6 faithful tackled the Tellier Hero WOD at Honey Badger this morning. After a quick warmup, we mosied to the field where we did the following:
Background: Dedicated to U.S. Sgt. Zachary D. Tellier, 31, of Charlotte, NC (USA) a combat infantryman with the 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, at Fort Bragg. He died Sept. 29, 2007, of wounds sustained while on a ground patrol in Afghanistan.
The previous April, Tellier’s unit was conducting a mounted patrol when one of its vehicles drove over and detonated a bomb, which set the vehicle on fire, according to a statement from the 82nd Airborne. Tellier pulled two paratroopers out of the vehicle to safety, suffering severe burns to his hands. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with valor for his actions.
After he was burned, Tellier jumped up in the turret to return fire, said Sgt. Michael Layton, a member of Tellier’s unit. A lieutenant made Tellier get out of the vehicle because of his injuries, Layton said. “Zachary Tellier has to be the biggest hero I’ve ever known or heard of, not just because of what he did, but because of his personality,” Layton said. “He came in the Army because he wanted to be around soldiers and serve his country, and he paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
Tellier is survived by his wife, Sara Tellier of Atlanta, Ga.; his father, David W. Tellier of Groton, Mass.; and his mother, Pamela Rodriguez, of Falmouth, Mass.
A few of us just returned from a weekend as part of Sandlot JAX. The weekend included difficult rucking events, obstacle courses, strength training, and Fit talks by war heroes, world-renowned authors, and fitness experts. One speaker talked about mindset. The easiest mindset to take is the victim mindset. Next is the pessimist, followed by the optimist and realist. But the highest level we should strive to achieve is the curious competitor. The curious competitor actively seeks out difficulties and challenges. There are two rules: find something hard and don’t die doing it. We are made to do hard things. But, because of comfort, we avoid those challenges. But how are we to get better if we never step out of our comfort zone? I encourage you to do something hard every day. You will either succeed or learn what doesn’t work. The key point is to try. When you do the hard thing now, you are preparing yourself for the future hard thing. You have been gifted this life. Don’t waste it on Easy Street.