Today is a special day
as we remember Sgt Barry Weston from her Majesty’s finest Royal Marines.
On 30th
August 2011 Baz was serving on operations with 42 Commando Royal Marines in
Afghanistan.
His patrol was
participating in an Operation to draw insurgents away from the Civilian
Population in order to disrupt their activity and further expand the influence
of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
During the patrol Sgt
Weston was fatally wounded by an Improved Explosive Device (IED).
Raising money for SHOC - Slough Homelessness Our Concern.
The atmosphere and camaraderie
at CrossFit Slough was simply amazing.
It was a real pleasure to
be part of this experience and provide much needed Physio support for these
brave athletes.
The first Hero WOD was for
a British Army Officer, Ralph Johnson from the Household Cavalry, killed in Helmand Province in Afghanistan 2006.
Lewis Howard was the expert organiser for the days events. Before each Hero WOD a brief history of that Service person was given so that we would be inspired by their story.
A combination of both British and American Heroes were used from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The event was well organized
and the athletes completed a Hero WOD every hour on the hour for 24 hours!
The master of ceremonies
was Box Owner Dai Palmer, who was the driving force between workouts and made
sure athletes kept to the required movement standards by scaling accordingly.
The athletes were keen to
use my Physiotherapy services and use a new type of Foam Roller with added
Vibration therapy – Pulseroll:
To provide support to
the homeless in the local area, the 24-hour Immortal Challenge is raising money
for Slough Homeless Our Concern (SHOC).
SHOC is a day centre
that provides care and long term transformational help for the homeless,
helping them back on their feet and putting them on the road to independence.
The Immortal Challenge
is literally the definition of CrossFit:
“Constantly varied functional movements executed at high
intensity”.
They have chosen 24 HERO
WOD’s which incorporate 40 different movements, covering the full range of
athletic disciplines in the sport.
Every WOD will start on
the hour, every hour for the 24 hours. There will be a mandatory pre-WOD
briefing which will start at 10 minutes to the hour.
During the briefing they will learn about the HERO who we are remembering, the workout, and all of the
movement standards for that WOD.
The fact that they have
24 people willing to take part in this event is a testament to the strength of
the CrossFit community.
This is going to be a tough challenge and they will
all need to help each other to get through the physical and mental fatigue that
comes with endurance challenges.
While they will be
separated into several teams throughout this challenge, they remain one CFS team
from start to finish.
If they work together they will get everyone to the end of
the last workout – This is what our community does best:
We dig deep and work
as a team.
It is said that failing
to prepare is preparing to fail.
Injury prevention is
critical for getting these athletes through the challenge, so I was extremely happy to volunteer my services and support these guys throughout the event. Here's what they said about me:
Dale, the founder of
Bulletproof Physio, is an Ex-Military Physiotherapist; now working as a
University Lecturer, writer, and Physiotherapist.
Dale provides physio support
to athletes at CrossFit competitions around the UK.
We highly encourage you to
see Dale about any pains, niggles, or twinges as soon as they occur. If you
would like to know more about Dale, check out his Blog and YouTube channel on
the links below.
“Murph” is the classic Military Style CrossFit
workout known as a Hero WOD.
Hero WOD’s are made by CrossFit to honour the
men and women that have fallen in the line of duty.
“These men were fathers, husbands and sons.
They were brothers to their fellow SEALs. They were also CrossFitters. In their
actions, these men embodied the values and spirit of true heroes, and to
immortalize their courage, bravery and self-sacrifice, the CrossFit Hero
workouts were created.”
Russel Berger, CrossFit.
This one is specifically to honour Navy
Lieutenant Michael Murphy, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on June
28th, 2005.
Murph
1 mile Run
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Air Squats
1 mile Run
*With a 20 lb Vest or Body Armor
On June 28, 2005, Lt. Murphy was the
officer-in-charge of a four-man SEAL element in support of Operation Red Wing
tasked with finding key anti-coalition militia commander near Asadabad,
Afghanistan. Shortly after inserting into the objective area, the SEALs were
spotted by three goat herders who were initially detained and then released. It
is believed the goat herders immediately reported the SEALs’ presence to
Taliban fighters.
A fierce gun battle ensued on the steep face
of the mountain between the SEALs and a much larger enemy force. Despite the
intensity of the firefight and suffering grave gunshot wounds himself, Murphy
is credited with risking his own life to save the lives of his teammates.
Murphy, intent on making contact with headquarters, but realizing this would be
impossible in the extreme terrain where they were fighting, unhesitatingly and
with complete disregard for his own life moved into the open, where he could
gain a better position to transmit a call to get help for his men.
Moving away from the protective mountain
rocks, he knowingly exposed himself to increased enemy gunfire. This deliberate and heroic act deprived him
of cover and made him a target for the enemy.
While continuing to be fired upon, Murphy made contact with the SOF
Quick Reaction Force at Bagram Air Base and requested assistance. He calmly
provided his unit’s location and the size of the enemy force while requesting
immediate support for his team. At one point, he was shot in the back causing
him to drop the transmitter. Murphy picked it back up, completed the call and
continued firing at the enemy who was closing in. Severely wounded, Lt. Murphy returned to his
cover position with his men and continued the battle.
As a result of Murphy’s call, an MH-47 Chinook
helicopter, with eight additional SEALs and eight Army Night Stalkers aboard,
was sent in as part of the QRF to extract the four embattled SEALs. As the
Chinook drew nearer to the fight, a rocket-propelled grenade hit the
helicopter, causing it to crash and killing all 16 men aboard.
On the ground and nearly out of ammunition,
the four SEALs, continued to fight. By
the end of a two-hour gunfight that careened through the hills and over cliffs,
Murphy, Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny Dietz and Sonar Technician 2nd
Class (SEAL) Matthew Axelson had fallen. An estimated 35 Taliban were also
dead. The fourth SEAL, Hospital Corpsman
2nd Class (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell, was blasted over a ridge by a
rocket-propelled grenade and knocked unconscious. Though severely wounded, the
fourth SEAL and sole survivor, Luttrell, was able to evade the enemy for nearly
a day; after which local nationals came to his aide, carrying him to a nearby
village where they kept him for three more days. Luttrell was rescued by U.S.
Forces on July 2, 2005.
By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting
spirit and inspirational devotion to his men in the face of certain death, Lt.
Murphy was able to relay the position of his unit, an act that ultimately led
to the rescue of Luttrell and the recovery of the remains of the three who were
killed in the battle.
Murph Foundation “Biography”
The ’MURPH’ is more than just a workout, it is
a tradition that helps push us, humble us, and dedicate a bit of pain and sweat
to honour a man who gave everything he had.
