FORT STEWART, Ga. - Two minutes to complete at least 80 sit ups and 70 push ups, a three-mile run under 24 minutes, 10 pull-ups and 15 dips -- that is what Soldiers had to complete in order to receive the title "Iron Raider" during the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Third Infantry Division fitness competition, July 25.
More than one hundred and ten Soldiers competed, and as the events progressed many failed to meet the standards. The events challenged the participants' entire bodies to the limit, so when the dust settled, only 31 exhausted, sweat-soaked men were left standing.
Although no official ranking was given for the few who finished within the given parameters, the "Iron Raider" with the fastest run time, 18:45, was Cpl. Aaron Wittman, a team leader with Co. A, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1HBCT.
"I don't feel special," said Cpl. Wittman, a Chester, Va., native. "I recently came from the Special Forces qualification course and everyone there is a stud. You always want to do your best because you are constantly being assessed. So now I tell my guys all the time that passing is the minimum and maxing is the standard."
A competition like this helps to encourage other Soldiers in the unit, even if they do not participate.
"I just want to do my best in things and represent my team and my platoon," Cpl. Wittman continued. "When your subordinates see you doing well, it motivates them to try to do good as well."
As the competitors dispersed after the final event, it was impossible to tell who had met the requirements and who had fallen short. Although only a few were designated as true "Iron Raiders," it made little difference to the Soldiers themselves because, after all, being a Soldier means being part of a team and they are all Raiders, "Iron" or not.
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