From the beaches to the mountains…we remember

From the beaches to the mountains…we remember

QIC: Gucci

Date: May 25, 2020

Vacations and pre-existing plans kept attendance low at #VI this morning, but the fog of the morning was a great reminder of the less than ideal conditions that American Service Members have braved in the service of their country for generations.  Whether that be on the rainy shores of Operation Overlord, or on the dusty roads covered by vulnerable convoys during the nation’s longest conflicts in the Middle East.  Regardless of the attendance, this was a morning that I was happy to remember who some men I have known were, and the impact they have had on the lives of so many.

As with other Gucci, workouts, there was a warm-up to get everything started:

• 15x Side-straddle-hops IC
• 10x Arm Swirly things forward & back IC
• R&L Arm Stretches
• 10x Seal Claps IC
• 10x Overhead Claps IC
• R&L Overhead Arm Stretch
• 15x High Jumpers IC
• R&L Calf Stretch
• 15x Imperial Storm Troopers IC
• R&L Lunge Stretch
• 10x ‘New’ Abe Pagoda IC (3x count on each leg – 5 per side)
• 10x Bent Leg Body Twist IC
• 10x Prone Row IC
• 2x Groin Stretch

I then moved to the front track at the Jerry Long YMCA to first remember SGT John Schenk.  Though I never knew John, he is the closest loss to my family, that we remember on Memorial Day.  He was my father’s maternal uncle, and was killed on D-Day of Operation Overlord on June 6, 1944.  John was an NCO in Alpha Company in the 1st of the 116th Infantry Regiment in the 29th Infantry Division.  Alpha Company was the National Guard Unit in Bedford Virginia, which was mobilized a year before Pearl Harbor as part of President Roosevelt’s National mobilization of reserve units as World War II continued to escalate.  Though Alpha Company’s date with destiny would not be until years later, after years of training, in June of 1944, the impact they made in military history was immense.

Alpha Company was chosen to lead the first wave on Omaha Beach, because as a small-town National Guard Unit, senior military leaders knew that the ‘Bedford Boys’ would fight for one another, and push hard against hardened German defenses, which they did.  Unfortunately, because of this, Bedford Virginia lost more young men on D-Day per capita, than any other community in the US.  My Great Uncle John was included in that count, and is buried in the US Cemetery at Normandy, where he left behind a young wife of just a few months before he departed overseas years before.  Because of the immense sacrifice of the Boys of Bedford, the National D-Day Memorial is erected on a hill overlooking the town, and I highly recommend a visit from anyone in this community.

In honor of SGT John Schenk, who died serving his country on 6/6/44, I did the following, jogging to one of the 4-corners of the upper track for each exercise:

• 6x Burpees
• 6x Dead-Hang Pullups
• 44x Air Squats

Next, I wanted to honor 1SG Luke Mercardante of the Combat Logistics Battalion 24 of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.  1SG Mercardante was the acting Battalion Sergeants Major of the Combat Logistics Battalion, and was killed on a resupply convoy outside of the large base in Kandahar Province.  I only knew 1SG Mercardante for a short time, when he was a Gunnery Sergeant doing ROTC Cadre duty at my Alma Mater at the Virginia Military Institute.  When I was a Rat, the administration at VMI would assign an Officer and Non-Commissioned Offer as advisors to each Company Cadre within the Corps of Cadets system at VMI.  The idea being that the 19-22 year old young men that were selected to mold impressionable and sometimes scared Rats, would need the guidance of seasoned leaders that circulated through VMI’s ROTC departments, given that those same 19-22 year old cadets would seen be joining the actual service, and needed to understand the real military versus VMI’s Corps of Cadets.

Gunnery Sergeant Mercardante was assigned to Bravo Company, and was a Marine’s Marine.  He was a physical specimen with a raspy voice, and a unflappable love of the Marine Corps.   It came at a cost to him, where a failed marriage had made raising his daughters a challenge, but he met it head on with a positive attitude and a strong personal faith.  Gunny Mercardante was am amazing motivator to myself and my other Brother Rats at a time where we had lost confidence in ourselves (as part of the rat line), and he pushed us to find so much in ourselves and picture what we could be in the future.  He never babied us, and shot it straight, but you could tell he loved us and loved developing leaders….and for that he really had a knack.

Gunny Mercardante was so beloved at VMI, that the Class before us, 2007, made him an Honorary Brother Rat, and invited him to their Ring Figure, which is the largest event in the life of a VMI Cadet.  If 2007 hadn’t beaten my class to it, I feel certain we would have asked him to be our Honorary Brother Rat.  Unfortunately, just 18 months after that occasion, we received word that now 1SG Mercardante, who was about to be promoted to Sergeants Major at just 35 years old, had been killed by a cowardly enemy that placed an old bomb in a culvert with a command-wired detonating device, and took such a towering figure without a fight.  Though even in death, 1SG Mercardante espoused leadership and selflessness in writing to his sister; “I want no person to ever feel sad or pity for me or my Marines as we endure hardship and sacrifice, as this is our calling with the unknown outcome being that of God’s master plan”.

In honor of 1SG Luke Mercardante, who died serving his country on 4/15/08, I continued jogging the 4-corners of the upper track and completed:

• 4x Burpees
• 15x Dips IC
• 8x Step-Ups each leg IC

I then jogged to the side lot of the Y for DB drills, to think about dodging incoming fire over an open field, like the Boys of Bedford.  Then I ran to the base of the hill behind the Y, and ran as hard as I could over it, and to the back track, to think about the exhaustion of units in Afghanistan rucking over mountains to engage a hidden enemy.  It was then time to honor 3 Solders I never knew personally, but touched an organization I led.

Two years before I took Command of the 1067th Transportation Company in Phoenixville, PA, half of my future unit was mobilized with their sister company, the 131st Transportation Company to run logistics convoys in Afghanistan.  It was a difficult deployment that saw nearly constant engagements with the Taliban and other terrorist organizations, and more Soldiers were injured than anyone expected.  My First Sergeant still had shrapnel in his shoulder from an armor-piercing RPG that was fired from a ridge above into the roof of his MRAP.  We had Soldiers who were medically retired, due to injuries from active combat, that still came to holiday events, showing the clear scars of war.

The worst day came on July 18, 2011, when in an exchange of fire, two daisy-chained IED’s were detonated, flipping the Maxx Pro MRAP occupied by SSG Kenneth VanGiesen, SGT Brian Mowery, and SGT Edward Koehler.  SGT Koehler was the gunner for his truck, and was killed instantly when his vehicle flipped on top of him.  The blast impact blew the doors of SSG VanGiesen, and SGT Mowery off during the explosion, where they soon succumbed to their injuries thereafter.  Much like 1SG Mercardante just 3-years earlier, the strike came from an unseen area as the convoy was distracted by small arms fire.

While I never knew these 3 men, the impact they left on the Soldiers I led, and the NCOs I trusted in my time as a Commander was immense.  Their families played an important role of the culture of our unit, and are still welcomed to fellowship with those injured and still serving.  Their memory remains alive and vibrant.

In honor of SSG Kenneth VanGiesen, SGT Brian Mowery, and SGT Edward Koehler, who died serving their country on 7/18/11, I once again jogged the 4-corners of the lower track for each exercise, where I did 3x rounds of the following:

• 7x Diamond Mercans
• 18x Alternating Lunges
• 11x LBCs

This ended the workout at 45 minutes on the nose.  In total, in addition to the exercises, it had done 2 full laps of the front track and 2.25 laps of the back track, with movement in between.  There were no announcements, but there were prayers had for the sacrifice of these men, and those of all of the other Service Members that have given their life in the service of their country.