MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Marine Aircraft Group 12 hosted a motivational field meet to start the Independence Day weekend at Penny Lake, July 1.
The objective of the event was for the Marines, sailors, and deployed units to unite together in healthy competition and strengthen the bonding ties between them.
“This event brings out the camaraderie between the units,” said Staff Sgt. Leslie Gill, Marine Attack Squadron 311 powerline chief. “We all come here from different shops where everybody tends to hang out with their separate units. When we come to events like this, all of those boundaries disappear and everyone looks over their differences as a unit and we all pull together.”
Starting the day off with a squadron run to Penny Lake, the Marines and sailors were ready to get down and dirty with the competition.
The field events everyone could participate in consisted of softball, soccer, the fireman’s carry relay, Frisbee football, the dizzy izzy, iron man push ups, casualty drag relay, and of course the main event, the tug-of-war.
As the teams began to gather for their events, the most comical event, the dizzy-izzy relay, was about to begin. Marines had to run 100 yards to a baseball bat, spin around it 10 times and try to make it back to their team.
Spectators were rolling through the grass laughing as they watched fellow service members running sideways, not at all or fall smack on their face.
“When I started running I fell right into the dirt, twice,” explained Pfc. Gregory W. Lyles, MAG-12 ground supply clerk and participant of the dizzy-izzy. “I finally got my sight back as the world quit spinning around me and I ran to my team.”
As the day came to a close everyone crowded around the single, lone rope laying in the middle of the field, tug-of-war time. It was the moment of truth for the units. Who would come out the strongest? Match after match the remaining two squadrons, breathing harder than ever were ready to duke it out. Electronic Attack Squadron 140 stood by their side of the rope like a gang protecting its turf, each member easily over 200 lbs.
Their enemy - Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12. Once the sound of the whistle rang through their ears, they pounced up like cats clawing at the rope to get a good grip.
The sound from the crowd was deafening as the two units pulled until their faces turned purple. The red ribbon bobbed between the two cones until it passed the threshold. The winner - MALS-12.
The field meet came to a close and the winner for the MAG-12 field meet was MALS-12 who dominated in most of the events. After safety remarks from Col. Howard F. Barker, MAG-12 commanding officer, the service members were released to enjoy the holiday weekend.