11/11 Wednesday - Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran’s Day, our national day of gratitude to those who have served in our country’s military. Veteran’s Day is always bittersweet for me. I appreciate the gratitude of our Nation, and all of my personal friends, family and acquaintances, and yet, I am often sad on Veteran’s Day. 
Not long into my enlistment in the US Marines, in the summer of 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Within a few months I found myself, at the tender age of 19, disembarking a transport plane, in the middle of the night, in the middle of the Saudi Arabian dessert. I was immediately issued 4 magazines full of 5.56 mm ammunition for the M16 rifle I carried. From the moment I stepped off the plane, until the moment I departed for home, my M16 rifle and my M40 gas mask were always on my body. It was folly to be without them. 
My military occupational specialty was aircraft firefighting and rescue. I served on a team that, when a plane or helicopter crashed, extinguished the fire and rescued the crew. We were busy in Desert Storm. We had all manner of flight line emergencies. We had A-10s make emergency landings with hung ordinance, AH-1 Cobra helicopters barely make it back because they were so shot up with small arms fire, and we had a spectacular mishap when a Saudi Arabian helicopter taxied into the wing of a C-130. It was a busy time. 
The saddest duty I pulled during the Persian Gulf War was providing fire support for the mobile medical unit. Our base of operations was the furthest north air field and combat hospital, and nearly every wounded Marine, soldier, airman, and seaman was triaged and treated there. Once they were stable enough for transport, they were sent to a major military hospital in Germany. Our job, was to make sure no fires started on the plane or on the airfield, and that no terrorists drove by while the injured were being loaded onto the plane. 
My heart broke every time a litter with a wounded serviceman was loaded onto the plane. Most were severely burned, and many had lost limbs. While our war was short, those that fought on the front lines got hammered in their tanks and light armored vehicles by mortars and RPGs. 
I will never forget these brave wounded men. This is why Veteran’s Day makes me sad, it is an all day reminder of those cold nights and sandstorm raging days when I stood on the airfield, with my hand-line, ready to extinguish fires, or turn the firehose towards an unknown vehicle traveling too fast in our direction. 
Surviving a war and coming home can be difficult for many. It was for me, and it certainly is for Beau Wise, one of the Three Wise Men to whom we pay tribute today at the gym. Beau is the surviving brother of three (Jeremy & Ben) who all enlisted in the military after September 11, 2001. Jeremy and Ben were killed in action. Beau remains on active duty, but is certainly haunted my his brothers deaths. Please consider helping Beau and the thousands of returning veterans who struggle with surviving and reintegrating into civil life. Your donation today will help veterans gain access mental health services and support. 
Thank you - Coach Leslie
Today's Workout
Three Wise Men
“Jeremy”
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 4 minutes of:
5 Hang Squat Snatch (Elite = 185/125 lbs, RX = 135/95 lbs, Scaled = 95/65 lbs)
10 Burpees Over the Barbell
Rest 2 minutes, and then…
“Ben”
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 4 minutes of:
10 Power Cleans (Elite = 185/125 lbs, RX = 135/95 lbs, Scaled = 95/65 lbs)
20 Pull-Ups
Rest 2 minutes, and then…
“Beau”
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 4 minutes of:
15 Box Jump-Overs (Elite & RX = 24”/20”; Scaled – 24”/20” Step-Overs Allowed)
30 Wall Ball Shots (Elite & RX = 20/14 lbs; Scaled – 14/8 lbs)

Register for the Three Wise Men Tribute