Sergeant Tony's Blog

“No, that’s a bad idea.”

There’s a story about a Marine Corps Major General (2 star) in WWII that goes something like this.

Fearing that his subordinates would hold back from telling him the complete truth or would withhold their true feelings because of the General’s rank and their subordination, the General sought out an old friend’s counsel.

During WWI, he was but a Corporal in the forests of France sharing the rigors of trench warfare with his good friend, Frank, also a Corporal. The two of them would distinguish themselves in that war and both received medals for valor and bravery. After the war, Frank went on to make his fortune in the shipping industry while the other remained in the Marine Corps and rose up through the ranks.

The General reached out to Frank and compelled him to join his staff, giving him a wartime promotion to Brigadier General (1 star). Frank’s primary job, and taking no pay for it, was to tell his old friend the truth. He advised him in a way that no other subordinate dared, namely, telling the General when he was wrong, telling him “no,” and keeping him accountable. The General had complete and absolute trust in Frank and knew that Frank’s counsel would not be clouded by ambition or limited by parochialism. Frank would be able to say, “No, that’s a bad idea” and never have to worry about the things a true subordinate would struggle with.

Donald Trump currently sits upon the pyre of GOP presidential hopefuls, mostly because he has a war chest full of cash, answers to no one, and dominates the news with some of the most bombastic, insulting, and inflammatory shenanigans ever seen since Thomas Jefferson accused John Adams of being a hermaphrodite.

The old philosophers and theologians would refer to The Donald as a man who is “a law unto himself.” He needs no one and he answers to no one. And he could, if he were as intelligent as his unknown and alleged fortune suggests, buy the Presidency. It wouldn’t be the first time the man with the most money got elected. But he’s a side-show to the big show who’ll suffer under the weight of his own poor judgment and drop out eventually, but not before he embarrasses himself before an international audience that already thinks Americans are arrogant, egotistical, narcissistic bullies. Donald Trump has become the face of the “Ugly American.”

When no one ever says “no” to you, and when those in your inner circle never challenge you, the excesses in every area of your life will stack up like the proverbial house of cards.

And it’s not just The Donald. Movie stars, sports stars, popular musicians, and most of those who reign supreme upon their own little empire suffer from this. The number of sports stars who squander away millions of dollars and end up with nothing at the end of their careers is so vast that we’re no longer surprised when we hear another story about another high paid athlete who lost it all and filed for bankruptcy, abandoned by friends and alienated from family.

The Old Testament book of Proverbs contains a number of passages that teach, in essence, that there is wisdom and success in having many counselors. Of course the number of counselors isn’t the real secret to success, it’s in gathering wise counselors around you. Having too many counselors can be just as detrimental to good judgment and decision making as having none.

Our counselors don’t always appear in the form of people with whom we interact. The sources of our news, our continuing education, our faith-based assemblies and congregations, and our community and civil awareness groups are also sources that mold our world view, shape our local views, and subconsciously dictates our inner dialog and attitudes.

The voices we listen to influence our decision making. Our parents taught us that bad company corrupts good morals back when the voices we heard had been vetted by responsible journalism and integrity. In those days lies, half-truths, and slander were restricted to the tabloid papers like the National Enquirer. Today the voices of Babylon are indistinguishable from those that come from legitimate scholarship and truth. The opinion has now been elevated to truth and fact shares equal billing with fiction.

Who counsels you? From what source do you get your advice and instruction? What are the qualifications of those you rely on for counsel?

Recently a friend — I’ll call him Larry — asked what news sources I consult and which ones I avoid. I told him the television news networks I watch and the radio programs I listen to are NBC, CBS, CNN and NPR. He asked because he said that he thinks I’m balanced in my views. He asked what print (both paper and electronic) I read to stay informed. I was flattered that he asked and was happy to share with him.

Larry also asked me if I could summarize the benefit of a college education and I said: writing that requires students to produce academic papers that have points that follow logic and reason, that lead to conclusions supported by research with sited legitimate sources and evidential proof is, in my humble opinion, the greatest benefit of a college education. The practice of writing research papers compels people to hone the skills necessary to think critically, analyze fairly and factually. The result being they require the same of the news and opinion sources they consult or passively allow into their lives.

I had an interesting conversation with a guy — I’ll call him Mike — a few years ago, a proud graduate of an SEC college. I was sort of half whining/half bragging to him the way we do about enduring some hardship. You know, like telling someone how you ran 10 miles in 100 degree heat with 3000% humidity. Or how you tell your kids that you had to walk 10 miles to school in the snow uphill both ways. In this case, I said something to him about having to write a ton of papers as an undergrad. I told him that I averaged 15 papers a semester, not including grad school papers and two master’s theses. Not an exaggeration. He just laughed and said, “What a sucker you humanities majors are, I only wrote 5 papers the whole time I was in college!”

I didn’t think of him as “lucky” or me as a sucker.

As a high school history teacher, I graded over 125 term papers per semester. Teachers whose subject areas require term papers get really good at grading them. The difference between garbage and scholarship, between faulty logic and sound research and evidence, are seldom difficult to find, usually within the first paragraph. If the first paragraph or two is crap, the following 10 pages will be the same. Brilliance in the first page almost always means brilliance throughout.

I urged Larry to try hard to get balanced, fair, and diverse information. Avoid extremes, I said. Opinions and information coming from only one or two sources can lead to misunderstanding and manipulated ignorance. In point of fact, it leads to being duped, scammed, and misled.

It’s said that every pastor needs a pastor, every counselor needs a counselor, every teacher needs a teacher … and all of us need the insight and perspective of trusted advisors and professionals to make informed decisions about our money, our life, our community, and our country.

Gather your counselors carefully. Opinions are cheap and everyone has them … and they’re not all equal. I was told by more than one person in 1999 that USMC Fitness Boot Camp would never work. After all, no one had ever heard of “boot camp fitness,” so why would someone think that it would work, especially if that person would never attend a 5:30am fitness class … led by a psycho Marine? I didn’t listen to the fearful or timid or those who’d never taken many risks.

Never take counsel from your fears, nor from the fearful, nor from your ignorance, nor from the ignorant. And never give an ear to those who try to lead or influence you through either.

— 30 —

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TODAY’S NUTRITION TALK
by Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Holloway, Registered Dietitian, LDN

(A Registered Dietitian has a BS in Food Science, followed by a one year internship through an accredited university, and then with the recommendation of the internship program’s supervisor, a national examination is required. After that, an RD must have continuing education units annually in order to remain active and registered. An RD is an expert, not a hobbyist or a “food enthusiast.”)

Most of the USMC Fitness Boot Campers I know are quite concerned about their health and nutrition. One question that these health conscious people often ask me often is whether or not they need extra vitamins or supplements. If you eat a healthy, balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats, a person more than likely does not need any nutritional supplements or vitamins at all. A vitamin supplement will most likely improve performance only if a person is deficient in that nutrient or vitamin to begin with.

The main reasons someone could be deficient in a vitamin is:
1. Restricting calories for weight loss
2. Unusual eating habits, such as eating mainly fast foods
3. Eating less than five fruits and vegetables a day
4. Smoking and/or drinking too much alcohol
5. Having a disease that reduces absorption or the metabolism
of certain vitamins

Most people get enough vitamins from their diet, but if someone is getting too few vitamins from their diet, the most common deficiency is some of the B-complex vitamins: Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B-12 (vegetarians) Vitamin B-6 and folate and the antioxidants Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Beta Carotene.

If a person is deficient in a vitamin because of the reasons listed above, they should try and correct the imbalances in vitamins/minerals not through a supplement, but by correcting their diet. Vitamins from foods are better because the foods that contain these vitamins usually contain extra nutrients and phytochemicals that pills do not. Although most people do not need a vitamin supplement, taking one will most likely not cause any harm as long as the supplement contains no more than the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) or Adequate Intake (AI) for vitamins on a daily basis.

One Boot camper in particular wanted to know if Coenzyme Q10, Glucosamine, and Omega 3 fatty acids would be beneficial. Coenzyme Q10 is found in every cell in our bodies and it helps convert the food we eat into energy and also serves as an antioxidant. But there is no need to supplement with a pill because Coenzyme Q10 is found in many of the foods we eat. Scientific studies have found no benefit from taking Coenzyme Q10 pills.

Glucosamine claims to help with arthritis, reduce inflammation and protect joints and tendons from injury. There are many European studies that show the anti-inflammatory benefits of Glucosamine, but more studies are needed in the United States. Because of this reason, the Arthritis Foundation has stated it cannot recommend Glucosamine as a treatment for osteoarthritis at this time.

Omega 3 Fatty acids have been shown to be beneficial to the hearts of healthy people and for those already with heart disease. But you can get the amount of fish oil you need by eating two servings of fish a week, particularly fatty fish. If you already have heart disease or high triglycerides, you may need additional supplementation. You should not take more than 3 grams of Omega 3 fatty acids a day without a doctor’s supervision, because increased intake could cause excessive bleeding in some people.

If you want a way to see if you are getting enough vitamins and minerals from your diet, be sure to check out the informative website: www.choosemyplate.gov. Click on SuperTracker. Here you can assess your food intake. The online dietary assessment provides information on your diet quality, related nutrition messages, and links to nutrient information. After providing a day’s worth of dietary information, you will receive an overall evaluation by comparing the amounts of food you have eaten to current nutritional guidelines, including vitamins and minerals You can keep track of you diet for up to one year, a wonderful tool.

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To your optimum health and fitness!

SEE YOU ON THE QUARTERDECK!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Mailing address: 4888 Southern Ave., Memphis, TN 38117
Cell Phone: 901-644-0145

Donna’s face was beet red when I first saw her.

She looked like she’d run across campus, trying not to be late to class. Our first year Latin class had been full of about 60 future Classicists. But by the second year, the 60 had dwindled down to only 15. Donna was one of those.

Since most BA degrees required two years of a foreign language, Latin was a popular first year flirtation because it had no Lab on account of it not being a conversational language. If you took German or French, for example, you’d have to take a two hour – no credit – lab in addition to your regular language classes. That made Latin an attractive choice … at least on paper.

But first year Latin students dropped like flies and signed up for other languages ‘cuz Latin ain’t no joke. The attrition rate was high! It’s a dead language for a reason … it killed everyone who spoke it! (Hoc est bellum!)

Anyway, this isn’t about Latin. It’s sort of about Donna, in a way. Donna had been in my first year class, but it was a typically large first year class and I never knew her or even remembered seeing her. But the second year victims had been worn down to the 15 of us. And since Donna was only 1 of 5 girls in the class, she was easy to spot. Plus she walked into the classroom at the last minute red faced.

She took the empty seat next to me and I smiled and said hi. At the end of the class, I introduced myself and was astonished to see that she was still as red faced as she’d been when she came into the classroom an hour earlier. She was very nice and didn’t seem to appear sick. But clearly she was running a fever, I thought.

Wednesday’s Latin class started just the same as Monday’s had, with Donna rushing in at the last minute, red faced again. As she went to sit down at the desk next to me, she dropped her text book and we both reached down to pick it up. In the process we almost bumped heads. It was one of those near misses that you’re glad you avoided at the last second, like when you reach across the table to get the pepper and your finger inadvertently gets caught inside the lip of your glass of tea and at the last possible second you catch the glass and right it without spilling a drop!

But I was struck by something else. Being that close to her I could literally feel the heat coming from her face. She was radiating! Something had to be bad wrong with this girl.

After class, it was the same thing. Donna’s face was still just as red as when she came in. The same thing repeated itself on Friday too. After class that day, I told her that I wasn’t trying to be nosy or anything, but asked if she was ok because she seemed so red and feverish. Donna smiled and explained that 1) she had racquetball just before our Latin class and 2) she didn’t sweat.

“You don’t sweat?” I asked.

“I don’t. So when I get hot from playing racquetball and then run across campus to our class I stay hot for hours,” she explained.

Over the next year, Donna became a good friend and even invited me to her wedding the following summer. As an athlete, I was intrigued by the fact that she didn’t sweat and often asked her questions that probably most people didn’t bother to ask. She was more than willing to answer my questions because I didn’t think of her as weird, just unique.

One of the questions I asked was about how she cooled down.

“Do you take a cold shower to cool off? Does that work?”

“No, it never works because my body temperature isn’t affected by the shower. I have to wait until I’m completely cooled down, otherwise I just get out of the shower as hot as when I got in.”

She was the first person to give me a sense of what core body temperature is and how it slowly returns to normal after being elevated. And Donna is the only person I’ve ever known who never sweats.

If you’ve been on the Quarterdeck lately you know that I’ve been giving the subject of “core body temperature in hot environments” a lot of thought and research. In my own experience in long endurance events in the summer, I’ve had my share of crash and burn races and training runs where I got overheated and it ended up having a negative impact on my performance … meaning, I withered like the delicate flower that I am and ended up walking instead of running, or sitting instead of riding … or falling out instead of finishing strong.

As endurance athletes training and racing in the summer heat of Memphis, we have to be especially vigilant and conscientious about how we’re feeling and responding. It requires constant monitoring and assessment of our condition to know when to throttle back and go slower, walk, sit, or retire all together. As the old song said, you’ve just got to see what condition your condition is in. No one likes to quit, but sometimes that’s the wisest decision.

Rehydrating in the heat means to drink 7-10 ounces every 10-20 minutes. For your own knowledge, you should measure that out yourself by taking a drink from your water bottle and instead of swallowing it, spit it into a measuring cup to see how many ounces you’re actually getting per squeeze of your water bottle in your mouth. It’s not gross. It’s science.

You can also start the process of pre-hydrating. If you’ve got a long run in the heat planned for Saturday, start hydrating early in the week. By Thursday you should be pre-hydrating and making sure that the color of your urine is clear or pale on Thursday and Friday night. We aren’t camels, so you’ll need to keep hydrating prior to the long run. Get up early enough on the morning of your run and start hydrating about an hour before the beginning of your outdoor event.

If your exposure to the heat during exercise extends beyond an hour, what are you going to do? That’s right! You’re going to switch from water to a sports electrolyte replacement drink like Gatorade or Powerade, or you can start with those drinks from the beginning. You need to replace what you’re losing through sweat. Failure to switch from water to the sports drink can lead to complications known as hyponatremia, an abnormally low level of sodium in your blood. Hyponatremia can be life threatening! Every year, somewhere in the world, a marathon runner dies from it. And it can happen during any extended activity in the heat: golf, cycling, tennis, even fitness walking.

This brings me back to the subject of core body temperature measuring. Current research and experimentation reveals that there is no scientific way to accurately measure core body temperature except through a rectal measurement. (That is the first time I’ve ever used the word “rectal” in 16 years worth of boot camp essays!) No one is going to stop running and do a rectal core body temperature measurement on themselves, or on anyone else, I’d wager! But don’t be surprised if you check into a medical tent at a marathon and they tell you to drop your pants.

Until an accurate and noninvasive means of measuring core body temperature is made available to us, we’ll have to use other measurements. Perceived levels of exertion is one subjective way to determine if you’re getting overheated. Heart-rate is a more precise measurement of effort, along with respiration. If your sports watch can tell you both heart-rate AND pace — if you’re running — then you’ll have more data to compare.

For example, if you know that under normal conditions you can run a 10 minute/mile pace comfortably, with little respiratory stress, with a heart-rate that is below your “stress level,” then you have that data to compare to a day in the heat. On that hot day you notice that maintaining a 10 minute pace is a little more challenging and your heart-rate is 10 to 20 beats faster than normal for that pace, you should take that as indication that you need to reduce your pace and perhaps the duration of your run.

Of course, you can by-pass all of this science by simply saying to yourself, “Self, let’s take a break, I’m not feelin’ it.”

There’s no shame in walking it off. Some days a diamond, some days a stone. Some days you’re the bug, some days you’re the windshield!

As Viper told Maverick, “Better to retire and save your aircraft than push a bad position.”

Be safe out there. Train, but train intelligently. Don’t just train harder, train smarter! No one who loves you, will love you any less if you walk it off! And those who hate you, well … they’re just morons!

— 30 —

——————————————————————

TODAY’S NUTRITION TALK
by Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Holloway, Registered Dietitian, LDN

(A Registered Dietitian has a BS in Food Science, followed by a one year internship through an accredited university, and then with the recommendation of the internship program’s supervisor, a national examination is required. After that, an RD must have continuing education units annually in order to remain active and registered. An RD is an expert, not a hobbyist or a “food enthusiast.”)

Most of the USMC Fitness Boot Campers I know are quite concerned about their health and nutrition. One question that these health conscious people often ask me often is whether or not they need extra vitamins or supplements. If you eat a healthy, balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats, a person more than likely does not need any nutritional supplements or vitamins at all. A vitamin supplement will most likely improve performance only if a person is deficient in that nutrient or vitamin to begin with.

The main reasons someone could be deficient in a vitamin is:
1. Restricting calories for weight loss
2. Unusual eating habits, such as eating mainly fast foods
3. Eating less than five fruits and vegetables a day
4. Smoking and/or drinking too much alcohol
5. Having a disease that reduces absorption or the metabolism
of certain vitamins

Most people get enough vitamins from their diet, but if someone is getting too few vitamins from their diet, the most common deficiency is some of the B-complex vitamins: Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B-12 (vegetarians) Vitamin B-6 and folate and the antioxidants Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Beta Carotene.

If a person is deficient in a vitamin because of the reasons listed above, they should try and correct the imbalances in vitamins/minerals not through a supplement, but by correcting their diet. Vitamins from foods are better because the foods that contain these vitamins usually contain extra nutrients and phytochemicals that pills do not. Although most people do not need a vitamin supplement, taking one will most likely not cause any harm as long as the supplement contains no more than the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) or Adequate Intake (AI) for vitamins on a daily basis.

One Boot camper in particular wanted to know if Coenzyme Q10, Glucosamine, and Omega 3 fatty acids would be beneficial. Coenzyme Q10 is found in every cell in our bodies and it helps convert the food we eat into energy and also serves as an antioxidant. But there is no need to supplement with a pill because Coenzyme Q10 is found in many of the foods we eat. Scientific studies have found no benefit from taking Coenzyme Q10 pills.

Glucosamine claims to help with arthritis, reduce inflammation and protect joints and tendons from injury. There are many European studies that show the anti-inflammatory benefits of Glucosamine, but more studies are needed in the United States. Because of this reason, the Arthritis Foundation has stated it cannot recommend Glucosamine as a treatment for osteoarthritis at this time.

Omega 3 Fatty acids have been shown to be beneficial to the hearts of healthy people and for those already with heart disease. But you can get the amount of fish oil you need by eating two servings of fish a week, particularly fatty fish. If you already have heart disease or high triglycerides, you may need additional supplementation. You should not take more than 3 grams of Omega 3 fatty acids a day without a doctor’s supervision, because increased intake could cause excessive bleeding in some people.

If you want a way to see if you are getting enough vitamins and minerals from your diet, be sure to check out the informative website: www.choosemyplate.gov. Click on SuperTracker. Here you can assess your food intake. The online dietary assessment provides information on your diet quality, related nutrition messages, and links to nutrient information. After providing a day’s worth of dietary information, you will receive an overall evaluation by comparing the amounts of food you have eaten to current nutritional guidelines, including vitamins and minerals You can keep track of you diet for up to one year, a wonderful tool.

————————————————————————

To your optimum health and fitness!

SEE YOU ON THE QUARTERDECK!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Mailing address: 4888 Southern Ave., Memphis, TN 38117
Cell Phone: 901-644-0145

When I was a kid, the only people who had backpacks were Boy Scouts, soldiers, and mountaineers. So when my 4th grade buddy, Robert, asked me to spend the night at his house, my mom took a brown paper grocery bag and put my tooth brush and pajamas inside, rolled the top of the bag down, and wrote my name on it.

Robert and I were the only new boys in our class, so we naturally migrated toward one another. Robert was shy and quiet and when he invited me to spend the night I was kind of surprised, but excited about spending the night away from home for the first time. Except for going to camp in the summer, this was my first sleepover at a friend’s home.

Robert lived about a mile from me in a tiny house with his mom, dad, and older sister, with whom he shared a bedroom. Elaine had the lower bunk and Robert and I had the top bunk. That evening we did the usual things boys do after school, then enjoyed a dinner of sloppy joes with his mom and Elaine. Robert’s dad wasn’t home. I think he worked late or something. I didn’t really pay close attention. After dinner we played and watched tv and then went to bed. We laughed and clowned and made fun of Elaine, who was in the 5th grade. It was all so much fun!

I don’t know what time it was, but at some point, long before we’d gotten tired enough to go to sleep, I heard the front door of the house open and the sound of Robert’s mom speaking to someone. Robert and Elaine suddenly became very still and said nothing. I was too young to pick up on the clues and kept being silly when Robert shot me a look like I’d never seen before and said, “Please, Tony … don’t make any noise!”

The quiet of the bedroom was assaulted with the sounds of an angry man’s voice yelling and the screaming of Robert’s mom in the living room and echoing throughout the little house. The paper-thin walls did little to muffle the sounds of two adults fighting and yelling. It was terrifying. I heard someone fall down in the living room and something heavy and solid hitting the floor.

I joined Robert and Elaine in frozen alarm. Robert broke the silence in the cramped little bedroom and whispered to me that I had to leave. I couldn’t have been more surprised by what he said. I have to leave? Without making any noise, Robert climbed down from the top bunk and in the dimly lit room, found my little grocery bag, reassembled its contents, and rolled the top of the bag down, revealing my name written in my mom’s hand.

In the same way as Robert had done, I climbed down from the top bunk and started to open my little bag to get my other clothes out to change into. Robert stopped me, saying there was no time. I had to go immediately! He ushered me over to the window, opened it, tossed my sack out into the darkness and helped me climb out the window and drop down into the night.

The grass was already wet with dew and I realized I needed to put my shoes on. As I got my last shoe tied in Robert’s side-yard, I saw the light in Robert and Elaine’s room come on and I could hear their screams and the yelling of their drunk father. I quickly grabbed my sack and started running in the direction I thought my house was.

I didn’t know exactly what to do. I was nine years old, away from home, out in the dark past curfew. I weighed my options and decided not to go home. I didn’t have a door key and I’d have to wake my parents up to get in and that would only create a scene. I’d have to try to explain what happened and I was fearful of what the repercussions would be for Robert. I was fearful that my dad would think it was my fault.

I decided not to go home. I’d do that in the morning. I was out past curfew and needed to find a place to hide out in the middle of the night. Somewhere in between Robert’s house and mine, found myself in an alley. In that alley I found a little hiding place that afforded me cover and concealment. If I hadn’t been so completely disoriented by the events of that evening, I might have thought of the whole thing as one big fun adventure. But the look of terror on Robert’s face as he helped me out of the window stripped the experience of any of its excitement.

The loud and angry barking dog woke me up. It was morning and its owner had just let him out. He found me in an instant. He was growling and barking at me only inches away, but on the other side of the fence. I heard its owner yell, “Who goes there?!! Who is that??” I got to my feet and started running.

When I finally got home, I explained everything away: my early return home, my still being in my pajamas, my need for a bath … and I said nothing about what happened at Robert’s house. I just said that Robert’s mom dropped me off early because they had something to do. My mom was disappointed that she didn’t get a chance to thank Robert’s mom for having me over.

I never told my mother the truth. But up to that point in my life, Robert was the bravest person I’d ever known. That night, when he closed the window and turned around, he knew what was coming. I couldn’t possibly know at that time what was happening. I didn’t know about such things.

When I finally did put things together about what happened that night, it made me sick to my stomach.

I wish I’d have known then what I know now. I wish I could have offered Robert and his sister a way out. I wish I’d known what to do about friends who are battered and abused by someone they know, live with … are married to.

I can’t help Robert, but I might be able to help you … or someone you know. Under no circumstances is it okay for another person to abuse someone else, physically, verbally, or mentally.

I never saw Robert again. He didn’t come back to school the following Monday. I heard that he’d moved away. I have no idea what ever became of him.

If you know something, say something. I was a frightened 9 year old boy hiding in a dark ally with no understanding of domestic abuse. I didn’t know what to do.

Don’t allow yourself to be mistreated by anyone under any circumstances. Ever. Reach out to someone. Get help. Get out.

— 30 —

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TODAY’S NUTRITION TALK
by Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Holloway, Registered Dietitian, LDN

(A Registered Dietitian has a BS in Food Science, followed by a one year internship through an accredited university, and then with the recommendation of the internship program’s supervisor, a national examination is required. After that, an RD must have continuing education units annually in order to remain active and registered. An RD is an expert, not a hobbyist or a “food enthusiast.”)

Taking Restaurant Eating to the Extreme!

Most of us love to eat out from time to time, but we may be getting more to eat than we bargained for. Many meals are loaded with extra calories, fat, and sodium. Every year the Center for Science in the Public Interest puts out a list of the worst restaurant meals. Here are five of the worst offenders. You can check out their full list here: http://www.cspinet.org/nah/xtreme2015.html

HOP’s Omelet

“Take a trip south of the border one bite at a time!” suggests the IHOP (1,564 locations) website.

Its Chorizo Fiesta Omelet, which is “loaded with spicy chorizo sausage, roasted peppers, onions & pepper jack cheese, then topped with a citrus chili sauce & sour cream and served with a fresh grilled Serrano pepper…will have you saying ‘excelente!’”

“Ay, caramba!” is more like it. A 1,300-calorie sausage omelet alone would strike many as a tad on the heavy side. But this one comes with three buttermilk pancakes (or hash browns, toast, or fruit; but this is IHOP, after all). Remember when three pancakes alone was a big breakfast?

Add four tablespoons of syrup, and you shuffle out with a day’s calories (1,990), plus a bonus 42 grams of saturated fat, 4,840 milligrams of sodium, and 1,035 mg of cholesterol (two to three days’ worth of each). And don’t forget the passel of white flour and the 12-or-so teaspoons of added (refined) sugar—the kind that doesn’t occur naturally in fruit and milk. It’s your lucky day!

You might as well have ordered a McDonald’s Big Breakfast (scrambled eggs, hash browns, biscuit, and sausage) with three Sausage McMuffins and five packets of grape jam on the side.

Crime Rib

“No matter your path, a delicious destination awaits,” says the Outback Steakhouse (767 locations) menu. If your destination is the Herb Roasted Prime Rib dinner, you may want to walk home…the long way.

The 16 oz. prime rib alone delivers 1,400 calories to your rib area. For sides, let’s say you get the dressed baked potato and the classic blue cheese wedge (it’s a “premium side salad,” so it’ll cost you a buck), and that you eat just half the loaf of bread and use just a light schmear of butter.

The tab: 2,400 calories, 71 grams of sat fat (3½ days’ worth), and enough sodium (3,560 mg) for today and tomorrow. It’s like eating three Outback 10 oz. Ribeye steaks with three sides of garlic mashed potatoes. How do people survive on just one?

Blast Off

“All meals should be topped off with dessert: it’s the SONIC way,” suggests “America’s Drive-In” (3,522 locations). Take the Pineapple Upside Down Master Blast.

“SONIC’s real, vanilla ice cream perfectly mixed with pineapple, salted caramel & pie crust pieces” comes in a 32 oz. cup topped with several inches of whipped cream.

That’s for a large, which fires 2,020 calories at your midsection, and 61 grams (three days’ worth) of sat fat and 4½ grams (two days’ worth) of trans fat (from the pie crust) at your arteries. And it comes with some 29 teaspoons of added sugar.

One Master Blast has the calories of roughly four Dairy Queen Banana Splits. Sonic offers “heaping helpings of fun,” says its website. Wouldn’t the equivalent of one banana split be enough fun?

Red Alert

For our Create Your Own Combination at Red Lobster (679 locations), we picked three shrimp dishes (Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut, Walt’s Favorite, and Linguine Alfredo). With french fries as our side, Caesar as our salad, and just one Cheddar Bay Biscuit (such willpower!), our total came to 2,710 calories, 37 grams (two days’ worth) of sat fat, and 6,530 mg (a four-day supply) of sodium.

It’s like eating an 8-piece bucket of KFC Original Recipe chicken with four sides of mashed potatoes with gravy, four pieces of corn on the cob, and eight packets of “buttery spread.”

And since we were at Red Lobster, we had to order the chain’s namesake drink. So we added a 24 oz. Traditional Lobsterita (with its 890 calories and 860 mg of sodium). Ahoy, matey! Make room for 3,600 calories under that (newly expanded) belt.

Why Stop at 7?

“It’s 7 Steakburgers and 7 slices of American cheese—a one pounder!” says Steak ‘n Shake (513 locations).

Yes, the 7X7 Steakburger ‘n Fries (available from midnight to 6 a.m. on the “Up All Night” menu) squeezes seven beef patties between its buns. The 1,330 calories in the burger make the 240 calories in the small side of fries seem puny. But what’s puny about the plate’s 47 grams of sat fat and 4,570 mg of sodium?

If that’s not enough to keep you “up all night,” why not add a shake? With the 960-calorie Chocolate Fudge Brownie Milkshake (“What’s not to love?”), you hit 2,530 calories, plus 68 grams of sat fat and 5,060 mg of sodium (about 3½ days’ worth of each) and 26 teaspoons of sugar.

It’s like polishing off four 9 oz. Outback sirloin steaks, each topped with two half-cup scoops of Breyers Chocolate Ice Cream.

We can’t wait until Steak ‘n Shake comes out with its 8X8 Steakburger ‘n Fries. Or its 9X9.

—————————————————

– CARDIYOGA FOR ALL TOMORROW!
However, if it’s raining, we’ll do BOGA

—————————————————

Rank T-Shirts

If you’re due a promotion t-shirt, Stand By! I’m going to have a sign up list! (I know, I know)

—————————————————

Running With Music!

If you run with music, for safety’s sake, turn the music down or use only one earbud, especially in a race. I recently bought an excellent single earbud (XDU Noise Isolating Earbud) from Far End Gear http://farendgear.com/xdu/)

—————————————————

MAKE A FACE!!!!

INCREASE YOUR WEIGHTS!

YOU GET OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN!

What you get out of the workouts is determined by you.

How much do you work? How much effort you put into trying to do all of the repetitions with proper form and how much weight you’re using will determine what you get out of each workout.

YOU DETERMINE WHETHER YOUR WORKOUT IS HALF-ASS OR KICKASS!

It’s time for you to go up in weights … that’s what I’m thinking!

MAKING A FACE (THE GRIMACE) IS THE POOR MAN’S (OR WOMAN’S) FACELIFT!

—————————————————

EVERY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY ARE T-SHIRT DAY!

WEAR YOUR RANK INSIGNIA SHIRT, SUB 7 SHIRT, OR OTHER USMC FITNESS BOOT CAMP SHIRT EVERY WEDNESDAY!

—————————————————

THE GOOFY CLUB

Members of The Goofy Club are boot campers who’ve run the Walt Disney World Goofy Challenge in Florida. Club members participated in the Marathon Weekend in Orlando by running a half marathon (13.1 miles) on Saturday and then running a full marathon (26.2 miles) the next day!

Dory Sellers (2015)
Chris McLelland (2015)
Kay Ryan x 2! (2013 & 2015)
Alan Compton (2013)
Ashley Holloway (2013)
Tony Ludlow x 2 (2009, 2013)
———-

THE IRON CLUB

Iron Club members have run one or more (or multiple) Ironman series triathlons: the 70.3 (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run; often called the Half Ironman) and the 140.3 (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run, the Full Ironman!)

Scot Bearup 70.3 & 140.6
Andrew Forsdick 70.3 & 140.6
Tony Ludlow 70.3
———-

SUB SEVEN CLUB!
Members of the Sub-7 Club are Boot Campers who’ve run the mile in under 7 minutes under my observation and timing.
Sam Podesta
Ben Newsham x 2
Tim Jacobs
Lee Chase,
Chris McLelland,
Andrew Stolnicki,
Dory Sellers,
Henry Kenworthy,
Matt Green,
Andrew Forsdick
Tony Ludlow

—————————————————————

ACTIVE DUTY ROSTER OF VETERAN BOOT CAMPERS!

Are you coming up on promotion? Let me know! If you’ve been in the program for 6 months straight, you should be on the roster!

Every Wednesday is our Official BOOT CAMP T-SHIRT DAY! You can wear your rank insignia shirt anytime you‘d like, of course, but always every Wednesday!

The ACTIVE DUTY ROSTER

Under 6 months is a Private

Private First Class is more than 6 months but less than 1 year.

Over 1 year is a Lance Corporal
– Pam Torres – meritoriously promoted 12/2012
– Teresa Reed 2/2012*
– Emma Crystal 5/2012
– Megan Collins 6/2012
– Maria Wyatt 6/2012
– Chuck Miller 11/2012
– Diane Gorney 12/2012
– Lexie Johnston 12/201?
– Ashley Summers 2/2014
– Ben Summers 2/2013
– Sam Lee 2/2013
– Louise Biedenharn 2/2013
– Jay Biedenharn 2/2013
– Ragan Washburn 2/2013
– Mary Holland Doan 4/2013
– Kay Barkoh 4/2013
– Melissa Campbell 4/2013
– Gina Tice 4/2013
– Jennie Latta 6/2013
– Mallory Raffensberger 8/2013
– Ashley Bowles 8/2013
– Greg Gaston 8/2013
– Steve Pike 9/2013
– Karen Tronsor 9/2013
– “El” McCain 11/2013
– Angela Moore 12/2013
– Jenn Bonner 12/2013
– Brett Bonner 1/2014
– Mandy Tenent 3/2014

Over 2 years is a Corporal
– Jeremy Harris 1/2009*
– JD Dombroski 4/2011
– Carrie Schule 5/2011
– Mary Bauer 6/2011
– Lee Chase 7/2011
– Tait Keller 8/2011
– Heath Alderson 9/2011
– Lindsey Stanfill 9/2011
– ShaWanda Upshaw 10/2011
– Tara Ingram 11/2011
– Rachel Phillips 2/2012
– Jean Maskas 2/2012
– Keith Renard 4/2012
– Alan Compton 4/2012
– Steve Havard 5/2012
– Beth Stengel 2/2012
– Chris Kelley 6/2102
– Lora Gubanov 8/2012
– Susye Clark 7/2012
– Orli Weisser-Pike 9/2012
– Lindsey Leet 9/2013
– Morgan Johnson 9/2012

Over 3 years is a Sergeant
– Ashley McClure 7/2010
– Jenni Harris 8/2010
– Anne Marie Wyatt 8/2010
– Paul Bauer 11/2010
– Robin Scott 3/2011
– Chris McLelland 3/2011
– Randal Rhea 4/2011
– Cindy King 4/2011
– Sherri Thompson 4/2011
– Melissa Thompson 5/2011
– Michelle Moss 5/2011
– Becky Lawler 5/2010*

Over 4 years is a Staff Sergeant
– Jonathan Phillips 10/2008*
– Karen Massey 11/2009
– Cecelia DeLacy 2/2010
– Malinda Miller 3/2010
– Jay Mednikow 3/2010
– Beth Mills 5/2010
– Emily Melonas 6/2010
– Keith Renard 6/2009*
– Tim Romanow 8/2010

Over 5 years is a Gunnery Sergeant
– Patrick Moore 9/2008*
– Jessie Flanders 1/2009
– Andrew Stolnicki 1/2009
– Paul Tronsor 3/2009
– Robert Hunt 8/2009*
– Ashley Holloway 4/2010

Over 6 years is a Master Sergeant
– Anne Mead 2/2005*
– Beth Rehrig 7/2007
– Matt Prince 6/2007
– Frank Jemison 10/2007
– Patty Dougherty 3/2008
– Oscar Adams 3/2008
– Alan Schaeffer 5/2008
– Mike Ryan 5/2006*
– Dory Sellers 6/2006*
– Albo Carruthers 8/2008
– Anne Kenworthy 8/2008

Over 7 years is a First Sergeant
– Kay Ryan 10/2006
– Michelle Crockett 3/2007
– George Rose 5/2007
– Henry Kenworthy 5/2007
– Leslie Garey 6/2007

Over 8 years is a Sergeant Major
– Louis Glazer 3/2005
– Gary Thompson 10/2005
– Scot Bearup 10/2005
– Kay Shelton 1/2006
– Leesa Jensen 5/2006
– Megan Warr 8/2006
– Rob Norcross 8/2006

Over 9 years is a Warrant Officer 1
– Matt Green 5/2005
– Mike Barta 6/2005*
– Anne Emmerth 6/2005*

Over 10 years is a Chief Warrant Officer 2
– Buddy Flinn 7/2003
– David Townsend 1/2004
– Hank Brown 3/2004
– Andrew Forsdick 9/2004
– Melissa Moore 2/2005

Over 11 years is a Chief Warrant Officer 3
– Pat McGhee 1/2003
– John Whittemore 1/2003
– Peter Pettit 5/2003
– Amy Singer 9/2003

Battalion Executive Officer
Major Richard Bourland, 9/2003

* broken time

——————————————

ARE WE FACEBOOK FRIENDS?

We should be!

HAVE YOU “LIKED” THE USMC FITNESS BOOT CAMP FACEBOOK PAGE?

You should totally do that!

———————————————

BOOT CAMP DISCOUNT

If you set up an automatic payment at your bank (Boot Camp mailing address is 4888 Southern, Memphis 38117) you can subtract $10 off your fee!

(This is not in conjunction with other discounts and is not an automatic bank draft that I set up with a voided check. This an automatic payment that you yourself set up yourself with your bank usually online and easy as pie!)

———————————————

USMC FITNESS BOOT CAMP CLASSES

0530 Monday through Friday
(First and second Tuesday of the month are M-16 Workouts at CUMC. Third and fourth Tuesdays are Mt. Fuji Workouts at the U of M)
5:45 PM: Monday through Thursday, 5:30 on Friday.

————————————————

BOOT CAMP DISCOUNTS AND FACEBOOK EXPERIMENT!

First of all, find me on Facebook and make me your friend. (Also, be sure to “like” USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP on Facebook.)

Here’s how the discount works!

It’s simple: make a Facebook status update and get a discount!

For every status update that you make that references:
“USMC Fitness Boot Camp,”
“Sgt. Tony’s Boot Camp,”
“Tony’s Boot Camp,”
or something similar, (there are fake boot camps out there) you can take $2.50 off your next reenlistment fee for each update!

You can take up to $20 off for any given month!

Your status update has to be a specific reference to USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP or to me specifically by name.

BE SURE TO TAG ME!

You can do the same thing by “checking in” at USMC Fitness Boot Camp either by using Facebook “places,” Foursquare, or any of the other “check in” apps that show up on your Facebook News Feed.

So log on and start getting your discounts now!

—————————————————

Q. How can I get up in the morning on a consistent basis?
A. Contrary to what many think, I am NOT a morning person. I have to be “dynamited” out of the bed! Here are some tips to help you get going in the morning:
1. Use two alarm clocks. I have a snooze alarm that starts going off several minutes before I intend to get up. Then I have a “Last Call” alarm clock that is located across the room. This alarm clock is set to go off when I MUST get up.
2. Once the last call alarm goes off, the bed becomes OFF LIMITS! Get moving!
3. Get out of bed, turn off the alarm clock, and start turning on lights all through the house. Turn the TV on!
4. Lay out your clothes the night before. Don’t go wandering around the house in the morning trying to find your left shoe and your favorite shorts. So, have things ready the night before.

—————————————–

What would you do if money was not an issue, fear was not a factor, and failure was not an option?

To your optimum health and fitness!

SEE YOU ON THE QUARTERDECK!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Mailing address: 4888 Southern Ave., Memphis, TN 38117
Cell Phone: 901-644-0145

(This essay started out as a long Facebook post yesterday. I’ve made some changes and additions. If you read it yesterday, I invite you to read this version as well. TL)

I just heard on the news about the decision to remove the statue of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest from the park that bears his name, with he and his wife to be re-interred at Elmwood Cemetery.

As it should be.

But not for the reasons most currently put forth in the wake of reexamining the role of the Confederate Flag, the reasons for the Civil War, Reconstruction, slavery, neo-racism and how we as a nation move forward 150 years after the war ended.

Forrest’s last will and testament specified that he be buried in Elmwood. And that ought to be enough. (He and his wife had originally been buried in Elmwood but were moved — presumably without the General’s permission — to their present location in 1904.)

But that’s not the rest of the story. As a historian and a history teacher, I’ve studied Forrest for over 25 years. He’s an enigmatic and controversial figure, to be sure. Near the end of his life he even said as much, saying that he was “more slandered and maligned than any man in the nation.”

The question about him, and for all of us really, is this: how should a person’s life be portrayed and treated by history? Fairly and honestly, in context and in its entirety, I think.

Would you like to be remembered for your mistakes, or by your efforts to rectify them? What if the last years of your life were decidedly and markedly different — more praiseworthy — from the way you had lived at an earlier time, but that earlier life is all that anyone remembers about you, all that anyone talks about?

Poor Nathan has been in his grave (at different locations) since 1877, when he died at 56. And nothing said or done today or tomorrow will alter that. He won’t know anything about the location of his bones. But here’s the thing, everyone knows about his role in the slave trade before the war; every military historian can tell you that he was a brilliant and self-taught cavalry tactician; certainly his role in the beginning of the KKK is likewise well known. But that’s where the history stops and Forrest’s reputation ends. The TV news announcer just now referred to Forrest as the Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard and Confederate Civil War General.

What gets left out in the Forrest biography is that he disbanded the Klan after only 1 year and denounced it for its violence and militancy! And he didn’t just leave the Klan, he worked to completely dissolve it. A few years later when 4 black men were lynched in the early 1870s, Forrest volunteered to Governor Brown to hunt them down and “exterminate” those responsible for violence towards blacks. He renounced his earlier racism and assumed a protective role for blacks in his home state. He became a Christian and a quiet unassuming member of a Presbyterian church.

I’ve been called names for wanting to tell the complete story of Nathan Bedford Forrest, well at least for wanting to tell the part that never gets told. One of my detractors said that a person’s view of Forrest said a lot about that person’s world view. My world view, I guess is what she meant. She said “he (Forrest) is a historical Rorschach test.”

One of the most shocking things we learn studying history is that we discover that villains in the past had redeemable qualities. We also learn to our disappointment that our heroes had faults. Hitler loved his dog and Jefferson owned slaves.

Who among us hasn’t acted shamefully at some point? Have we always been enlightened, progressive, and wise? Have we always known all things at all times and judged our fellow man accurately? Have we always been right and our intentions honorable at all times? Have we ever stumbled over our own ego? Have we ever maligned another only to discover we were wrong? “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” Sometimes we have to apologize. We are all fallible humans with feet of clay, restricted to our own time, suffering from myopia and tunnel vision.

“Being on the right side of history” is a phrase you hear often. It refers to those in the past who defended a position that was later found faulty and denounced by the generations that followed. The defenders of that rejected belief are said to be on the wrong side of history. Laws get rewritten. Decisions get overturned. Amendments get added. I have no doubt that if I were able to sit down and interview my great great grandfather I’d discover attitudes, beliefs, and prejudices he held that would embarrass me today. I’d want to distance myself from those things out of shame. He’d probably believe that a woman shouldn’t be allowed to vote, that the races shouldn’t intermingle, nor should blacks and whites be permitted to intermarry, for example. He’d literally be on the wrong side of history.

But in his defense, I would have to say that he was a man of his age, his period, his block of history. I know practically nothing about him, just a few facts. Such will not be the case with us and our descendants. Our great great grandchildren will know all about us. Our electronic life, our blogs, our selfies, our correspondence kept on servers, or what ever they’ll be called, for all eternity to be examined and judged in the light of the future, hopefully with charity, forgiving us our ignorances, our primitive thinking, and our backward ways seeing us locked to our time in 2015.

But in the case of Forrest, one only needs to read his farewell speech given to his soldiers at the end of the war to know his thoughts, his attitudes, and his hopes for the future.

But better than that, read the text of his last public appearance in July 1875. He was asked to speak at an organization of black Southerners advocating racial reconciliation, called the Independent Order of Pole-Bearers Association.

Forrest would have nothing to do with this current Confederate flag business, no question about that. He’d have opposed the resurrection of that flag in the 1950s had he been alive to see it brought up from the ashes of a lost and evil cause. His flag was the American flag. In that last speech in 1875 he said: “We have but one flag, one country; let us stand together.” In fact, two years earlier, in the fall of 1873, when tensions with Spain threatened to escalate into conflict, Forrest contacted the General in Chief of the Army, William T. Sherman, his old enemy, and offered his services in defense of the United States.

But a better monument to his memory today would be to replace the general on his horse, and replace it with the figure of a man in his mid-50s standing humbly behind a podium, delivering a speech of reconciliation and peace, holding a bouquet of flowers he’d been given by one of the black ladies responsible for his invitation to speak.

The Confederate flag has no place on our government public property. It belongs in museums and history books. And Nathan Bedford Forrest deserves better than to be remembered only for things he later renounced.

I’ve been called a revisionist. I’ve been called a hate sympathizer and a “privileged neo-racist” because I insist on telling Forrest’s story in its entirety. I was accused of trying to sugar coat the injustices of the past. But I tell you that I’m none of those things. What I am is a believer in forgiveness and redemption. For I tell you this, if Nathan Bedford Forrest was not redeemable, then neither am I.

— 30 —

————————————————

TODAY’S NUTRITION TALK
by Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Holloway, Registered Dietitian, LDN

(A Registered Dietitian has a BS in Food Science, followed by a one year internship through an accredited university, and then with the recommendation of the internship program’s supervisor, a national examination is required. After that, an RD must have continuing education units annually in order to remain active and registered. An RD is an expert, not a hobbyist or a “food enthusiast.”)

Healthy Muscle, Healthy You!

Muscle mass is vital for life.

Unfortunately, the amount of muscle mass you have declines with age. Your peak muscle mass is around age 30. By age 40, you can lose up to 8% of your muscle every ten years. Around 70 years of age, this loss can accelerate to a muscle mass loss of 15% every ten years!

The reason we all lose muscle as we age is due to decreases in protein synthesis, the process in which cells build proteins. The more muscle mass you lose, the worse it is.

Losing muscle leads to an increased risk of falls and fractures, a weakened immune system, decreased quality of life and a loss of independence. The good news is, you can do something about it!

To slow the loss of age related muscle loss, it is important to eat a source of protein at each meal such as eggs, lean meat, beans, milk, or yogurt. The other critical thing you need to do is to do weight bearing exercises on a regular basis (a minimum of 3 times a week) such as those done at USMC Fitness Boot Camp. Strength training exercises and nutrition play a key roll in building and maintaining muscle.

Heaving healthy muscles equals a healthier you!

——————————————————————————

– CARDIYOGA FOR ALL TOMORROW!
However, if it’s raining, we’ll do BOGA

——————————————————————————

Rank T-Shirts

If you’re due a promotion t-shirt, Stand By! I’m going to have a sign up list! (I know, I know)

——————————————————————

Running With Music!

If you run with music, for safety’s sake, turn the music down or use only one earbud, especially in a race. I recently bought an excellent single earbud (XDU Noise Isolating Earbud) from Far End Gear http://farendgear.com/xdu/)

—————————————————

MAKE A FACE!!!!

INCREASE YOUR WEIGHTS!

YOU GET OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN!

What you get out of the workouts is determined by you.

How much do you work? How much effort you put into trying to do all of the repetitions with proper form and how much weight you’re using will determine what you get out of each workout.

YOU DETERMINE WHETHER YOUR WORKOUT IS HALF-ASS OR KICKASS!

It’s time for you to go up in weights … that’s what I’m thinking!

MAKING A FACE (THE GRIMACE) IS THE POOR MAN’S (OR WOMAN’S) FACELIFT!

—————————————————

EVERY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY ARE T-SHIRT DAY!

WEAR YOUR RANK INSIGNIA SHIRT, SUB 7 SHIRT, OR OTHER USMC FITNESS BOOT CAMP SHIRT EVERY WEDNESDAY!

—————————————————

THE GOOFY CLUB

Members of The Goofy Club are boot campers who’ve run the Walt Disney World Goofy Challenge in Florida. Club members participated in the Marathon Weekend in Orlando by running a half marathon (13.1 miles) on Saturday and then running a full marathon (26.2 miles) the next day!

Dory Sellers (2015)
Chris McLelland (2015)
Kay Ryan x 2! (2013 & 2015)
Alan Compton (2013)
Ashley Holloway (2013)
Tony Ludlow x 2 (2009, 2013)
———-

THE IRON CLUB

Iron Club members have run one or more (or multiple) Ironman series triathlons: the 70.3 (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run; often called the Half Ironman) and the 140.3 (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run, the Full Ironman!)

Scot Bearup 70.3 & 140.6
Andrew Forsdick 70.3 & 140.6
Tony Ludlow 70.3
———-

SUB SEVEN CLUB!
Members of the Sub-7 Club are Boot Campers who’ve run the mile in under 7 minutes under my observation and timing.
Sam Podesta
Ben Newsham x 2
Tim Jacobs
Lee Chase,
Chris McLelland,
Andrew Stolnicki,
Dory Sellers,
Henry Kenworthy,
Matt Green,
Andrew Forsdick
Tony Ludlow

—————————————————————

ACTIVE DUTY ROSTER OF VETERAN BOOT CAMPERS!

Are you coming up on promotion? Let me know! If you’ve been in the program for 6 months straight, you should be on the roster!

Every Wednesday is our Official BOOT CAMP T-SHIRT DAY! You can wear your rank insignia shirt anytime you‘d like, of course, but always every Wednesday!

The ACTIVE DUTY ROSTER

Under 6 months is a Private

Private First Class is more than 6 months but less than 1 year.

Over 1 year is a Lance Corporal
– Pam Torres – meritoriously promoted 12/2012
– Teresa Reed 2/2012*
– Emma Crystal 5/2012
– Megan Collins 6/2012
– Maria Wyatt 6/2012
– Chuck Miller 11/2012
– Diane Gorney 12/2012
– Lexie Johnston 12/201?
– Ashley Summers 2/2014
– Ben Summers 2/2013
– Sam Lee 2/2013
– Louise Biedenharn 2/2013
– Jay Biedenharn 2/2013
– Ragan Washburn 2/2013
– Mary Holland Doan 4/2013
– Kay Barkoh 4/2013
– Melissa Campbell 4/2013
– Gina Tice 4/2013
– Jennie Latta 6/2013
– Mallory Raffensberger 8/2013
– Ashley Bowles 8/2013
– Greg Gaston 8/2013
– Steve Pike 9/2013
– Karen Tronsor 9/2013
– “El” McCain 11/2013
– Angela Moore 12/2013
– Jenn Bonner 12/2013
– Brett Bonner 1/2014

Over 2 years is a Corporal
– Jeremy Harris 1/2009*
– JD Dombroski 4/2011
– Carrie Schule 5/2011
– Mary Bauer 6/2011
– Lee Chase 7/2011
– Tait Keller 8/2011
– Heath Alderson 9/2011
– Lindsey Stanfill 9/2011
– ShaWanda Upshaw 10/2011
– Tara Ingram 11/2011
– Rachel Phillips 2/2012
– Jean Maskas 2/2012
– Keith Renard 4/2012
– Alan Compton 4/2012
– Steve Havard 5/2012
– Beth Stengel 2/2012
– Chris Kelley 6/2102
– Lora Gubanov 8/2012
– Susye Clark 7/2012
– Orli Weisser-Pike 9/2012
– Lindsey Leet 9/2013
– Morgan Johnson 9/2012

Over 3 years is a Sergeant
– Ashley McClure 7/2010
– Jenni Harris 8/2010
– Anne Marie Wyatt 8/2010
– Paul Bauer 11/2010
– Robin Scott 3/2011
– Chris McLelland 3/2011
– Randal Rhea 4/2011
– Cindy King 4/2011
– Sherri Thompson 4/2011
– Melissa Thompson 5/2011
– Michelle Moss 5/2011
– Becky Lawler 5/2010*

Over 4 years is a Staff Sergeant
– Jonathan Phillips 10/2008*
– Karen Massey 11/2009
– Cecelia DeLacy 2/2010
– Malinda Miller 3/2010
– Jay Mednikow 3/2010
– Beth Mills 5/2010
– Emily Melonas 6/2010
– Keith Renard 6/2009*
– Tim Romanow 8/2010

Over 5 years is a Gunnery Sergeant
– Patrick Moore 9/2008*
– Jessie Flanders 1/2009
– Andrew Stolnicki 1/2009
– Paul Tronsor 3/2009
– Robert Hunt 8/2009*
– Ashley Holloway 4/2010

Over 6 years is a Master Sergeant
– Anne Mead 2/2005*
– Beth Rehrig 7/2007
– Matt Prince 6/2007
– Frank Jemison 10/2007
– Patty Dougherty 3/2008
– Oscar Adams 3/2008
– Alan Schaeffer 5/2008
– Mike Ryan 5/2006*
– Dory Sellers 6/2006*
– Albo Carruthers 8/2008
– Anne Kenworthy 8/2008

Over 7 years is a First Sergeant
– Kay Ryan 10/2006
– Michelle Crockett 3/2007
– George Rose 5/2007
– Henry Kenworthy 5/2007
– Leslie Garey 6/2007

Over 8 years is a Sergeant Major
– Louis Glazer 3/2005
– Gary Thompson 10/2005
– Scot Bearup 10/2005
– Kay Shelton 1/2006
– Leesa Jensen 5/2006
– Megan Warr 8/2006
– Rob Norcross 8/2006

Over 9 years is a Warrant Officer 1
– Matt Green 5/2005
– Mike Barta 6/2005*
– Anne Emmerth 6/2005*

Over 10 years is a Chief Warrant Officer 2
– Buddy Flinn 7/2003
– David Townsend 1/2004
– Hank Brown 3/2004
– Andrew Forsdick 9/2004
– Melissa Moore 2/2005

Over 11 years is a Chief Warrant Officer 3
– Pat McGhee 1/2003
– John Whittemore 1/2003
– Peter Pettit 5/2003
– Amy Singer 9/2003

Battalion Executive Officer
Major Richard Bourland, 9/2003

* broken time

——————————————

ARE WE FACEBOOK FRIENDS?

We should be!

HAVE YOU “LIKED” THE USMC FITNESS BOOT CAMP FACEBOOK PAGE?

You should totally do that!

———————————————

BOOT CAMP DISCOUNT

If you set up an automatic payment at your bank (Boot Camp mailing address is 4888 Southern, Memphis 38117) you can subtract $10 off your fee!

(This is not in conjunction with other discounts and is not an automatic bank draft that I set up with a voided check. This an automatic payment that you yourself set up yourself with your bank usually online and easy as pie!)

———————————————

USMC FITNESS BOOT CAMP CLASSES

0530 Monday through Friday
(First and second Tuesday of the month are M-16 Workouts at CUMC. Third and fourth Tuesdays are Mt. Fuji Workouts at the U of M)
5:45 PM: Monday through Thursday, 5:30 on Friday.

————————————————

BOOT CAMP DISCOUNTS AND FACEBOOK EXPERIMENT!

First of all, find me on Facebook and make me your friend. (Also, be sure to “like” USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP on Facebook.)

Here’s how the discount works!

It’s simple: make a Facebook status update and get a discount!

For every status update that you make that references:
“USMC Fitness Boot Camp,”
“Sgt. Tony’s Boot Camp,”
“Tony’s Boot Camp,”
or something similar, (there are fake boot camps out there) you can take $2.50 off your next reenlistment fee for each update!

You can take up to $20 off for any given month!

Your status update has to be a specific reference to USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP or to me specifically by name.

BE SURE TO TAG ME!

You can do the same thing by “checking in” at USMC Fitness Boot Camp either by using Facebook “places,” Foursquare, or any of the other “check in” apps that show up on your Facebook News Feed.

So log on and start getting your discounts now!

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Q. How can I get up in the morning on a consistent basis?
A. Contrary to what many think, I am NOT a morning person. I have to be “dynamited” out of the bed! Here are some tips to help you get going in the morning:
1. Use two alarm clocks. I have a snooze alarm that starts going off several minutes before I intend to get up. Then I have a “Last Call” alarm clock that is located across the room. This alarm clock is set to go off when I MUST get up.
2. Once the last call alarm goes off, the bed becomes OFF LIMITS! Get moving!
3. Get out of bed, turn off the alarm clock, and start turning on lights all through the house. Turn the TV on!
4. Lay out your clothes the night before. Don’t go wandering around the house in the morning trying to find your left shoe and your favorite shorts. So, have things ready the night before.

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What would you do if money was not an issue, fear was not a factor, and failure was not an option?

To your optimum health and fitness!

SEE YOU ON THE QUARTERDECK!

Tony

Sergeant Major Tony Ludlow

USMC Fitness BOOT CAMP, Commanding
Mailing address: 4888 Southern Ave., Memphis, TN 38117
Cell Phone: 901-644-0145