FORT SILL, Okla. -- Thousands of Soldiers, school children, family members and civilians gathered on Polo Field to fall into fitness with the CG's Challenge - Western Miles program Oct. 23.
Maj. Gen. David Halverson, commanding general of Fort Sill and the Fires Center of Excellence, spoke before the walk and reiterated the importance of a fit and healthy lifestyle for the entire community - including school children.
"Ten thousand of those are school children from over 40 schools in Lawton, Duncan, Elgin, Fletcher, Walters and Flower Mound School and Lawton Academy of Arts and Sciences," he said.
Those schools participated by walking at their respective school locations.
According to Halverson, to date, Lawton, Fort Sill and the surrounding communities have logged more than 4.1 million miles, which averages out to 150 miles per person.
"We're already one-third of the way to reaching the goal of 10 million miles," he said. "And once again our noncommissioned officers are leading this event in tribute to the 'Year of the NCO.'"
Halverson told the crowd the CG's Challenge is about encouraging the health and fitness of our leaders, Soldiers, families and members of the entire Southwest Oklahoma community.
Southwest Oklahoma has a shared interest in defeating some staggering statistics, said Halverson. "The Center for Disease Control reports Oklahoma is among six states whose obesity rate exceeds 30 percent," he said. "The fact is, half of adult Oklahomans are overweight and one-fifth are obese.That's why this event is so much more than just a one-day activity - it's a commitment to looking after our health and that of our families."
Halverson told the audience that (altogether) 25,000 Soldiers, civilians, families, businesses and school children participate in the CG's Western Miles Challenge.
After speaking, Halverson recognized the top achievers in the run/walk challenge:
*Sara Breeze, physical education teacher at Geronimo Road Elementary School, whose students have walked more than 10,000 miles
*1st Lt. Christina Vargas and her husband, Capt. Edison Vargas, who have walked a combined 2,355 miles
*Robert Lodewick, who walked 1,116 miles
*Capt. David Chatwin, who has a total of 1,087 miles, was unavailable to accept his medal due to deployment
*Steven Abbott, who has totaled 1,023 miles.
For more information on the CG's Challenge, log on to www.sillmwr.com and click on the CG Challenge Walk log to register.
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