11-02-2012 - Hurlburt Warrior

Page | Hurlburt Warrior | Friday, November 2, 2012
‘Carnivores’
run rampant at obstacle course
By Airman 1st Class Hayden K. Hyatt
1st Special Operations Wing
Public Affairs
A
young Airman dodged left and right
through rows and rows of 50-pound,
hanging sandbags as he crossed the
bridge to the Soundside.
He gasped for air as he evaded the last bag only
to look up and see the course wasn’t over yet — he
had many more obstacles to go.
The obstacles were part of the Carnivore Confidence
Course at Hurlburt Field Oct. 19.
The course was made by Airmen to boost morale.
The carnivore theme of the course was inspired
by Chief Master Sgt. Ramon Colon-Lopez,
command chief of 1st Special Operations Wing.
“I think it’s great because when I signed up for
command chief duty I brought the whole carnivore
versus herbivore thing and the Airmen have
just taken it to the next level,” said Colon-Lopez.
“It’s just that unit cohesiveness and pride that
creates that healthy competition.”
The Soundside portion of the course involved
Airmen wading under a dock and low crawling
through the sand soaking wet.
“It was awesome,” said Senior Airman Wayne
Stacey, 1st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance
Squadron. “The water part at the very end
— it felt really good.”
Airmen dodged sand bags, crawled through
tunnels, and tried to escape “raptors” while traversing
the two-mile course.
“Going through the tunnels on the football
field was my favorite part,” said Staff Sgt. Nicholas
Perez, a fuels supervisor from 1st Special
Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron, “It
was pretty cool.”
Twenty-seven different teams competed in
the base-wide event comprised of units from
around Hurlburt Field.
“Our group consisted of 10 petroleum, oil and
lubricant Airmen and two guys from vehicle operations,”
Perez said. “It was awesome, lots of
fun and a good time to contribute to the team.”
The event was the culmination of months of
planning and preparation.
“I think it’s really amazing — all the thought,
the logistics and the coordination that took place
by Airmen to go ahead and make this happen,”
Colon-Lopez said. “That’s what I’m really proud
of.”
Above, Master Sergeant Sonia Poulin,
first sergeant of 1st Special Operations
Comptroller Squadron, crawls
through a tube filled with rotten food
during the Carnivore Confidence
Course at Hurlburt Field, Oct. 19.
MSgt. Poulin is in one of many teams
participating in the morale building
exercise.
At left, Airmen dodge sandbags during
the Carnivore Confidence Course
at the soundside bridge at Hurlburt
Field, Oct. 19. The 2-mile course incorporated
several obstacles testing
mental and physical skills.
Airman 1st Class Nigel Sandridge |
USAF