer period he put the work of Coach Glassman and the physical skills into a perfect context for the Marines in attendance.

He highlighted where the needs of athletes and the military are linked and where they differ. Whereas the athlete needs to develop their body through nutrition, metabolic conditioning, and strength training ultimately for sport, for the military combat operations is highest order of endeavor. This context really set the stage for the importance of what we were trying to teach in that half day. Second place can mean the loss of life, limb or eyesight for you or your teammates. The value of this training, as the SSgt had pointed out to me, is that it can simulate some of the physical stress of combat, and we in the military should be training like we fight. CrossFit espouses (and proves to me regularly) that men will die for points. Sports are one thing, the military is another. History, and our own experiences as a unit and a Corps, shows us many examples were there honorable men and women of the armed forces have died for one another.

With this in mind we moved with purpose outside for practical hands-on instruction. Ryan Thompson and Jesse Woody took turns explaining some basics movements for the planned workout, if you do CrossFit you may have heard of it: Fight Gone Bad. We went through a progression leading to all exercises needed for that day: the press and the push-press, the squat and front squat, the deadlift and the sumo deadlift high pull, introduced box jumps and ended it with a brief introduction to the rower. Everyone moved through every exercise for a number of repetitions with PVC pipe. The whole time with all the trainers available moving around the crowd and making fault checks and improvements to technique. We were all impressed by their skill and professionalism. I thought this was going to be the best part of the day, but FGB later proved me wrong.

Before we went to the workout we went inside for a short discussion on programming small unit PT. At this point the idea was to emphasize the importance of learning the methods, getting consistent then, and only then, ramping up one's intensity. We walked through this, then launched into a short but intense debate over how to implement an individual motivation based fitness regimen among Marines who at times are less than motivated. My observation was that although this problem will exist, this isn't a functional fitness program problem--its a leadership issue. Nothing is wrong with the leadership, my point is that leadership must address the true causes of the lack of motivation or effort among their Marines. The lack of effort or motivation is an indicator, not a problem. We had to cut the discussion short based on time--we could spend a week long seminar discussing motivation alone.

The problem with shaking up people's beliefs about fitness is its hard to explain why anyone should change what they think they should do to stay fit and healthy. I have always felt it is better to show them. To show them, we set up three gauntlets of 'Fight Gone Bad' at a heavy (CF men's standard), medium (CF women's standard) and light (half the men's standard) sets of weight. For those not familiar with it Fight Gone Bad (FGB) is a workout which is timed to simulate a UFC fight: 3 five minute rounds separated by a minute's rest between the 1st and 2nd rounds, 2nd and 3rd rounds. 17 minutes total, 15 minutes total work. During each 5 minute round there are 5 stations, each of which is executed for 1 straight minute. After each minute every athlete switches immediately to executing the exercise on the next station. Every repetition must meet the standard to count. The athlete's total number of repetitions is what counts as their score.

We set out to do FGB with two heats on all three gauntlets. Of the 24 who attended I believe we had about 90% participation in FGB. I'm just simplifying and sugar-coating it when I say it was INTENSE. To the best of my knowledge we had only one who did not finish (this due a sharp drop in blood sugar that was quickly fixed with some shade, water and a candy bar) but he was on the last exercise of the last round. Although I saw some powerful looks of suffering there was powerful work done by one and all who knocked it out. The best looks were on the faces of the second heat after the first heat was done. If I could read minds I may have been hearing things like "I have to do that now?!" and "oh my Fu&^%$g god!" all around. But they stepped it up.

I collected the sheets from smiling faces coated in sweat, most of whom were laying prostrate on the concrete making sweat angels. People were breathing hard but spirits were high--they braved a challenge and passed through to the other side. Our highest score among the wide range of fitness levels present was a 231, but that was irrelevant. The scores were not my goal, nor was conducting a full FGB as prescribed by the standards. In truth my goal was not to wreck anyone either. What I wanted to do was open a door to everyone who would attend. The Marines gave us their time, we showed them a world of possibility. It will be up to them to take it from there.

We ended the day soon after when everyone caught their breath. For short while I gave the floor to Jesse Woody and Ryan Thompson to talk about Primal Fitness and CrossFit Annapolis, respectively. Then we thanked all of them: Nick, Ryan, Jesse and Andrew for their expertise and volunteerism. Without them this could not have been such as successful training evolution. I hope to bring them back, either individually to Ft Meade or to take groups down to their facilities for training. This was a great beginning. There will be more to come.

The CrossFit website introduced me not only to a fantastic workout program that changed me, it also introduced me to the CrossFit community. These guys hardly knew me and had no vested interest in coming to the Fort to train these Marines. Yet each one sacrificed their time and made the commitment to pass on part of the excellence they have found in their lives. I'm struck mute by their passion for fitness. All I can say is thank you Ryan, Nick, Jesse and Andrew. And once again I find myself saying thanks CrossFit, thanks Coach and Lauren. The workouts are world class, but the community which they have engendered in us all is truly amazing.

Semper Fi,
CO

Engage your mind before you engage your weapon.

MCMAP Training begins Friday the 5th and goes every Mon, Weds and Fri until complete.
0630-0800 at the Quick Hall PT area
Uniform is full cammies with no cover or rank. (Either tan or woodland during training.)
Bring your log books if you have them and a hydration source.

PFT Wednesday 0630

Great job done by all the Marines during the Super Squad Comp.

Great finish.

PT this week will be a PFT, for score, starting at bldg 9804 for pull-ups/crunches with the run going over at the parade deck on mainside.

Directly after the last Marines comes in, all tan belts attending the grey belt course starting Friday the 5th will go into the NIOC classroom for the training brief.

Wednesday afternoon at 1400 is the Company Meeting in the office.

PFT, good for you, good for me.

For the next two weeks we will make our first attempt at getting the company to complete the biannual PFT requirement.

Wednesday morning 0700, 9804 pull-up bars.

If you are going to take the PFT for score, be there at 0630 for height/weight measurements.

GySgt T will take measurements in the Company B S3-T.

Article by George Will

Marine Corps paradox

Column by George Will

QUANTICO, Va. - Here at "the crossroads of the Marine Corps," some officers are uneasily pondering a paradox: No service was better prepared than the Marines for the challenges of post-invasion Iraq, yet no service has found its mission there more unsettling to its sense of itself.

When asked in 1997 to describe the kind of conflict for which Marines were training, Gen. Charles Krulak, then the Corps' commandant, replied with one word: "Chechnya." He meant ethnic and sectarian conflict in an urban context. He spoke of "the three-block war" in which a Marine wraps a child in a blanket, then is a buffer between warring factions, then engages in combat, all within three city blocks.

For Marines, however, fighting such a war for more than four years jeopardizes the skills essential to its core mission - combat as an expeditionary force. Marines have not conducted a major amphibious landing since Inchon in Korea, but the Corps, which specializes in operational maneuver from the sea, remains, in theory, a force that penetrates, performs, then departs. Marines say: The nation needs the Army, Navy and Air Force, but it wants the Marine Corps as an expeditionary power, more than just a miniaturized Army.

Marines have an institutional memory of "small wars," from the Philippines to Central America, and this competence serves them well in Iraq, which is, an officer here says, "a thousand microcosms." But the exigencies of the protracted Iraq commitment have forced the Marines to adopt vehicles that are heavier and bigger than can easily travel with an expeditionary force on ships. And there is tension between the "nation-building" dimension of the Marines' Iraq mission and the Corps' distinctive warrior esprit, which is integral to why the nation wants the Corps.

Officers studying here at the Marine Corps University after tours in Iraq dutifully say they understand that they serve their combat mission - destroying the enemy - when they increase the host nation's capacity for governance. Besides, says one officer, when his units are helping with garbage collection they know that "garbage collection is a matter of life and death because there are IEDs (improvised explosive devices) hidden under that garbage."

Still, no one becomes a Marine to collect garbage or otherwise nurture civil societies. And as one officer here notes with some asperity, there is "no Goldwater-Nichols Act for the rest of the government." That act mandated "jointness" - collaborative operations - by the services. Civilian agencies that do not play well together have fumbled the ball in Iraq, and the military has been forced to pick it up.

The political dimension of leadership training remains, however, secondary to instruction in military valor. The other services tend to teach leadership prescriptively, with rules. The Marines teach descriptively, with storytelling about what happened on the sea wall at Tarawa (1943), at Korea's Chosin Reservoir (1950), in Vietnam's Hue city (1968).

Early in the Kennedy administration, when there was talk about a U.S. invasion of Cuba, Gen. David M. Shoup, Marine commandant, gave President John Kennedy and his advisers a tutorial. David Halberstam wrote in "The Best and the Brightest":

"First he took an overlay of Cuba and placed it over the map of the United States. To everybody's surprise, Cuba was not a small island along the lines of, say, Long Island at best. It was about 800 miles long and seemed to stretch from New York to Chicago. Then he took another overlay, with a red dot, and placed it over the map of Cuba. 'What's that?' someone asked him. 'That, gentlemen, represents the size of the island of Tarawa,' said Shoup, who had won a Medal of Honor there, 'and it took us three days and 18,000 Marines to take it.' ''

Because of the dispersed battlefield in Iraq, company commanders must make instantaneous decisions that battalion commanders used to make, and corporals are making decisions that officers used to make reflecting - and affecting - the Marine Corps' ethics and core values.

Still, "it's a beautiful thing being in Iraq," says one officer, "because you aren't worrying about Corporal Jones stateside getting a DUI." That is the durable voice of the Marine Corps, which is "first to fight," and is happier when doing so than when dealing with garrison duties stateside or chores properly belonging to civilian agencies abroad.

George Will is a nationally syndicated columnist. His e-mail address is georgewill@washpost.com

In the interest of your health... Quit smoking.

For what its worth, it took me 17 years to quit.

Grey belt training delayed...

But not canceled outright.

Due to injury during sparring I'll be out of action from the MCMAP arena for a few weeks. However, one of the instructors from our sister company will be filling in for me until I heal.

So in about two weeks, on or about the 8th of October, you can count on the training beginning.

S/F
CO

PT will not be on Weds, but rather Friday the 21st

Go forth and see the Museum, I'd love to go but will be in class.
Situation:
We will conduct company pt, Friday.
Mission:
Combat conditioning and drown proofing via swim PT
Execution:
Gaffney indoor pool at 0600 -we will meet up in the gym near the pull up bars and go through a skill based warm up. After the first 15 minutes we will go hit the pool. Uniform is full cammies-trousers and blouse, with a hydration source.
Admin & Logistics:
Company Ops has locked on pool. Plt Commanders ensure word is passed, inform chain of command of who will attend by the afternoon of the 20th and of the count on Friday morning.
Command and Signal:
NA

Hydrate.

Company PT

It looked more like a fireteam, but today was indeed Company PT. Much obliged to those who came out despite the foul weather brewing.
After a warm-up to include low crawl, high crawl, bear crawl and some MCMAP punching sustainment, today's WOD was:
"1/2 Cindy"
As many rounds as you can muster in 10 minutes of: 5 pull-ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats.
Traditionally this workout--'Cindy', as she is known-- is done for 20 minutes. As an intro we only conducted a '1/2 Cindy' this week.
Strong work was done by all. Feel free to post your results to comments if you attended or if you manage to attempt this on your own.

On a more somber note today marks the six year anniversary of the outrage commited against us on Sept 11th, 2001.
Where were you that day?
Keep the memory of those lost alive each day, and know our cause is just.

IED Hunter

In the interest of your health... CrossFit in the area

In the Greater VA-DC-Baltimore Corridor you've got:
CrossFit DC, in NW DC (2200 California Street, NW)
CrossFit Challenge, in Alexandria, VA.
CrossFit Alexandria, again in same.
CrossFit Tyson's Corner.
CrossFit Fairfax.
Primal Fitness / American Parkour, located in NE DC (903 Girard ST NE)
And CrossFit Annapolis in the Odenton/Annapolis/BWI area.

Marine Corps Martial Arts

There's a lot that goes into the Green Belt Instructor course, no matter where one goes through it. The dates are out, if you are interested in making the December class prepare now. Even if you are currently Grey Belt or higher, come out to as much of the up coming training sessions as possible and show your stuff.

Let's try this again

Company PT this week will be a mock PFT at the 9800 course. This will not be for score, but rather to get a feel for the different run route. Meet at 0630 at building 9804 pull-up bars, hydrate & bring water.
The 3 mile course is roughly 5 laps around the 9800 barracks area.

If you desire to take this PFT for score, you will need to notify the Company Training Chief and your Plt Commander on Tuesday the 4th. If so, height/weight will be taken on site at the Company B S3T by Company L Ops Chief.

Boots & Utes: MCMAP

PT this WEDNESDAY morning will be at Quick Hall sand pit in boots and Utes at 0615.
The work out will be a routine known simply as:
"Fight Gone Bad"
In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is taken before repeating for round two, then another one minute break, then the third and final round.
We'll complete 3 rounds of the following five stations on this iteration:

1. Wall-ball w/medicine ball, 10 or 8 ft target. (Reps)
2. Deadlift 2x5 gallon water can (Reps)
3. Sand Pit Parapet Jump w/flak jacket or w/out(Reps)
4. Push-press 45 pounds/Rubber Rifle (Reps)
5. Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift High Pull (SDHP) (Reps)

The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of "rotate," each Marine must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each repetition of each exercise.

Your score will fall into one of three categories:

Big Dogs: Use 10ft target for wall-ball, wear flak jacket during jumps, 45 lb bar for push-press and 20KG kettlebell for SDHP

Pack: 8ft target, no flak jacket, rubber rifle for push press, 16 KG kettlebell SDHP

Puppies: best effort on wall-ball, no flak jacket & step up vice jumps, rubber rifle for push press and 12 KG kettlebell for SDHP

All exercises will be demo'ed and fault checked for all hands prior to starting.

Hydrate and bring water.

!@#$%^&*()!
I got beat, fair and square.
All but two Marines used the Big Dogs scaling, I'll adjust next time since we're tougher than I thought, kudos.
The common CrossFit standard for FGB.
Fight Gone Bad used by Athletes for a Cure.

PFT practice

Company PT this week will be a mock PFT at the 9800 course. This will not be for score, but rather to get a feel for the different run route. Meet at 0630 at building 9804 pull-up bars, hydrate & bring water.
The 3 mile course is roughly 5 laps around the 9800 barracks area.

The CO will be on leave, those who have been meeting for work outs will need to continue on your own this week, we will resume next Monday. Go to www.crossfit.com for ideas each day.

Boots & utes: Quick Hall

Uniform: Combat Boots, Utility trousers & green t-shirt
Location: Quick Hall (barracks)
Time: 0615, 15 August 2007
Hydrate today, & bring a water source tomorrow.
Be prepared for strength training, sprints & agility drills.

WOD:
Parter workout, utilizing (1) rubber rifle, (1) kick shield and (1) 5 gal water can
You hold rifle, partner hold kick shield.
5x for time
You execute push kick to partner's chest (blocked by pad),
immediately grab water can and carry across full length of basketball court, drop gear,
you immediately sprint back to your partner, touch ground and run back to gear,
pcik up gear and carry across full length of basketball court, drop gear & change over,
partner has rifle, you have kick shield, repeat.
This is 1 round, 5 full rounds completes WOD.

Combat Conditioning

Several Marines have come out looking for more CrossFit work outs. This will be open to all who wish to attend.
Weekdays 0600
Place is usually Quick Hall pull-up bars, but check first.

Thursday we did:
Five rounds for time of a circuit:
100m sprint
20 Body rows
10 Over Head Squats
5 KB swings (varying weights)

Friday's work out was:
"Fight Gone Bad"
Exercises are executed on five stations, one minute per station, after each minute participants immediately switch to the next exercise until completing all 5 stations. This equals one round.
FGB= Three rounds, one minute break between rounds.
Exercises stations:
Deadlift with 2x 2/3 full 5 gallon water jugs
8lb rubber rifle thruster
Sumo Deadlift High Pull w/ makeshift cement and steel rod bars (~25#)
Ground Elbows mounted on a punch/kick shield
Box jumps onto 15inch sandbag parapet

No one to keep score, just went at it. This was the first FGB for all four of them.
It was a wrecking ball on my system.

So if you're looking for a solid work out, make contact, show up, and get some.

Company Swim PT this week

Swim PT, same as below. Show up at 0615 in the main Gaffney gym in PT gear for the warm-up & demos. We will be running a combat conditioning swim drill.

• Be prepared to change over immediately after the warm-up into swim gear
• Have a towel, shower shoes or flip-flops, and any other gear you'd like for swimming (googles, nose plugs)
• The "Speedo" is not authorized pt gear.

The Conditioning Drill will consist of squats and laps; so come motivated and get some.

****results were outstanding, and devastatingly so****
After the 3x5-15 of the CFWU and 5 minutes of cardio machines to break a sweat we did the following:

100 Squats
500m swim (10 laps)
100 Squats

Squats were to have been air squats, with full range of motion, many lacked the full ROM. Good efforts, but we need to work on this. When you cheat the full range of motion, you cheat yourself. Integrity is something you can lose quickly, and never earn back.
I heard times from ~19:00 to ~28:00, still not keeping for records, but that grace period is winding down.
Good work done by all who showed.

Commander's Conference & Battalion Change of Command

Due to this week's schedule, Plt PT this week.

Let the Company office know where each platoon will be working out and what the scheduled training will be no later than end of day Monday.

PT for the 25th

The "Broomstick Mile" will be conducted at Mullins Track on the main base.
Uniform will be Boots, Utility trousers and green t-shirt with a water source (camel-back, canteen, water bottle, whatever).
The Broomstick consists of the following workout:
**edited after PT**
Slightly different Broomstick Mile
Ran in boots and utilities or "Boots and Utes",
Some used 5 ft of PVC, some used an 8 lb rubber rifle.
I wore a flak jacket, to make it fair.
For time:
25 Overhead Squats
25 Front Squats
25 Deadlifts
400m run
25 Overhead Squats
25 Shoulder Press
25 Push-press
400m run
50 Squats
400m run
25 Thrusters
400m run

Need to stress the basics.
My personal was 14:43, slowest Marine was 17:45, 11 present.
( 1 ) motivated Sgt did beat me, but didn't make note of his time, ~14 flat.
All finished, no pukers.
Skill-based cool down:
MCMAP breakfalls
10 back breakfalls
10 front break falls
5 right breakfalls
5 left breakfalls
everyone demonstrated the ability to do at least 2-3 forward shoulder rolls.

Company Training the 18th

Company PT will go at Gaffney indoor pool at 0600.

• Meet in the gym on the basketball court in the corner at the pull-up bars. So wear sneakers for the initial warm-up/demos.
  
• You can wear whatever PT gear you like, but wear a bathing suit because we will swim, so bring a towel and shower shoes or flip flops also.

Training will go at the Company Office 1.5 hours after end of PT.

• Topics will include: MCCDC's Concept for Functional Fitness, Leadership, Nutrition, Tobacco Cessation, Stress Mgm't, EO & Human relations, Education & TA, Financial Mgm't