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It always seems impossible until it's done: 12th AF Airmen Conquer Hard Charge

  • Published
  • By by Staff Sgt. Adam Grant
  • 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Public Affairs
A team comprised of both 12th Air Force Airmen and their civilian counter parts recently boosted morale by participated in the Hard Charge Televised Obstacle Mission held at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson, AZ on Saturday, 29 March.

Climbing, crawling and sprinting were a few of the many ways the members from 12th AF trekked though the rigorous 37 obstacle course.

"There's an overwhelming feeling when I think of how much this meant to me, sometimes as civilians were left out of these type of things but to be asked compete in an event like this with my co-workers was an amazing opportunity for me, I gained more respect for my co-workers as well as the men and women of 12th Air Force," said Mrs. Laura MacNevin, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Management Analyst.

"At first glance the course was very intimidating, I didn't know there were going to be so many obstacles but everyone on our team has something they are good at that at, some strength that would benefit the team, which made the team as a whole better and ultimately lead to us meeting our goal," said Mrs. Irene Ramey, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Services Chief.

"This course was very difficult and often it pushed me to my limits both physically and mentally where I felt like I wanted to give up, but in the back of my mind I just kept telling myself, "I will not falter and I will not fail," and that, with the thought of not letting my co-workers down pushed me to continue on," said Tech Sgt. Linda Hodgson, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Personnel Programs Manager.

Before the event the team figured out what they were getting themselves in to and decided that proper planning is the key to success. They searched for a training regimen that would ensure they were able to successfully take on the obstacle course.

"We often trained twice a day, three times a week, focusing mainly on cardio and strength training while also doing some cross fit. I think one of the important things to our planning was seeing the different obstacles on the Hard Charge website and figuring out where each of us would have challenges and then focusing on those areas," said Mr. John Viray, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Chief of A1 Contingency Plans and Operations.

Though training as a team proved to be very helpful, it also let the members evaluate each other's abilities.

"Training as a team is very important because it not only lets my team members know my strengths and what I bring to the team, but it also lets me know what theirs are as well, while also keying me in on areas where I may have to be there to help motivate my team mates," said Senior Master Sgt. Jason Beaudoin, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) A1 Superintendent.

Despite all of the rigorous training, at certain portions of the course, team members wanted to give up, but they persevered and they all completed the course together as a team.

"Once the race was over and done with, it was all worth it to go through such adverse times and stick together as a team to reach our goal, which was an amazing feeling. I think that this will definitely roll over in the work environment where we may face obstacles and need to attack them as one cohesive unit," said Capt. Yvonne Nollmann, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Section Commander.

The official purpose of the event was to raise both money and awareness for the Children's Miracle Network Hospital which has been assisting local children and their families for the past 30 years, raising a total of $4.7 billion dollars, according to the Hard Charge website.

Editor's note: This is part two of a series on athletes in 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern).