The Cost of Freedom – 5th Annual Memorial Day Weekend Convergence

The Cost of Freedom – 5th Annual Memorial Day Weekend Convergence

58 brothers (including 3 FNGs) gathered at Calvary this morning to honor the fallen and put in some work.

Purple Haze Q

0655 – 0700        Disclaimer. Explanation of Workout. Share Numbers of Soldiers’ Deaths.

American Soldiers lost during:

• World War I – 116,516
• World War II – 405,399
• Vietnam – 58,209
• Iraq/Afghanistan – 6,713

0700 – 0715        Ask Respects to grab shovel flags. Run to a designated parking lot.

• Bring it in, take a knee for Citation #1 (see below)
• Circle up for COP:
  • IWs x 10IC
  • LSSs x 10IC
  • Merkins x 10IC
  • MCs x 10IC
  • Diamonds x 10IC
• Count off in groups of 6

Rachel Q

0715 – 0745        Ask 2.0s to grab shovel flags. Run to front parking lot.

• Bring it in, take a knee for Citation #2 (see below)
• Teams drag fire hose, carry sandbags, carry plates, carry KBs and carry rocks around designated routes:
  • Round 1 – Main road around campus
  • Round 2 – Short road down the avenue of trees (at this point the rain started falling…it was epic)
  • Round 3 – Out and back in front parking lot
• Teams that finish go back and help teams still working

Prohibition Q

0745 – 0800        Ask Veterans to grab shovel flags. Run to Rea Road softball field.

• Bring it in, take a knee for Citation #3 (see below)
• Circle up for 100 burpees OYO. Suffer in silence.
• When you finish, help teammates finish.

COT

BOM

CITATION #1

FIRST LIEUTENANANT JOHN R. FOX
UNITED STATES ARMY – WORLD WAR II

For service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For extraordinary heroism against an armed enemy in the vicinity of Sommocolonia, Italy, on December 26, 1944, while serving as a member of Cannon Company, 366th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division. During the preceding few weeks, Lieutenant Fox served with the 598th Field Artillery Battalion as a forward observer. On Christmas night, enemy soldiers gradually infiltrated the town of Sommocolonia in civilian clothes, and by early morning the town was largely in hostile hands. Commencing with a heavy barrage of enemy artillery at 0400 hours on December 26, 1944, an organized attack by uniformed German units began. Being greatly outnumbered, most of the United States Infantry forces were forced to withdraw from the town, but Lieutenant Fox and some other members of his observer party voluntarily remained on the second floor of a house to direct defensive artillery fire. At 0800 hours, Lieutenant Fox reported that the Germans were in the streets and attacking in strength. He then called for defensive artillery fire to slow the enemy advance. As the Germans continued to press the attack towards the area that Lieutenant Fox occupied, he adjusted the artillery fire closer to his position. Finally he was warned that the next adjustment would bring the deadly artillery right on top of his position. After acknowledging the danger, Lieutenant Fox insisted that the last adjustment be fired as this was the only way to defeat the attacking soldiers. Later, when a counterattack retook the position from the Germans, Lieutenant Fox’s body was found with the bodies of approximately 100 German soldiers. Lieutenant Fox’s gallant and courageous actions, at the supreme sacrifice of his own life, contributed greatly to delaying the enemy advance until other infantry and artillery units could reorganize to repel the attack. His extraordinary valorous actions were in keeping with the most cherished traditions of military service, and reflect the utmost credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.

CITATION #2

PRIVATE FIRST CLASS ROBERT C. BURKE
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS – VIETNAM WAR

For service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty for service as a Machine Gunner with Company I, Third Battalion, Twenty Seventh Marines, First Marine Division in the Republic of Vietnam on May 17, 1968. While on Operation ALLEN BROOK, Company I was approaching a dry river bed with a heavily wooded treeline that bordered the hamlet of Le Nam, when they suddenly came under intense mortar, rocket propelled grenades, automatic weapons and small arms fire from a large, well concealed enemy force which halted the company’s advance and wounded several Marines. Realizing that key points of resistance had to be eliminated to allow the units to advance and casualties to be evacuated, Private First Class Burke, without hesitation, seized his machine gun and launched a series of one man assaults against the fortified emplacement. As he aggressively maneuvered to the edge of the steep river bank, he delivered accurate suppressive fire upon several enemy bunkers, which enabled his comrades to advance and move the wounded Marines to positions of relative safety. As he continued his combative actions, he located an opposing automatic weapons emplacement and poured intense fire into the position, killing three North Vietnamese soldiers as they attempted to flee. Private First Class Burke then fearlessly moved from one position to another, quelling the hostile fire until his weapon malfunctioned. Obtaining a casualty’s rifle and hand grenades, he advanced further into the midst of the enemy. Observing that a fellow Marine had cleared his malfunctioning machine gun he grasped his weapon and moved into a dangerously exposed area and saturated the hostile treeline until he fell mortally wounded. Private First Class Burke’s gallant actions upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

CITATION #3

MASTER AT ARMS SECOND CLASS, SEA, AIR and LAND MICHAEL A. MONSOOR
UNITED STATES NAVY – OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM

For service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Automatic Weapons Gunner for Naval Special Warfare Task Group Arabian Peninsula, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 29 September 2006. As a member of a combined SEAL and Iraqi Army sniper overwatch element, tasked with providing early warning and stand-off protection from a rooftop in an insurgent-held sector of Ar Ramadi, Iraq, Petty Officer Monsoor distinguished himself by his exceptional bravery in the face of grave danger. In the early morning, insurgents prepared to execute a coordinated attack by reconnoitering the area around the element’s position. Element snipers thwarted the enemy’s initial attempt by eliminating two insurgents. The enemy continued to assault the element, engaging them with a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. As enemy activity increased, Petty Officer Monsoor took position with his machine gun between two teammates on an outcropping of the roof. While the SEALs vigilantly watched for enemy activity, an insurgent threw a hand grenade from an unseen location, which bounced off Petty Officer Monsoor’s chest and landed in front of him. Although only he could have escaped the blast, Petty Officer Monsoor chose instead to protect his teammates. Instantly and without regard for his own safety, he threw himself onto the grenade to absorb the force of the explosion with his body, saving the lives of his two teammates. By his undaunted courage, fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of certain death, Petty Officer Monsoor gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.