Fort Rucker AL - Area high school students were pushed to their physical limits at the Juggernaut Fitness Competition hosted by the Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Fort Rucker.
The Juggernaut competition offers Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) cadets a taste of the physical demands and expectations of an Army Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO). While the NCO Academy normally focuses on training Army Aviation NCOs, giving them advanced instruction in leadership and other skills the modern NCO needs to advance and perform, the Juggernaut puts the focus on preparing future Soldiers and leaders.
The event saw the cadets from six schools and counties doing obstacle courses, as well as more conventional activities like pullups, weight exercises, and running. Throughout the event, NCO instructors from the NCO Academy guided and encouraged the cadets through each challenge.
The role of NCO’s in the Army is a diverse one, covering many different leadership positions and specialties, so physical fitness is something all Soldiers need to ensure they’re able to perform their duties to defend the nation.
“Prior to coming here I was a crew chief on Blackhawk (helicopters) for (Medical Evacuation) in the Hawaii National Guard,” said Staff Sgt. Brooke McKenzie, an instructor at the NCO Academy who ran this year’s Juggernaut event. “So I had to assist the medic carrying patients on and off the aircraft, and moving heavy equipment in and out of the aircraft, so it’s really important to be physically fit.”
Students in high school, like the JROTC cadets, may not be involved in a sport or other fitness program, so for those considering military service, this was a good chance for the instructors to help teach and train the students and be better prepared for that career decision.
“A lot of the time they join JROTC because they are looking to possibly transition into the military when they graduate from high school,” McKenzie said. “So I think showing them the challenging physical aspects of this job is a really good introduction for them, especially since their next experience could be basic training.”
This is the second time the NCO Academy has run the Juggernaut, with plans to make it an annual event.
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