MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- Third Marine Regiment hosted two U.S. Olympic athletes with American300 Warrior Tours aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii, April 16 and 17, 2014.
American300, founded by Robi Powers, is an educational organization that sponsors activities aimed at motivating and honoring U.S. service members. Powers created the nonprofit association in 2006 soon after he received a call informing him one of his mentors had been killed during a nighttime firefight in western Afghanistan.
Since he founded the organization, Powers has helped American volunteers connect with troops at more than 400 bases around the world. American300 returned to the island of Oahu for the second time and brought with them two Olympians from the 2014 Winter Olympics, held in Sochi, Russia, to get their hands dirty with Marines.
Emily Cook, a three-time U.S. Olympian and six-time U.S. champion in aerial skiing, and Alex Deibold, a bronze medalist in Snowboard Cross during the Sochi games, were the first Olympians to join American300 and train alongside service members.
Their first day aboard the base was one event after another. The Olympians woke up at 3:30 a.m. to participate in a 15-kilometer run with the snipers platoon. The athletes wore flak jackets, Kevlar helmets and carried rubber M16A4 service rifles during the exercise with the Marines.
“We do a lot of engagements, which is a lot of shaking hands and meeting cool people, but it’s kind of boring at the same time,” Deibold explained. “I mean, it’s a huge honor to meet them, but we wanted to come here and get dirty. We wanted to meet people who were actually doing stuff. (Working out) with the Air Force a couple days ago, which I thought was hard, actually turned out to be pretty easy after our ruck run yesterday. There’s such a tremendous amount of respect for you guys and what you have to go through.”
From there, the athletes participated in a crew-served weapons package at the Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Training center with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. Cook and Deibold introduced themselves to the battalion and practiced firing the FGM-148 Javelin, BGM-71 TOW and the M224 60mm lightweight mortar system.
After learning how to fire some of the Corps’ more advanced weapons, the athletes took a lunch break at the Anderson Hall Dining Facility with another group of Marines before heading to Puuloa Range Training Facility in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, to engage in live fire on targets. The Olympians used the M4 Carbine from 200 meters. The next morning, Cook and Deibold participated in a physical fi tness test before heading to Marine Corps Training Area Bellows in Waimanalo, Hawaii, to train with Marines completing the Combat Hunter Training Course with School of Infantry West. The course, part of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, supports Detachment Hawaii.
The athletes got a taste of a regular training day for Marines as they trotted through the shrubbery at MCTAB for several hours. By the time they were finished, Cook and Deibold thanked the SOI West Marines before heading back to MCB Hawaii.
“It’s been a long road, and I’ve gone through a lot (to reach the Olympics),” Deibold said. “I think the amount of effort I put into it made (winning a bronze medal) that much sweeter, but I can tell you that as hard as I’ve trained for as long as I have, I haven’t been as sore as I am today.”
Powers escorted the Olympians back to the base for a fi nal stop at building 7048, headquarters for Wounded Warrior Battalion West-Detachment Hawaii, where wounded warriors spoke with the Olympians and shared stories.
“I just hope you guys can appreciate the respect (we have) and how cool it is for us to come out here and truly get my hands dirty,” Deibold said. “We literally just walked out of the jungle where Marines were training, got in a car and came over here. I appreciate everything you guys do for us.”
Cook and Deibold both shared their life story with the wounded warriors.
“People put us up on these pedestals, but I’m just a normal guy,” Deibold explained. “I still work a 9 to 5 when I get home from this. I still have to support myself, and seeing what you guys go through is so impressive. We train at the most elite level to compete at the highest level in the world, and I still got my butt handed to me over the last couple of days. But to come out and interact with you guys and meet the people who are actually making a difference and going through the trenches has been a huge honor for me. It’s really been such a cool experience.”