News

Security Forces team endures final event

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jake Chappelle
  • 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Low crawl, swing, climb...run! That understates the effort the 446th Airlift Wing Rodeo Security Forces team put in the Combat Endurance Course July 23 during Air Mobility Command's Rodeo, McChord Air Force Base, Wash.

This event consists of 18 obstacles, four Combat Skills, a 1.2-mile run, and tests a four-person team on physical conditioning and field craft skills.

"It was a lot harder than I thought," said Tech. Sgt. Zachary Casey, 446th Rodeo Security Forces team member. "I was huffing and puffing more than I thought I would."

According to Sergeant Casey, not only was the course physically challenging, but it forced teams to think as well.

"Some of the parts divided your attention," said Sergeant Casey. "You had to stop and think with your team, which forced you to break your tunnel vision when your heart rate is up.

"The Tarzan portion (the monkey bars) was the hardest for me," said Sergeant Casey. "The bars span over three levels, starting at a 10 feet high. Some of the bars would also spin when I grabbed them. I almost lost my grip once."

Staff Sgt. Douglas Housman, 446th SFS unit safety manager and Sergeant Casey emphasize the team efforts.

"They trained hard as a team and hopefully, they'll win as a team," said Sergeant Housman. "That's all you can ask for."

"It forces the team to work," said Sergeant Casey. "You are only as fast as your slowest person."

"They're absolutely the best," said Lt. Col. Garin Tentschert, 446th AW Rodeo team chief. "These are the toughest guys I've seen. This just proves that the 446th AW is the best. I'm hopeful they will finish on top. But even if they don't, they're the best in my eye.

Chief Master Sgt. Ed Stewart, 446th Rodeo Security Forces team chief, stresses good performance comes out of good training.

"We started off with a five-mile run when we started training," said Chief Stewart. "Then we upgraded to seven-mile runs, sprints, hill work, pushups, pull-ups, and other forms of physical training. In the end, it's all about the run."

Staff Sgt. Jack Montez, 446th Rodeo Security Forces team member, is content with the team's preparation going into the course.

"All the training paid off," said Sergeant Montez. "Right from the get go, Chief (Stewart) said we needed endurance training and that's what we focused on. We ran five to seven miles all the time, sometimes more."

Sergeant Montez also attributes the team's performance to having access to the Fort Lewis, Wash., obstacle course to practice on.

"We weren't allowed to use this course to practice," said Sergeant Montez. "But the training on the Fort Lewis obstacle course gave us a taste of what to expect. The log roll was actually easier on this course than on Fort Lewis, because they're spaced closer together (here)."

How will the umpires score it? Chief Stewart leaves it open.

"It depends on how the other teams do," said Chief Stewart. "But it wasn't bad. We were clean. We didn't have any penalties."

The Combat Endurance Course was the final event for the 446th Rodeo Security Forces team.