Bro, do you even gym? First responders battle it out

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Erin R. Babis
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  Firefighters and security forces from Royal Air Forces Lakenheath and Mildenhall competed in the second annual Battle of the Badges, Sept. 10, to remember and commemorate first responders who came together during the 9/11 attacks.

"Once the first tower was hit, it didn't matter who was on the ground," said Tech. Sgt. John Shearer, 48th Security Forces Squadron NCO in charge of physical security. "Cops were helping firefighters, firefighters were helping EMTs and EMTs were helping cops. Everybody came together as one."

Four events were organized to test the strength, endurance and agility of the teams. The morning started with lifting, followed by kickball and a zany game of Zorb soccer, a game where every player is in a giant bubble. The culminating event of the day was the relay course.

"The obstacle course definitely was my favorite part," said Senior Airman Jacob Swisher, 48th SFS criminal investigator. "We all had to finish as a team. There were times I was like, 'I just want to take this [gas mask] off,' but I couldn't. It was a lot of fun, and a good learning experience being with my brothers out there and kicking butt."

The competition helped challenge the abilities of the bases' first responders. Shearer explained that, as first responders, they are held to a higher standard and, not only did they get to have fun and show off during the first few events, but the relay forced them to work as a team and build each other up to cross the finish line together.

"Iron sharpens iron," said Master Sgt. Jason Ramirez, 100th Civil Engineer Squadron chief of operations. "We push each other to get up to that next level. We want to always have excellence in all we do, and doing these types of events allows us to flourish."

The day after the event, on the anniversary of 9/11, the two teams came together for a cookout and to award the trophy belts to RAF Lakenheath's reigning champions.

"What sums this up is teamwork and comradery," Ramirez said. "As first responders, for us, it's doing our jobs and doing them well, putting in the hard work to unite our forces together to celebrate and remember the loss of 9/11."