An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Deployed Airmen compete for 64th AEG CC's cup

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Blake Holm
  • 64th Air Expeditionary Group
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The 64th Air Expeditionary Group held its semi-annual Commander's Cup Challenge here June 28 where the reigning champions, the 64th Expeditionary Support Squadron, challenged the 64th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron.

The three-day challenge consisted of 10 events testing not only participant's physical capabilities, but also their professional military knowledge.

To make the competition a success, events had to be scheduled either in the early morning or near the end of the day, as the intense daytime heat posed significant challenges.

"Tailoring the event schedule around the extreme heat conditions was most challenging," said Master Sgt. Torrey Aiken, the 64th ESFS operations section chief. "Knowing events such as the combat obstacle course would be grueling, the time of day was pivotal to prevent any heat related injuries; safety is paramount."

The challenge kicked-off with a combat obstacle course in which points were awarded based on the time of completion for each team. The 64th ESFS won the challenge and established the lead, but the 64th ESS answered by winning the football toss event. The 64th ESFS maintained their lead throughout the golf shootout closing the first day of competition with a final score of 344 - 191.

Both squadrons came out to participate and show support for their teams. The second day of competition starting with a firefighter challenge and although the 64th ESFS won the challenge, the 64th ESS was still a close second in the overall competition. That evening, both units came together once again for the three-point shootout, but this time won by 64th ESS.

While 64th ESFS still had the lead 528 - 365, 64th ESS was clearly not going down without a fight, Aiken said.

On the third and final day of competition, the early morning kicked-off with three races including a 5K, 10K and 15K run. The events allowed the 64th ESS to close the gap accumulating 341 points as they made their way to reclaiming the trophy they'd won in January. Though still leading by more than 100 points, the 64th ESFS faced major upsets in darts, pingpong and a tie in the Air Force trivia match bringing the score to 1,441 - 1,430.

With only an 11-point differential between the two squadrons, the last event would determine the winner of the Commander's Cup. Facing-off with only a rope to determine the outcome, strength, pride and determination would decide the winner in the Tug-of-War, Aiken said.

As the day came to an end, Col. Michael Florio, the 64th AEG commander, presented the trophy over to Lt. Col. Matthew Wadd, the 64th ESFS commander, declaring the 64th ESFS the winners.

"Putting on events like this brings the squadrons together and strengthens esprit de corps through competitive events that showcases the skills needed to perform our dynamic mission," Florio said. "I am absolutely impressed with the character and determination of our Airmen."