• Let's Do It For Them

  November 11, 2010

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  Tags:  

  fitness   army   strong   physical  

  On October 1, 2010, 29-year-old Army Ranger Lance Vogeler died from wounds suffered during a firefight in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. At the time of his death, the Army Ranger was serving his 12^th combat tour. The husband, father of two–with another baby on the way–had completed four tours in Iraq. He had been deployed to Afghanistan on eight separate occasions.

  Vogeler joined nearly 6000 other soldiers who have died while serving their country throughout the past ten years. Those soldiers and their families made the ultimate sacrifice. While they did, other Americans were urged to continue shopping and take a vacation, too.

  This Veterans Day, politicians and pundits from one end of the country to the other will say, “We support our troops.” To them, I say: Talk is cheap. And it’s way, way too easy.

  Instead of talking, I seek to honor Sgt. First Class Lance Vogeler as well as the other members of the Armed Forces with whom he served by working hard, flexing my muscles and breaking a sweat.

  Beginning this Thursday, Veterans Day 2010, I launch a one-year mission to become “Army Strong.” Throughout the next 52-weeks, I will train to take the Army Physical Fitness Test, the exact same exam taken by the lean, mean fighting machines that comprise the U.S. Army. Here’s the goal: On Veterans Day 2011, I want to achieve a perfect score of 300 points. With every sit-up and push-up I undertake, I’ll remember Sgt. Vogeler.

  Don’t just follow me. Join me at www.WeAreArmyStrong.com. Pull on a pair of sweatpants. Grab your running shoes. One year from now, let’s prove to our soldiers at home and overseas that an entire nation has toiled and struggled in local gyms and around neighborhood running tracks in their memory.

  My blog will tell you everything you need to know to take and pass the Army Physical Fitness Test. In future postings, you’ll learn what percentage of body fat you should carry on your bones as well as the number of sit-ups and push-ups you need to complete. I’ll tell you how fast you need to cover a two-mile course, and I’ll share with you the Army’s best tips for accomplishing that goal. If needed, I’ll find a boot camp instructor to help us along the way.

  Let’s get off our sofas and away from our TVs. If Sgt. Vogeler could sacrifice his life, the least the rest of us can do is drop and give him ten.

  C’mon, let’s get “Army Strong” together.

  submitted by Mary Crane on Nov 11 2010

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