MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA --
Eleven
teams of the fiercest warriors from 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Corps
Air Station Cherry Point used their brute strength and teamwork skills to
complete the annual Marine Special Operations Command All-Terrain Competition
here, Oct. 30.
“The All-Terrain
Competition is a very unique event,” explained Berna Crosby, the special events
coordinator with Marine Corps Community Services. “It was designed for the
purpose of bringing units and squadrons’ personnel together to promote healthy
physical activities and improve the camaraderie between units. It makes use of
cooperation, teamwork and is extremely popular, due to the type of competition,
the intensity, and difficulty of the course.”
The Honey
Badgers of Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 14 took home the first place
trophy and bragging rights after successfully completing the more than
seven-mile long course, which featured several obstacles through various types
of terrains.
“We decided
to participate in the competition this year because we participated last year
and won second place,” explained Capt. Agustin Arreola, the operations officer
with MALS-14 and team captain for the Honey Badgers. “We knew this was our year, we wanted to win
first and we were very fortunate that we did it.”
According
to Crosby, events like the competition are important for cohesion between the
Marines because it develops strong bonds of shared confidence, trust and
discipline that make event completion possible under chaotic conditions.
Additionally, the event is a way to display unit readiness and prepare the
service members to deal with a wide range of potential obstacles that may arise
in the future.
“Winning
was a pleasant surprise,” explained Arreola. “We started ninth and passed teams
who started before us, which kept us motivated to keep pushing. It builds camaraderie
within the squadron because it’s just another great opportunity for MALS-14 to
be made public and gain recognition. We have a lot of talent within our
squadron and this is just another opportunity for us to showcase those talents.”
The race
could not have been completed without the entire team coming together and
working as a unit, said Arreola.
“My
favorite part about participating in this event was the fact that it was truly
a team event and that we had to use all of our different strengths together to
get us through to the finish line,” said Arreola. “But we did it and we look
forward to taking the trophy again next year.”