WWII Murph

Audie L Murphy

First Lieutenant, US Army

Major, Texas Army National Guard

Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor, songwriter, and rancher. He was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II. He received every military combat award for valor available from the U.S. Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism. Murphy received the Medal of Honor for valor that he demonstrated at the age of 19 for single-handedly holding off a company of German soldiers for an hour at the Colmar Pocket in France in January 1945, then leading a successful counterattack while wounded and out of ammunition. 

He fought in Africa, Italy, France, Belgium, Germany, and Austria, receiving the Purple Heart three times, the Bronze Star twice, the Silver Star twice, and of course the Medal of Honor. When asked why he jumped onto a flaming anti tank gun to fight off a company of Germans (while killing 50+), Audie responded with “They were killing my friends.”

Later in his life. To draw attention to the problems of returning Korean War and Vietnam War veterans, Murphy spoke out candidly about his own problems with posttraumatic stress disorder.[99] It was known during Murphy’s lifetime as “battle fatigue” and “shell shock“, terminology that dated back to World War I. He called on the government to give increased consideration and study to the emotional impact of combat experiences, and to extend health care benefits to war veterans.[100][101] As a result of legislation introduced by U.S. Congressman Olin Teague five months after Murphy’s death in 1971, the Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital[102] in San Antonio, now a part of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, was dedicated in 1973.

WOD

200 Yard Bear Crawl

100 Burpees

200 Merkins

300 Squats

200 Yard Bear Crawl

We honored Audie Murphy through the pain that is above. Strong work Shield and Trucker.

Punch List out.

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NO OYO at Quagmire

YHC took the last min Q with the normally scheduled programming interrupted by a last min Mannmon trip out of state. I had a shorty out of bed scenario at the home base so I was coming in hot to StartEx and was very surprised to see no one. Absolutely not a single car was in the parking lot. I had to check the “Steve” to make sure it was Monday. Yep just as I thought it was Monday morning and lots of regulars couldn’t find it in themselves to unfartsack and show up to get better. After planting the shovel flag I was surprised by a car I hadn’t seen in a while and was stoked to see the wearer of short shorts and the best damn goatee in the Fort. I was excited to see the former site Q of my VQ and true HIM Geronimo who must have gotten lost on his way to Honey Badger but like they say “any port in a storm” so I will take it.
The disclaimer was disclaimed as we started a nice jog around Rivergate.
For those who haven’t posted to one of my Q’s in a while, I am fine with it being the same general concept so of course, we were going to play a little game of CHARGE.

Lots of exercises were performed and I was reminded of how great Geronimo’s form is while my body was still trying to recover from the stupidness that was the fastest ruck shuffle I have ever done during the Dam2DamBar over the weekend. Lots of money was raised for a great cause and TCLAPS to all the HIM involved in the planning and execution.

It was great to spend some quality time with a true HIM pushing to get better. It’s actually fulfilling after all of these years of him pushing me to finally have made it to a point in my 1stF that I feel like I actually pushed him. Or he is getting soft. but I will leave it up to you to tell him to his face. Let me know how that went will ya?

Stay Frosty my Friends!
Olaf

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Breaking the Tie

YHC was invited by the Site Q, Sugar Daddy, to Q the Bubble today and was honored for the opportunity. For those who don’t know or have forgotten, the Bubble is a result of the COVID lockdown coupled with the need for acceleration and fellowship. Started in April 2020, the Bubble sought to fill a gap caused by the lockdown and was one of the many blessings from the Fort during a tumultuous time in our world. It starts at 6 AM so you get the extra sleep time and Baxter offers lots of options for pain.  YHC was excited to Q for both of those reasons!

Weather – 43 and dare I say warmer than the last few weeks. No rain. Perfect F3 climate!

The Thang

Proper Disclaimer was reviewed

Mosey to YMCA pool parking lot

COP

Windmills x 10

SSH x 20

IW x 10

Man Climbers x 20

Merkins x 10

Mosey to top of the hill at Springmaid Street

4 Corners using Springmaid, Promenade, Shady Grove and Market Street

At each corner do the following

5 Burpees

10 Merkins

15 Squats

20 LBCs

Rinse and repeat 3 times

Mosey back to YMCA

6 minutes of Mary

YHC shared a concept on my heart which is “Breaking Ties” in your life. Whether its your spouse, significant others, co-workers, etc. there will be times where you don’t agree with someone. While I don’t have the answers, I do know a few things about failure in these circumstances. I have learned the following:

  • Know who you are and who you arent
  • Dont assume you are right…what if you are wrong?
  • Listen and learn about the other person
  • Pray about it
  • Show love to them

Moleskin

  • Prayers for Twisters daughter
  • Prayers for the Kerns
  • 3/6 is the Yeti…you should sign up
  • 3/13 is the beginning of Acceleration, a leadership journey.
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Take that, treats!

IIRC, the last and only time YHC has Qed at Golden Corral was partnering with Slapshot over a year ago, so when Lutefisk said there was an opening, it was time to step up. I had quite a few devious plans built up for Q-vengence over the years of getting my arse handed to me by HIM left and right and had a hard time settling on just one, but then, it came to me in a vision… The PAX were forewarned to bring lights.

the gloom

I pulled into the Corral just in time and saw Skipper, Half Shell, Lutefisk, Geronimo, Fire Marshall Bill, and Nasa waiting to see what awful nastiness would ensue. The disclaimer was disclaimed after I verified Skipper’s identity, because I’m bad with names.

Warm up

LOL, wut?

The thang

Run to the light (okay, no traffic, let’s cross at Burn) and head to Dunkin. Circle up for 15 SSH and 15 Monkey Humpers (faces facing away from Dunkin). This is where Olaf caught up with us.

The next leg was supposed to stop at Brewsters, but a couple of female runners were stretching in front of the building, and I don’t like looking like a creeper, so we just kept going until we got to Abbot’s (YHC was reminded a few times that we were doing a Bootcamp during this leg). 10x merkins and 10x monkey humpers.

Last leg, run to the Model A parking lot and look for any PAX from Colosseum (I talked to Slapshot and he said they’d make their way there if possible).

Quick DORA to wait and see if Colo shows up, only got past the first round but this is what was called:
100 BBSU, 100 Leg Lift, 200 LBC
Partners would run around the parking lot islands or bear crawl to the middle island and back (an option that was picked only twice!)

YHC kept a close watch on the time to ensure we’d get back in time, and with 20 min left, we retraced our steps. The first leg ended in the Gamestonks parking lot (at the top of the hill) for 10x Peter Parker and 10x Parker Peter.

The next leg, YHC began slowing down, but the PAX waited for me at Brewsters and were doing some very nice looking flutters. When YHC arrived we added 10x Low Slow Squat and 10x Imperial Walkers.

Next leg back to Dunkin, where I was smoked by the rest of the PAX, who were doing overhead clap when I arrived, and we busted out more monkey humpers before using the crosswalk.

Finally we converged on the S wall of HT for people’s chair with bear crawl chain. Then BTTW chain with a run (PAX really ran fast here). About 90 seconds left, we took our one and only ten count before a 45s BTTW (countdown by YHC) and back to COT.

COT

Hyped the Yeti and prayed for a Geronimo’s new job and some PAX who were hoping to find something new to do.  Wives were also mentioned (context omitted).

nmm

I generally try to find some kind of message for my Qs, but today was all about stupid fun. My original plan was a bit more ambitious than my body is prepared to pull off, and far more running than a BC should be (this idea will be a thing in the future, though).

Seriously, though. Fun is what I needed.  Fun has been in short supply over the last 11 months.  The kind of fun where you’re laughing, gasping and wheezing because you choose to do something a bit too ambitious and everyone smoked you, but it doesn’t matter because you’re all part of one big stupid group of fun.  And my Garmin says I burned 731 calories during this fun.

Monkey Humpers facing away from Dunkin and the ice cream shops were part of that fun. I hope security personnel get a hearty laugh or a “WTH” look on their faces if we were on camera, too.

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Cupids’ Cup Virtual 5K at Minnow Pond

For those of you that have been in The Fort for a while, you may remember I had a heart attack on February 11, 2015. To say I was lucky compared to other victims is an understatement. My fitness is probably stronger now than it was before it happened. But the foundation that I built THROUGH F-3 no doubt helped in my episode being mild and allowed a smooth road to recovery.

Another part of my recovery was cardiac rehab through Atrium Health. Every year I run in the Cupid’s Cup 5K. Some of you have run with me. Many more were supportive through generous donations. Since the event is virtual this year, I decided to take the Q at Minnow Pond on 2/11/2021, 6 years to the day and host a mini live event to assist the virtual efforts of the cardiac rehab team.

Last July 2nd, another Pax became a “student” and then a graduate of the Cardiac Rehab program. Bonsai had his own event after a double down. Again, when you see him now, you’d have no idea. He also attributes his good fortune to F3 and his care through Atrium’s program.

TWO OPTIONS TO GIVE

(1) So come out on Thursday if you can. OR run 3.1 miles on your own between now and (through)Sunday. You can register here to send in an official time and be part of the F3 – The Fort team.

(2) You can also donate without running by using this link.

Besides being lucky that we could overcome our heart attacks, Bonsai and I could go to cardiac rehab with no financial strain. This event is a way to make sure everybody has access to the care they need.

This is a great way to get in a regular post and give back to the community.

Boeheim

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Fort Mill Care Center – Important Message

  • QIC: Assassin
  • When: 03/06/2021
  • Posted In: Pre-Blast

PAX,

As many of you know, we have had the privilege of mowing the grass at the Fort Mill Care Center. This Spring will be our 6th season. We all stepped up after hearing of this important need for this service. Through all of our efforts we have received many messages of thanks over the years. Most recently, a few PAX took a Saturday to construct a shed to house the two mowers we have donated. The effort has not gone unnoticed.

Having said that, I’m asking you all to consider and for one or two HIM to take over the leadership of this weekly project. There has hardly been a weekend where we haven’t had one or more of you step up to serve and I’m looking for the next coordinator. I’d like to hand this off to someone (or a small group of you) who have a heart for what is happening at the Care Center.

Please give this some thought and reach out to me for more details. The essentials include the managing of the signup genius and the supervision that the job gets done each weekend. There is a sincere satisfaction of knowing we are making a difference as a small part of a vital community resource.  Thanks to all of you for your help over the past five years.

Assassin
Rob Jordan
704.626.2579

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Yeti 2021 – The Beast Lives On

  • QIC: Gears
  • When: 03/06/2021
  • Posted In: Pre-Blast

As the frigid wind sweeps across the region, the men of The Fort hear the wild call of a winter beast.  The annual appearance of the Yeti has been rumored for weeks…. and today is confirmed.

The Yeti is a formidable foe, offering roughly 13 miles of ground to cover including both road and trails with multiple pain stations along the route to challenge the PAX.  There is a relay option every 3 miles to cut the event up so it is manageable by all PAX.  There is also a ruck option for those who choose that method to challenge the beast.

This year’s edition starts and ends at the newest brewery in Tega Cay, Model A Brewing, at 8am for runners and 7am for ruckers.  This will setup an endex at roughly 11am for an amazing 2nd F experience for the Pax to cap off a brutal morning with beers and food.  Check the route here and the menu here.

Painstations:

Leg Routes (Strava):

High Level Turn by Turn:

  • Leave Model A, Up Stonecrest in Front of Walmart
  • Right on 160 all the way down to right on Sutton
  • Right on Founders Street then directly into the park (Painstation #1)
  • Follow trail route markers
  • Upon exiting the park go up Founders across Sutton up Market
  • Right on Shady Grove Crossing
  • Enter YMCA parking lot and go to the right lot by Soccer Fields (Painstation #2)
  • Leave YMCA from opposite end of parking lot on Third Baxter
  • Right on Market up to left on 160
  • All the way down to Dave Gibson, around to the Colosseum Parking Lot (Painstation #3)
  • Leave out the back of the school and then left on Dam Rd.
  • Left on Gardendale (watch traffic) down to a right on Orchid way
  • Dead end at Lake Ridge Community Center (Painstation #4)
  • Leave Lake Ridge Community Center going up Angelica to take a left on Coralbell Way
  • At Dam road, cross over to take a right onto to the sidewalk
  • Left on Stonecrest Blvd all the way back to Model A

And for those willing to go the extra mile, there will be a traditional Zima Mile option at the end for bragging rights.  This pre-blast will be updated with the route link once we cap off the finishing touches.

This is the premium winter CSAUP in the region, so order a shirt and then lookup three Kotters and get them to HC today.

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Double Trouble At The Hive

It was a dark and rainy morning… but that didn’t stop six Pax from getting up and after it at The Hive.

This workout is called Double Trouble and was named that before we lost our Metro brother of the same name, but this workout is done in his honor and memory.  Great high impact man who we just lost due to Covid.

The workout goes like this.  Each round of two exercises you complete 10 reps then 15 round two, 20 round three.

The exercises are:

Kettlebell swings
Shoulder shrugs

Goblet squats
Flutters

Curls
Merkins

Tricep extensions
Squats

Sumo squats (what more squats?!)
LBCs

Skull crushers
Rosalitas

Dead lift
Calf raise

Lawnmower
American hammer

Romanian dead lift
Dips

The mission of F3 is to plant, grown and serve small workout groups for the invigoration of mail community leadership.

I hope this one was a challenge and it was great to see Geronimo again, who we thought was leaving town already but has s reprieve.

Hope you have a great weekend and hopefully you enjoyed all the squats.

Thrill is gone!

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HIIT Jams

Seven pax came out to the Varisty sing-along workout.  Weather was rainy at 41°.

Disclaimer given, noted that singing along was mandatory.

Warm Up
Mosey ‘laps’
SSH (IC 10x)
Windmill (IC 10x)
Imperial Walker (IC 10x)
Low Slow Squats (IC10x)

Thang 1: HIIT Routine
The tunes start at this point. Playlist below.
Set A: Do the below 32 seconds on, 10 sec standing rest in between
>Merkins
>Cherry Pickers
>Squats
>Dips
>Bobby hurleys
Set B: Do the below 40 seconds on, 20 sec rest in between (rest is a Low Plank)
>Mountain Climbers
>LBC
>Derkins
>Amer Hammers
>plank jacks
Set C: Do the below 45 seconds on, 15 sec standing rest in between
>Burpees
>Imperial Walkers
>Squat Jumps
>step ups
>SSH
Rinse/Repeat sets

Thang 2: Big Balls Routine
Played AC/DC’s Big Balls; do a monkey humper at each “Balls”.

Fini, COT

NMM: Pax stayed dry beneath the awing at the school entrance. Lots of quality mumblechatter revolving to favorite albums, favorite bands, best concerts the pax have attended.
Playlist:
Rock and Roll All Nite, KISS
Werewolves of London, Warren Zevon
Surrender, Cheap Trick
Bang the Drum All Day, Todd Rundgren
We Will Rock You, Queen
That 70’s Show Theme, Cheap Trick
Down Under, Men at Work
Lump, The Presidents of the United States
Born in the USA, Bruce Springsteen
Cum on feel the noise, Quiet Riot
I fought the Law, the Clash
Ob La Di, Ob La Da, the Beatles
Big Balls AC/DC

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Hangin with Stang: Expectations

So, to set the Expectations upfront, this won’t be as good as my last post 😉

Stang asked for someone to Q Hangin w/ Stang who had not yet done it.  So, seeing as I’ve never even been, I volunteered.  I don’t know if that’s a function of how much I miss you guys and want to get back out there or how much of a glutton for punishment I am to throw myself into the center of something I’ve never been a part of.  Those in attendance can decide which it was.

Fittingly, expectations were the topic that came to mind when Stang confirmed my appointment.  I’ve had a lot of those to work through recently.  I feel like expectations can be a blessing and a curse.  We have to first understand what we’re asking of others and what others are asking of us.  But more importantly, how was it communicated?  Was it fair?  Could it even be met?

I think expectations break into 3 real parts:

Expectations we have for ourselves.

Expectations we have thrust upon us.

Expectations we have of others.

Each one of these can have a dramatic effect on our relationships.  What happens to that relationship when expectations are not met?  This is true of the expectations we have of ourselves and how it affects our attitude.  How does the view of an employee or a direct report change when they don’t meet expectations?  What are you willing to do to make amends if you don’t meet someone’s expectations?

Many of us are driven men.  You’d have to be to get up before 5 am to do the things we do.  But how do we let our expectations affect those around us, especially our M’s and 2.0’s?

We had some great conversations about family, our own, and work expectations.  It’s so good to know that we are not alone.  We all have a story that we can learn from.  Make sure to share that story so others can benefit and learn.

I hope I met the PAX expectations today.  It was so good to be back out.  I miss the group so much not being able to come out and participate.  I look forward to getting back out in the gloom soon, even just to walk and say hi.

— Splinter

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