Just shy of 0300 hours on 17 May 2019 at the Army’s historic Fort Sill, Oklahoma, five intrepid members of the post’s Office of the Staff Judge Advocate assembled at the starting line of 2019’s first “Triple-R Challenge” in pursuit of induction to the honorable Order of the JAGWAR.
PFC Ricardo Muñoz, Jr., CPT Justin B. Hayes, SGT Thomas I. Eisiminger III, CPT Evan C. Freemyer, and SGT Allen N. Nguyen looking HOOAH just minutes before tackling the Challenge!
Over the course of the next 3.5 hours, the three paralegals and two Judge Advocates conducted the requisite 4-mile run, pre-dawn rope climb, and 10-mile ruck march carrying 35 lbs. or more. Tackling each phase of the Challenge in back-to-back succession, these Soldiers exemplified the meaning of “dual professional”!
The Challenge was a commendable success, with all five participants finishing the component events within the designated time constraints (to wit, the run within 36 minutes and the ruck march within 2.5 hours).
ABOVE: After a quick uniform change, the Candidates ascend the 20’ rope!
COL Kohn and LTC Robertson supporting their troops!
Most notable during the Challenge was the enthusiastic attendance of both the Fort Sill Staff Judge Advocate and Deputy SJA throughout the entire event.
COL Maureen Kohn and LTC Jeffrey Robertson joined their Soldiers at the starting line to cheer them on, then belted out words of encouragement each time the induction Candidates completed a lap around the designated courses.
They powerfully illustrated the type of leadership that the Order of the JAGWAR seeks to foster.
ABOVE: Halfway through the ruck march as dawn breaks over Fort Sill….
BELOW (center): COL Kohn motivates her team as they cross the finish line, one-by-one.
ABOVE: Candidates earn a handshake and the coveted JAGWAR Coin upon finishing the arduous ruck march.
Fort Sill’s Triple-R Induction Challenge came on the heels of the 2019 Bataan Death March, which served as these Soldiers’ “qualifying Warrior Event” necessary to secure Induction into the Order. Impressively, it also preceded by just one week the 25 May 2019 Norwegian Foot March in Castle Rock, Colorado, which CPT Hayes and SGT Nguyen intend to undertake.
BELOW: Bloodied but not beaten! Exhausted legal professionals relishing victory in proper sit-up position, as the team displays their newly earned “mantles of responsibility”!
Special mention goes to PFC Ricardo Muñoz for completing the 4-mile run in under 25 minutes, and to CPT Evan Freemyer for his 1st place finish in the ruck march event.
And additional commendations to CPT Freemyer for serving as the On-Site Event Coordinator (OSEC), which entailed planning the race/ruck routes, coordinating the logistics and contingencies, and ensuring that his fellow Soldiers’ JAGWAR application packets were properly squared away.
Welcoming the Order’s newest Inductees!
At a ceremony later that night at Fort Sill’s JAG Ball, CPT Freemyer, CPT Hayes, and SGT Eisiminger—having met all of the additional eligibility requirements—were formally inducted into the Order of the JAGWAR.
All eyes now turn to SGY Nguyen and PFC Muñoz to take their rightful place on the JAGWAR rolls, once they’ve knocked out the few remaining eligibility tasks at hand.
CPT Evan Freemyer
SGT Thomas Eisiminger
CPT Justin Hayes
A word of special thanks to BG Stephen Smith, Commandant of the Field Artillery School and Chief of Field Artillery, for joining the Inductees on their special night!
***************************************************************
CPT Jesse S. Sommer, Sponsor for the 2019 Fort Sill Triple-R Induction Challenge, praises the new Order Inductees and describes the mission of the Judge Advocate General’s Warrior-Attorney Regiment.