33rd FW Marines maintain combat readiness, build camaraderie

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Bryan Franks
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Team Eglin warriors tested their mettle Nov. 25 during the Marines' Combat Fitness Test hosted by Marines from the 33rd Fighter Wing's 501st Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron.

All Marines must pass this evaluation in addition to the standard physical fitness test.

"This is about combat readiness, and, as expected, all our Marines met Marine Corps fitness standards," said Col. Dave Hlatky, 33rd FW commander. "There are a lot of new and exciting things going on in the 33rd FW, but readiness to fight today's fight will never change. In addition, we have near-term training facility plans to ensure all our service members maintain their combat readiness. The enthusiasm and multi-service exposure, today, will help us develop the "Joint" culture of the 33rd FW."

Airmen who came out for the CFT accepted the invitation from Marine Sgt. Maj. Bonnie Skinner, VMFAT-501, to try out the newest addition to the  fitness program.

"It's good to expose Airmen and Marines to each other's cultures," said Sergeant Major Skinner.

Most operations carried out overseas occur in a joint environment. Likewise, the 33rd FW is a joint unit including Airmen, Marines and Sailors, which allow service members to work side by side here as well as abroad.

The new Marine CFT is a pass/fail system, but recently the Marine Corps established points for the events that count toward promotion and are annotated in their performance evaluations.

"The CFT is a better gage of one's true fitness," the sergeant major said.

The CFT consists of three events: an 880-yard run in boots and utility uniforms, ammo can lifts and maneuver under fire. While the run and ammo can lifts speak for them self, this maneuver under fire creates a new dimension of difficulty. 

The Marines and Airmen had to accomplish a grueling 300-yard course consisting of low crawls, high crawls, casualty carries, ammo box carries and even a grenade toss. By the end of the course, everyone was digging deep to carry the two 30-pound ammo the last 75 yards.

"This was tough, I could barely feel my legs when I was done," said Staff Sgt. Simon Delacruz, 96th Security Forces Squadron. "The cans are the killers."