MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -- The Combat Center hosted its sixth annual Combat Center Challenge at Victory Field Oct. 17.
Eleven Combat Center units participated in the challenge competing in various events to win the first-place trophy and a $500 prize for the unit’s individual MCCS fund.
1st Tank Battalion took home the trophy this year for the fifth time since the initiation of the CCC in 2002.
3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion followed closely on Tanks’ heels throughout the challenge but lost by only three points after the final heated tug-of-war event that determined the overall winner, said Doug Dougwillo, the Marine Corps Community Services fitness and wellness branch chief.
Many of the events this year are traditional in the CCC such as: the volleyball championship tournament, jousting, big-glove boxing, rock wall climb, dummy grenade toss, M-16 A2 service rifle assembly, Iron Man and Woman Physical Fitness Test, water polo, obstacle course, basketball championship tournament, biathlon, hummer pull and First to Fight video game tournament.
Other events, like the unit blood drive and bench press competition, were new additions to the challenge, said Dougwillo, a Lynn, Mass., native.
Marines and sailors of 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, who donated to the blood drive secured their second-place position and received $75 for their unit fund, added Dougwillo.
1st Tanks took first place in the blood drive and received $125 for their unit fund on top of the $500 grand prize.
“This was all about making the Marines feel good,” said Lt. Col. Thomas J. Gordon, 1st Tanks commanding officer. “They needed this.”
Lance Cpl. Eric Flores, an assaultman in scout platoon, Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Tanks, said the battalion’s triumph was a great morale booster.
“The victory of 1st Tanks Battalion is very exhilarating,” said Flores, a Wichita Falls, Texas, native. “This battalion really stresses competition, and it feels good to come out on top.”
In addition to the events, the CCC offered service members an opportunity to donate at the Community Blood Bank-mobile, learn information about the various prevention, education and career booths set up on the field, and enjoy complimentary barbecue and drinks provided by Combat Center food services.
A date for next year’s CCC was unanimously decided in a MCCS meeting Wednesday. For more information, call 830-5386.