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"Carnivores" run rampant at obstacle course

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Hayden K. Hyatt
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
A young Airman dodged left and right through multiple rows of 50-pound, hanging sandbags as he crossed the bridge to the Soundside.

Gasping for air as he evaded the last bag, he looks up and see the course isn't over yet --  more obstacles were still in front of him.

The obstacles were part of the Carnivore Confidence Course at Hurlburt Field, Fla. 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."