"5.6 miles....No sweat for Det440"
General Curtis E. Lemay once said that, “I don’t mind being called tough, because in this racket it’s the tough guys who lead the survivors,” and that phrase seemed to be the motto for Lead Lab 22. The cadets were given the task of completing a 5.6 mile march/double-time, a task that by itself would be grueling without adding any additional factors, but as always that’s never the case. The cadets assembled to begin the long trek with dark storm clouds looming overhead, but nevertheless they were eager to start the journey.
Squadrons set off one by one every ten to fifteen minutes and it didn’t take long for the real fun to begin. Not fifteen minutes after the last squadron left the clouds overhead opened up and a massive downpour began. I stood near the first checkpoint waiting for the first squadron wondering when they would come around the corner. As the rain came down harder and harder I finally saw the Raptor squadron come around the corner marching and singing a jodie as if the rain wasn’t even there. You could see on the faces that the cold due to the rain and the wind was taking its toll, but none of the cadets let it dampen their spirits. They crossed under the bridge and marched on to the first checkpoint. After the eagles had marched by as well, the water under the bridge began to cover the road where just puddles had been minutes before. The final two squadrons neared the bridge before the first checkpoint and were asked to join the Navy for a brief two minutes as they traversed the road under the bridge with water that easily came up to the tops of their boots. Neither of the squadrons let the water bring them down as they kept moving along till they had finally reached their first checkpoint.
When each squadron had reached the first checkpoint they were given the chance to fill up their canteens with water for the rest of the march as well as take off their boots and shoes to make sure that blisters weren’t beginning to rear their ugly head on their feet. Once this was completed each squadron continued the march/double-time on their way to the next checkpoint. As I stood there outside the second station I gradually watched each squadron double-timing their way up the long path, with each one of them still shouting out jodies at the top of their lungs. Every single one of the squadrons still showed the determination that they had in the beginning of the march. At the second checkpoint cadets once again were asked to check for blisters and get their fill on water, and then prepare for the final leg of the march.
When the final leg had started, the rain was still coming down. I wanted a taste of the action so I decided to jump in with the last squadron for the final leg. The Warthog squadron was marching as a unit both drenched and tired, but they kept giving it their all. Finally all of the squadrons had returned to Crowder and the march was complete. Overall we only had four cadets fall out through the entire march. The cadets of Det440 showed their determination like never before, and showed just how tough they can be during Lea Lab 22.
