INE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Marines and sailors from various staff sections of 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, participated in The Division Challenge at Onslow Beach Jan. 11.
The competition normally held once a month tested Marines and sailors with five grueling events involving speed, strength and wit to win the top prize, the Challenge Cup.
Participants went through the game rules before starting the first event, the equipment carry. Marines competed with sandbags hoisted over their shoulders and raced along the beach.
“I couldn’t get my footing at all,” said Cpl. David Strother, an administration clerk with the Division Chief of Staff Office. “I was off balance the whole time, but it was still a lot of fun.”
Equipment carriers tagged their team members who ran to the next station, blindfolded rifle assembly. Some participants had a little more trouble than others with the M16A2 service rifles.
“I couldn’t get the bolt into the upper receiver,” Lance Cpl. Jeremy Smith, a data technician with the Information Assurance Section, recalled about the bit of trouble he encountered during this event. “Then I couldn’t tell if the bolt was forward. I did it blindfolded at boot camp, but that was one-and-a-half years ago.”
The final portion of this station required a function check to ensure the rifle was operational. Afterward, competitors dashed to their teammates to start the blindfolded tent assembly.
“I had fun with the tent, but it was challenging,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Lawrence LeDuff, a hospital corpsman with the battalion. “I didn’t really know what I was doing.”
The servicemembers completed the tents and bolted to the next station, master cooking. Rustling through a box of Meals Ready to Eat, or MREs, the competitors attempted to make the food presentable for judges. When judges approved the dishes, the challengers preceded to the last station, speed eating.
“It was a mixture of pasta, peanut butter, and dried crackers topped with cranberries,” said Sgt. Ernesto Cacho, operations noncommissioned officer with the Administration and Manpower section. “I don’t think I’d ever eat it again.”
The Logistics and Embarkation section won the event with a time of eight minutes, 32 seconds, followed by the Operations section finishing at 9:30. The Information Assurance section took 3rd place with 13:32. After the event, the previous holders of the trophy presented the cup to the new champions.
“We were the first section to win the monthly challenge back in October of 2007,” said Gunnery Sgt. Luis Santos, the administration chief with the Division Chief of Staff Office. “The trophy rightfully belongs in General Berger’s wing, and we are going to take it back.”