MICC celebrates 250th Army birthday, announces wellness challenge winners

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (June 16, 2025) – Soldiers and civilian employees assigned to the Mission and Installation Contracting Command participated in a 13-week challenge to walk or run 12,500 collective miles by the Army’s 250th birthday on Saturday, June 14.

The first-annual competition comprised 366 people in 65 teams from 30 MICC locations across the Continental United States. Together, the workforce surpassed each goal and milestone the command set, ultimately logging 13,125 miles in time for the Army’s milestone birthday. The MICC command team, led by Brig. Gen. Freddy Adams, the MICC commanding general, Clay Cole, the deputy to the commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj. JennyAnne Bright, the command sergeant major, initiated the contest as a way to get people moving during the command-wide Wellness Wednesday initiative they launched March 19; the team plans to host future walking challenges annually.

“Our original goal was to encourage at least 250 teammates or at least 25 teams to walk 10,000 miles by the Army’s 250 birthday on June 14,” Bright said, initially confining the contest to each Wednesday but added Saturdays at the request of many participants in the last few weeks of the challenge.

The command posted photos and video updates throughout the contest to ensure competitors remained motivated. Once the totals were tallied, Adams also sent a note of thanks and congratulations to the participants.

“Thanks again for your participation in our MICC 250 Walk-it-Out Challenge in honor of the 250th Army Birthday," Adams said. "The camaraderie, teamwork, resilience, strength and readiness you have shown over the past 13 weeks exemplifies the Warrior spirit that has come to define our beloved Army over the past two and a half centuries.”

When it was clear the command would reach the original goal of the MICC 250 Walk-it-Out Army Birthday contest, approximately 30 days out from the deadline Bright increased the mileage to 12,500 and added Saturdays to the contest period. Since the Army birthday fell on a Saturday, many of the teams spent the day walking or running to log more miles for the contest.

“By Week 12, we surpassed our 10,000-mile goal and even met our new target of 12,500 miles,” Bright reflected once the count was complete. “In the end, more than 366 participants across 65 teams walked over 13,000 miles in honor of this historic milestone; exceeding our goal by more than 600 miles.”

Adams and Bright announced the winning unit, team and individual steppers in a video message to the workforce:

The first-place unit, civilian employees assigned to MICC-Fort Campbell, walked a combined total of 2,334 miles. The organization will receive a certificate of accomplishment from the MICC command team.

The first-place team, the Procurement Posse, was comprised of five military team members from the 922nd Contracting Battalion, including Lt.Col. Randalle Carter, Maj. Matt Binkinz, Capt. Tom Haas, Master Sgt. Renea Trujillo and Sergeant 1st Class Jason Simmons. They walked a combined total of 1,138 miles and will receive a certificate of accomplishment and the first-ever “MICC Golden Sneaker Team Award”.

The first-place individual was Capt. Thomas Haas, the top stepper from the winning unit and team, logging 394.5 individual miles. Haas will receive a certificate of accomplishment and the first-ever “MICC Golden Sneaker Individual Award”.

Haas explained how he was able to amass such an impressive mile count despite the constraints of the contest. “Every morning, I woke up prior to work to run between a half to full marathon,” Haas said. “While at work, I utilized a walking pad when working and sometimes would go for a smaller run once I got home.”

A former Infantry Officer who has served in Army Acquisition Functional Area 51 as the 922nd CBn operations officer since March, Haas said the contest was fun for him; the biggest challenge was fitting in his workout on Wednesdays and Saturdays to comply with the contest rules.

“I regularly run 20-40 miles per week anyway, but that is normally split between several days instead of only Wednesdays or Saturdays,” Haas explained. “The most difficult part has been adjusting my schedule to accommodate adequate rest and the preparation and planning that went into each long run, including anti-blister applications, deliberate dynamic warm-ups, energy gels during long runs and elongated stretching following each long-distance run.”

He credits the competition from across the MICC enterprise as well as between his co-workers at MICC-Fort Campbell and the 922nd CBn with motivating him to extend his lead, week after week. “The friendly competitiveness at MICC Campbell and the cross-team encouragement within the MICC kept me motivated and also encouraged me, and others around me, to push our limits,” Haas said.

The MICC command team offered kudos to everyone who rose to the challenge and contributed to the success of the contest, acknowledging Fort Campbell’s clean sweep.

“Congratulations to all our winners. Fort Campbell set the bar high taking home the top individual, team and unit prizes,” Bright said. “As we look ahead to the next 250 years of Army excellence, we hope to carry this fun and motivating tradition forward for just as long. Thank you to everyone who participated—and hats off to the many individuals and teams who came so close to victory. Your energy and dedication were truly inspiring.”

Winning matters! The top 10 best finishes for each category are listed below.

Top individuals and the miles they logged are as follows:

Thomas Haas, 394.5 miles

Stephen Heath, 367.54 miles

Francis Kabebe, 354.32 miles

Jason Simmons, miles 319.37 miles

Grace Marquez, 270.9 miles

Shandra Henry, 265.8 miles

Komlan Dougah, 262.26 miles

Bruce Graler, 250.1 miles

Johnathan Robbins, 233.74 miles

Philip Melton, 232.17 miles

The top 10 teams and the miles they logged are as follows:

Procurement Posse, 1,138.37 miles

Team Striders, 1,131.39 miles

Team Life Alert, 812.7 miles

Walking Warriors, 747.29 miles

Walking FAR, 689.31 miles

Motivation, Stride, Domination, 685.64 miles

FAR Walkers, 594.6 miles

904th BLAZERS, 541.35 miles

Boots on the Ground, 447.75 miles

Pace Setters, 421.56 miles

The top 10 organizations and the miles they logged are as follows:

MICC-Fort Campbell, 2,344.76 miles

MICC-Fort Riley, 2,017.28 miles

MICC Headquarters, 1,763.56 miles

418th Contracting Support Brigade, 1,253.59 miles

922nd Contracting Battalion, 1,243.07 miles

MICC-Fort Stewart, 754.69 miles

MICC-Fort Carson, 674.29 miles

MICC-Fort Knox, 511.65 miles

904th Contracting Battalion, 393.02 miles

MICC-Fort Johnson, 362.59 miles

The miles logged for the MICC contest epitomize the strength, resilience and endurance the Army has demonstrated for 250 years in service and defense of the people of the United States; one year older than the nation it defends. Besides the contest, MICC also hosted an employee appreciation and Army Birthday lunch and expertly managed and executed a diverse range of contracts to help bring the Army’s historic birthday celebration to life in Washington, D.C.

Just as the Army plans to continue the birthday celebration through the end of the year, the MICC will continue to host wellness events throughout the year. The July MICC wellness event is a nutrition class titled “Fueling for Health”. MICC employees local to JBSA must register in advance. For more information about MICC initiatives, visit army.mil/micc.

About the MICC

Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command consists of about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. As part of its mission, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitating training in the preparation of more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.