ARPC members participate in Buckley Unit Cohesion challenge

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Rob Hazelett
  • Air Reserve Personnel Center Public Affairs
BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  Five service members from the Air Reserve Personnel Center were among 22 people who participated in a GORUCK Light Challenge here Sept. 30, 2015.

ARPC members who participated were: Tech. Sgt. Julia Benson, ARPC assistant personnel systems manager, Tech. Sgt. Carola Todd, evaluations NCO in charge, Staff Sgt. Christina Sullivan, ARPC retirement services technician, Senior Airmen Aleksey Lazarev, ARPC Guard separation technician, and Senior Airman Jaen Munguia, ARPC evaluation technician.

“Participating in the team cohesion challenge was truly an amazing experience,” Munguia said. “The cadre pushed us out of our comfort zone and taught us how to effectively communicate and work together as a team to accomplish the tasks given to us.”

Team members carried 15-25 pounds weights on them and performed several exercises, which included a 5-mile run, pushups, tire flipping, puzzles and a picture-memorization run.

Lazarev said the team did low crawls, dragged immobilized teammates, modified crawls on their backs, 50 squats, a telephone-pole carry, a duck walk in the drainage tunnel with an additional ruck, a modified barrel chain walk, a sprint to the swamp and burpees.

“This was the best team building event I’ve ever experienced. If you enjoy pushing your limits to the max both physically and mentally, this challenge is for you,” Lazarev said.

Benson said the challenge wasn’t something a person could train for because the team experienced an insight, on a lighter scale, of what special forces units of all branches are commonly required to do to stay physically and mentally fit.

“Words cannot describe the intensity of the challenge unless you were there to experience it yourself. It teaches you to do whatever it takes to make sure the team and your teammates are taken care of before yourself,” Benson said. “We were taught six words to keep in mind at all times that we could actually use every day: Team, teammates, self, mission, men and myself.”

Todd, who organized the group of ARPC members, said she knew she was in for a world of hurt soon after the adventure started.

“All I could think was, ‘I am going to owe my ARPC teammates big! What did I get us all into when I sent that email out to the junior enlisted personnel to join me in this Team Cohesion Challenge?!” Todd said. “Within the first 30 minutes, my arms were mush from the exercises with our 20-pound rucks. I didn’t know how we were going to get through the next four-and-a-half hours. But we did, and we did as a team. I can’t express how much of a testament this challenge was for me to the true meaning of team and teamwork first.”

Sullivan said the challenge was one of the most challenging events and experiences she had ever been through.

“All you can do is trust in your team, and have faith in yourself and your abilities to push through. I believe all of us learned a great deal from our cadre in regards to teamwork, endurance and ‘embracing the suck,’” she said. “This wasn't just a physically and mentally demanding challenge, but an outstanding learning experience.”