Jan 20, 2008 by Marine Corps News

Sgt. Alec Kleinsmith

CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti. -- Nineteen squads from 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion competed for the ultimate prize during a Battle of the Squads competition Jan. 1-19.

The winning squad received a four-day vacation from work to do what they please, while the losers will be responsible for covering their shifts.

The first event consisted of the traditional Physical Fitness Test, with each Marine performing as many crunches and pull-ups as possible. A modified three-mile relay run had the leathernecks sprinting a quarter mile each to cap off the event.

“We wanted the first event to be a squad-based PFT to get their competitive spirits going and build esprit de corps,” said 1st Lt. Timothy S. Heffington, executive officer of Battery B, 3rd LAAD.

The second event upped the ante with four exercises from the recently-developed Combat Fitness Test, which is tentatively scheduled to debut in June 2008.

Consisting of events that replicate the physical demands of combat, the CFT will include a wide range of challenging exercises, from carrying a simulated battlefield casualty to maneuvering under enemy fire.

“We wanted to throw in the CFT to familiarize the Marines, because it’s something that they’re going to encounter once it’s implemented this year,” said Heffington, from Germantown, Tenn. “There are Marines that can march 20 miles but they can’t run three miles very fast, so including the CFT makes the competition more versatile.”

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Under the hot Djiboutian sun, each squad performed dynamic entry, maneuver under fire, casualty carry and ammo resupply exercises.

“The CFT was definitely a challenge, and I think the most difficult part was the ammo resupply, because your arms just want to give out after 50 yards,” said Lance Cpl. Jordan S. Striff, a LAAD gunner with Battery A, 3rd LAAD.

Once the dust settled, the top four squads advanced to play in a two-game basketball tournament, with Alpha 1/1 and Bravo 3/3 moving on to the championship game.

With Bravo dominating the first half of play, Alpha came back with a vengeance, taking a one-point lead with under a minute remaining.

Cpl. Josue Rosario, a machine gunner with Bravo 3/3, demonstrated nerves of steel when he drained a last-second jump shot as time expired to seal the victory at 21-19.

“It was a tough game that we didn’t want to lose,” said Rosario, from Tampa, Fla. “Hitting that shot felt like winning the Super Bowl.”

The Marines of Bravo 3/3 plan to use their time off to visit the beach and just relax, which they’re hoping to do in February.

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