U.S. Forces Fitness

Story by Roland Balik 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. – In January 2018, former Secretary of Defense James Mattis stated, “Our first line of effort emphasizes that everything we do must contribute to the lethality of our military.” One noncommissioned officer believes Mattis’ statement includes being fit to fight. Tech. Sgt. William “Bradley” Martineau, 436th Aerial Port Squadron special handling supervisor, is the lead volunteer Warrior Fitness class instructor at the base’s Fitness Center. “Fitness is important to people, period, without regard to a specific fitness regimen; it is important to life and longevity,” said Martineau. “What makes an addition of importance to Airmen is our military readiness, our obligation to be called up in the nature of national defense.” Martineau holds a CrossFit Level One trainer’s certification. He has completed the judge’s certification course every year since 2013 and has taken classes in scaling, lesson

Story by Sgt. Tawny Schmit Joint Forces Headquarters, Iowa National Guard A Call to Service      On a Saturday evening in 2013, 45 days after her youngest daughter’s graduation from the Iowa Culinary Institute, Kimberly Hamner carried a load of laundry into her daughter’s bedroom. Her door was always open. She set the laundry down and noticed a stack of papers on the bed, which was covered in a black-and-white zebra print blanket. Hamner peered at the papers, and in confusion, took a picture of them with her phone and sent them to a family friend. The friend was a sergeant major in the Marine Corps, and what he told her next triggered a flurry of emotions:      Ayrin Hamner-Ripperger had joined the Iowa Army National Guard (IANG).      “I was freaking out,” Hamner said. “The first thing you think of as a parent is deployment and stuff that goes on in the world.”      At 21, Hamner-Ripperger didn’t make this decision lightly. She considered joining the service after gradua

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Osvaldo Equite Cyber Center of Excellence Non-Commissioned Officer Academy Detachment - Fort Meade FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md., (May 17, 2019) – Sweaty faces, grimaced looks, and smiles abounded as 114 noncommissioned officers completed Army Combat Fitness Test Level II Grader validation training from May 13-17, 2019, at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. A mobile training team from Fort Gordon, Georgia’s Cyber Center of Excellence NCO Academy provided the training by teaching, coaching, and administering the ACFT as Fort Meade prepares to implement the test per Army directives. For that reason, the CCoE NCOA Detachment at Fort Meade coordinated and hosted the MTT to train and certify NCOs from 10 different units across the installation. “I feel implementing a new test was something overdue,” said Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Peoples, a Miami, Florida native and an ACFT Level III Grader-Instructor with the training team. “This test will force individuals to take a

Story by Senior Airman Daniel Garcia 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. – For those who have participated in the run clinic here, you know it’s a killer workout—all designed to help Airmen improve their speed on physical fitness tests. What you may not know is that it’s also open to anyone who wants to improve their overall fitness as well. The eight-week clinic is conducted by Heather Braundmeier, a retired chief master sergeant and the health promotions flight chief for the 375th Aerospace Medicine Squadron. The clinic is also staffed with volunteers who coach various ability groups that she designed over the years to more specifically target individual runners.  She prides herself on her team of leaders who prove time and again how much they care about helping Team Scott to improve. For instance, Senior Airman Bodie Menchaca, 375th Communications Squadron, has been involved in the run clinics for eight sessions now because the coaches “m

Story by Lance Cpl. Nicole Rogge Marine Corps Installations Pacific U.S. Marines and Sailors with Marine Corps Base Smedley D. Butler buddy dragged, sprinted and crawled through the sands of Torii Beach as part of their annual 101 Critical Days of Summer training May 17 on United States Army Garrison Torii Station, Okinawa, Japan. The training was designed to build camaraderie between the different units within Marine Corps Installations Pacific, Headquarters and Support Battalion, while educating service members of the dangers on Okinawa during the hot summer months. “We are here to use some of the terrain and environment we are in to make sure the Marines understand the seriousness of safety during the summer,” said Col. Vincent J. Ciuccoli, commanding officer with Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installations Pacific-Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Japan. “In this case we are emphasizing water safety.” During the training approximately 300 service membe

Courtesy Story Area Support Group - Qatar CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar – Putting hands on the equipment and experiencing the exercises allowed Soldiers currently deployed to Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar to learn the specifics of the Army Combat Fitness Test May 4, 2019. The Soldiers conducting this training were from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 114th Infantry Regiment, 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New Jersey Army National Guard who are currently deployed to Area Support Group-Qatar to serve as the security forces element for installations in the region. “Starting in Fiscal Year 2021, which will be next October, the New Jersey National Guard is embracing this and we’re going to start this whole program,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Paul Horan, the senior enlisted leader for 1-114th Inf. Rgt. “We’re doing a familiarization to get our Soldiers ready to know what they need to do to train up for this event.” This initial crawl through the six-event test allowed Sol

By Maj. MELISSA FOLSOM Chief of physical therapy FORT POLK, La. — Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital hosted an Army Combat Fitness Test and Pose running method training course in early March for Fort Polk. Col. Marla J. Ferguson, Medical Activity commander, identified a need to train Soldier instructors on the new ACFT, which is set to replace the Army Physical Fitness Test in October. Her focus on the prevention of injuries led her to designate the BJACH Department of Rehabilitation Team to take the lead in hosting the conference. A team of subject matter experts from the U.S. Army Physical Fitness School trained 30 Soldiers as level 2 instructors for the ACFT and as instructors on the Pose method of running, which incorporate poses into running to avoid wasting energy on inconsequential movements.  The ACFT improves Soldier readiness, transforms the culture of Army fitness, reduces preventable injuries and attrition, enhances mental toughness and stamina, and contributes to

Story by Thomas Ruyle U.S. Army Inspector General Agency FORT BELVOIR, Virginia – More than 100 Army inspectors general, both soldiers and civilians attending the World Wide Inspector General Conference, gathered early on April 10 at Specker Field House here to get an up close look at the new Army Combat Fitness Test, or ACFT. A team of five Army fitness instructors assigned to Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Eustis, Virginia, provided a demonstration of each event, then invited IG personnel to try it for themselves. Maj. Joseph Flores, a physical therapist who is the officer in charge of the ACFT Mobile Training Team based at Fort Eustis, said educating the inspector general community is key to successfully implementing the ACFT. “With the ACFT being the new ‘inventory item’ for the Army, we feel it is important that inspectors general understand the new test, its execution, and grading standards so that if any issues arise and the ACFT is the focal point ... th