Sports

POSTED: Friday, Jun. 05, 2009

Seahawks train at Fort Lewis

Fort Lewis: Team spends time with soldiers, runs obstacle course

Deion Branch crawled through dust on his stomach, jumped over a log and yelled at his Seattle Seahawks teammates to keep up. The wide receiver then bear-crawled up a small hill and broke into a sprint toward a 10-foot wall.

Before he pulled himself over, the eight-year veteran and former Super Bowl MVP turned around and flashed a wide smile to his teammates.

“Come on fellas, let’s go!” he yelled.

The obstacle course at North Fort Lewis – complete with monkey bars, log runs and leaping pits – is designed to whip soldiers into shape. But the Seahawks seemed to relish running it during a teambuilding exercise that allowed the pro players to interact with and work out alongside soldiers.

“I wanted the full experience, and I think we got it,” free safety Brian Russell said. “It’s impressive. They train ’em hard here.”

The Seahawks’ visit to the Army post came weeks before training camp starts in late July and months before the season opens Sept. 13 at Qwest Field. It was designed to help build camaraderie and reach out to the community.

Shortly after arriving in the morning, the players broke into groups of about five and visited specific units or schools on Fort Lewis.

After lunch at the 593rd Sustainment Brigade dining facility, they ran the obstacle course and several parts of the nearby confidence course, like shimmying across a rope. Millions of dollars worth of pro contracts were suspended more than 30 feet above the ground.

For many soldiers, it was a rare opportunity to talk with the athletes they watch every Sunday in the fall. Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Henson calls himself “a big NFL guy and a huge football fan,” and couldn’t hide his excitement about telling players how to run the course.

“It’s cool to see these guys get a taste of what life is like for us,” said the 33-year-old operations sergeant with the 595th Military Police Company.

Another member of the 595th, Sgt. Jeremy Bugher, normally yells at soldiers as they navigate the course. On Thursday, he stood near the edge of a scaling wall and shouted at players to pick up the pace. He conceded that a fresh-out-of-basic-training private likely would receive harsher treatment.

“I don’t want to yell too much at them,” he said. “And they’re adapting to the course, overcoming it pretty quickly. For the first time, they’re doing good.”

Dozens of soldiers of various ranks attended the exercise, most with the light-hearted excuse of official duty.

Staff Sgt. Stuart Fowler, a 32-year-old California native, stood near the Gatorade buckets just past the finish line and asked players to sign footballs. He also planned to give away his I Corps combat patch, assault badge and airborne badge.

“I’ve got plenty of them and can replace them right away,” Fowler said. “But I want to give them something to remember this day.”

Thursday was not the first time high-level athletes have tested themselves at Fort Lewis.

The University of Washington women’s softball team visited last winter, and look how the season ended for them this week: with a NCAA championship.

The Seahawks made a visit to Fort Lewis two years ago, but players stayed in a larger group and didn’t run the courses. This year, they were split into 20 groups during the morning session.

Center Steve Vallos and four others visited the Battle Command Training Center, where they met with soldiers preparing to deploy to Iraq. They also shot at enemies in a small-arms simulator.

Russell and five others visited a group of combat lifesavers. His group also got a chance to try out the simulator; the scenario included gunfire and roadside bombs. One soldier had fake blood smeared on his hands for effect.

“It was pretty high-intensity,” Russell said. “It makes you more appreciative of what they do.”

Scott Fontaine: 253-320-4758

scott.fontaine@thenewstribune.com

blogs.thenewstribune.com/military