"Roberts Under the Hat"
Daniel Sargent II Founder of Stay Alert Stay Alive 55 This weekend I had the privilege of not only assist in coordinating but also participating in the 1st annual Stay Alert Stay Alive 55 ruck march in my home county of Brazoria County, Texas. Seven months ago a good friend of mine Daniel Sargent II, a fellow infantryman asked me to help him bring his idea to life. He wanted to do a ruck march to raise money for a boots on the ground veterans organization. We decided to raise money for the Warrior Angel Foundation out of Dallas, Texas. Founded and ran by Former Army snake eater Andrew Marr, the warrior angel foundation provides cost-free treatment to veterans who suffer from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). A great organization that works with Carrick Brain Centers and are helping the veterans community stay alive and healthy. Daniel wanted to make this a veterans only march so that it gave veterans a chance to connect with other veterans while accomplishing a mission. I call it ruck march therapy. So the details were simple. Each marcher collected sponsors to pledge an amount for every mile their marcher walked or pledged to make a one-time donation. We would then march 55 miles and raise the money. We set a goal to raise $5,000, and although the final numbers are not in yet, the rough numbers say we cleared well over $7,000. After some bumps in the road and a few not so funny stories the march day came. We had nine veterans step off on the morning of November 7th in Angleton Texas on a 55-mile ruck march journey. The Army, Navy, and Marines were proudly represented amongst the marchers. We started off dry but then the rain came at about the 5-mile mark or so and didn't let us get dry to late in the evening around mile 18 or 19. The rain took its toll on the marchers, anyone that has ever rucked knows wet feet do not help the cause. We lost our first two marchers at the 18-mile mark. I am extremely proud of them for their effort, and they pushed until they could not physically perform any further. At about the 25-mile mark, everyone was feeling the day of rain and the long haul but we were still pushing on. We marched on into the wee hours of the morning stopping only to eat and perform foot maintenance. We lost one more at the 27-mile marker and two more at the 30-mile mark. The four of us left marched until our schedule long. When we broke, we were at the 35-mile mark. We all tore up and hurting but hanging in there for a bunch of out of shape ole vets. After the break, we were down to 3 marchers. The event staff along with the medical staff made an executive decision based on the welfare and safety of the remaining marchers, and the march was sadly brought to an end at 35-mile mark at about 4 AM Sunday. The call to end it was frustrating for sure but probably the right decision to make. We had a good support staff and a great doc that were genuinely looking out for us. The call was made, and the financial goal was still met according to rough numbers. My final thoughts are simple I watched a few grunts, a sailor, a marine, a tanker, a crew chief, and a gun bunny all come together to complete a mission at the price of their body and time. Not one person in this event quit. If they came up short is was because Doc didn't give them a choice (honestly who argues with doc?). Every marcher gave 110% and pushed way beyond their limit, and I was proud to be a part of it. I was proud to walk with these great Americans. I look forward to next year and what Stay Alert Stay Alive 55 holds next year. A lot was learned by Daniel and I, and we will make it better... A special thanks to Chuck Bundren and Texas Tactical Hats, as well as all the support staff and great people that made this event happen
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Robert HecklerFormer US Army infantryman and combat veteran. worked in law enforcement as a patrol supervisor, instructor, and SWAT operator. Holds a BS in criminal justice management and currently working towards his masters Archives
August 2015
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