MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Hawaii -- There were 25 Marines assigned to Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, who participated in a Leatherneck Competition Jan. 26 at Landing Zone Boondocker.
The competition, the first to be held this year, was comprised of six events that Marines from five different sections participated in.
“The purpose of this event was to foster motivation and increase unit moral,” said Capt. Stevie T. Moore, commanding officer, Headquarters and Service Company, Headquarters Battalion.
The first event was how many pull-ups the Marines could do as a team during a five-minute time limit, followed by how many crunches the team could accumulate in five minutes. The next event was how many squad pushups they could do in five-minutes.
The Marines were then timed on how fast each team could do a fireman’s carry for 200 meters. The Marines were then again tested on their strength, as each team pulled a Humvee 50 meters. The top four teams also participated in a tug-of-war tournament to see who would come out victorious.
“This was a great time for the Marines to get out of their departments and come to a competition and get that Marine Corps spirit and esprit de corps,” said Moore.
According to Moore, the idea for the events were thought of between him, the company first sergeant and company gunnery sergeant. The purpose was to get Marines to participate and have a good time.
Five teams showed up for this showdown, including G-8, Base Legal, Building 4009, Traffic Management Office, and returning champions, Anderson Hall Dining Facility.
When every event was done, the scores were tallied up and the winner of the event was TMO.
“I’m leaving for recruiter school and winning this – I get to cherish it forever,” said Sgt. Ricardo Valentin, household goods noncommissioned officer-in-charge, TMO. “We’ve always got second place, and to finally come on top before I leave … I’ll take this to the bottom of my heart.”
The toughest event that the Marines said they encountered was the 200-meter fireman’s carry, and TMO came into this event as the smallest team to participate.
“It’s not the size of the dog that matters,” said Lance Cpl. Thomas Bocook, passenger clerk, TMO. “It’s the size of its heart.”
The next competitive event Headquarters Battalion will hold is scheduled for sometime in May and will include some type of water survival, said Moore, who added that he wanted to turn the company events over to Headquarters and Service Company.
“I want to turn it over to the different sections so they can come up with the combat conditioning events,” said Moore, “so they’re more involved with the process, so it’s more enjoyable for them.
“Motivation is not an option.”