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Show Nov. 23, 1994 Hilltop Times 17 AFMC shines in Peacekeeper Challenge evaluating your actions." by 1st Lt. Brenda Campbell Team member A1C Eric Fetterman, Kelly AFB, watched the Defender Challenge event from the observation platform. "They worked together and helped each other out. They worked well as a team and it showed," he said. The AFMC team had a goal: every team member would go home with a gold medal. By the end of the Kirtland AFB, N.M. It doesn't get much better than winning four gold medals and one bronze when you are competing against some of the world's best peacekeepers. "We had an exceptionally good team this year that worked extremely hard preparing for this competition," said Col. Courtney H. Mank, AFMC director of security police. "Team members took medals I in five of seven events. Those results speak more tnan any number oi words possibly could. The biggest achievement was the precedent estab- I lished by the AFMC team when it won the gold me-- I dal in Peacekeeper.Challenge's most coveted event, 1 Defender Challenge, for the second year in a row. (This year's Peacekeeper Challenge Air Force world- wide competition was held at Kirtland AFB, N.M., t. 1. t Sept. I The Defender Challenge event tests team mem-'-i bers' skills in areas such as physical endurance, com-- I munications, tactics and shooting. I "From a mission standpoint, it's nice to win me-;dain the other events, but Defender Challenge is 'what it's all about. It's designed to reflect our mobility requirements and commitment," said Mank. i"It combines all the tasks and skills displayed in the .other events together with the tactics required for success in the field." The team trained hard, both mentally and physically, for the Defender Challenge event. "During our first week of training at Hill AFB we had an Army Special Forces Ranger from Eglin AFB train with us," said MSgt. Gerald Delebreau, Kelly AFB, Texas. "He was there mainly to prepare us for Defender Challenge. He helped us go over tactics. He gave us pointers on better ways to do things. We implemented many of his ideas into our Defender Challenge 1st AFMC, 739 Team members: MSgt. Gerald Delebreau, Kelly AFB, Texas; TSgt. James Pur-tel- l, Hill AFB, Utah; SSgt. Frank Fidani, Kelly AFB; SSgt. Domingo Ortega, Kelly AFB; SSgt. Marc Smith, Robins AFB, Ga.; SrA. Paul Cyr, Kirtland AFB, N.M.; Al C Eric Beyersdorf, Wright-Patterso- n EdAFB, Ohio; Amn. Miguel Ortega-IJarenwards AFB, Calif. competition their goal had been surpassed. The team members were presented gold medals for AFMC's first place finishes in Defender Challenge, Combat Rifle, Physical Fitness, Grenade Launcher and a run) breaker-n14:10 medal for a third place finish in the Chief's bronze 1st (tie AFMC, penalties) Team members: Purtell; Fidani; A1C Eric Fetterman, Kelly AFB; Challenge. Air Combat Command, 14:10 (tie 2nd "Our gold-medperformance in the team events Physical Fitness, Combat Rifle and Defender 3rd Royal Australian Air Force, 14:47 shows that the AFMC team was fit, Combat Rifle Challenge fine 256 1st AFMC, shooting skills, all brought together displayed Team members: Delebreau, Purtell, Fidani, Ortega, Smith, Cyr, Beyersdorf, with superb tactics. I couldn't be more proud," s,aid Mank. ' 2nd Air Force Space Command, 252 Besides Defender Challenge, the other event in Air Education and Training Command, 249 3rd 9mm Handgun which all the team members competed was Combat 1st United States Air Forces in Europe, f453 Rifle. This competition tested the team's ability to 2nd AFSPC, 1410 identify enemy targets, communicate target infor3rd Air Force Special Operations Command, 1407 mation, and engage the targets successfully. After (AFMC placed 4th 403) competitors: Delebreau, Ortega, Cyr, Beyersdorf, missing a medal by one point last year, this year's Machine Gun 0 first place win was even sweeter for the entire team. 1st Royal Air Force Regiment, 351 2nd ACC, 335 Members of the AFMC Peacekeeper Challenge 3rd AFSPC, 318 were: MSgt. Gerald Delebreau, SSgt. Frank Team (AFMC placed 8th competitors: Delebreau and Ortega, 253) Fidani, SSgt. Domingo Ortega, and A1C Eric FetGrenade Launcher terman, Kelly AFB; TSgt. James Purtell, Hill AFB, 1st AFMC, 490 Competitor: Fidani 2nd AFSPC, 460 Utah; SSgt. Marc Smith, Robins AFB, Ga.; SrA. TC, 430 Paul Cyr, Kirtland AFB; A1C Eric Beyersdorf, Chief's Challenge (individual 2.4K obstacle Wright-Patterso- n AFB, Ohio; and Amn. Miguel courserun) Ortega-LlarenEdwards AFB, Calif. Smith com1st ACC, 12:02 Defender in Challenge and Combat Rifle peted 2nd USAFE, 12:52 was injured on the obstacle Fetterman events after 3rd AFMC, 12:54 Competitor: Purtell course. cisions. (Campbell works for the 377th Air Base Wing Pub- m S 11 vAU .V 'After doing the same thing every year, you get lie'Affairs Office. Article courtesy of AFMC News in a rut," he said. "It helps to have a new set of eyes Service.) Canadian Forces Air Command, 716 2nd Air Mobility Command, 693 3rd course and Physical Fitness team event (obstacle v o Ortega-Uaren- breaker-penaltie- al 24-Oc- Ortega-Uaren- ls planning." .. 1 - 3rd-AE- a, J Up to the 1 Challenge I by Jay Joersz f Hilltop Times staff Anyone who challenges TSgt. James Purtell to competition of any kind, whether it be tennis, arm wrestling, a a. M-6- A Delebreau said it was nice to have somebody from the' outside watching the way the team made de- - Hill security policeman says he is always... s) . A A I hat," and let some other people get a . chance. " I'm going to go one more year and that will be it. I've decided to let it go," Purtell said. "I accomplished evthis ery goal I wanted to accomplish year and am satisfied." ' He said he has always wanted a gold medal in the Chief's Challenge (individual obstacle course competition) and he got one at the AFMC competition this year at Eglin AFB, Fla. Even though he wanted a gold medal at the worldwide competition as well, he said the bronze medal he captured will do well enough. Purtell said that as far back as he can remember he has always been athletic and had a strong competitive attitude. He maintains a healthy lifestyle to make sure he can compete with the best of the best. "I like to be fit and live a healthy lifestyle," he said. "You look better, you feel better about yourself and I think it makes a person more con. foot race or tiddlywinks, better be prepared for a battle. He doesn't take a s challenge lightly. In fact, to say that this security police specialist in Hill AFB's 75th Security Police Squadron takes competition seriously is an understatement. , Anyone who knows him has proba- fident." He said he runs three to four times bly discovered that portion of his personality first hand, especially those a week for approximately 30 minutes who have been involved with the Air each session. Other cardiovascular exForce's annual security police compe- ercises he does include riding a station-ar- y bike and running on a treadmill at tition, Peacekeeper Challenge. Purtell has been an Air Force secur- a local fitness club. ity policeman for 12 years and has ven- ; Another important part of his tured on the field of Peacekeeper healthy lifestyle is his diet. He said Challenge for 10. In the six years he having a wife who is a personal trainer has competed for the Air Force has been a big help in maintaining a Materiel Command, he has been healthy attitude. . named to the command team three "I watch my diet very closely," Purtell said. "It's not that I limit my portimes to compete in worldwide compeKeltition. Five of those years were at tions, I eat as much as I want of the ly AFB, Texas, one year as the trainer, food I do eat. The main thing to watch and this year with Hill's team. He also is what it is and how it is prepared." He said He stays away from food competed two years with teams for the United States Air Forces Europe. high in fat and with processed sugars However, he said after all these and eats a lot of starchy vegetables, - years, he is ready to hang up his "PK skinless chicken and fish. - w A TSgt. James L. Purtell, of Hill AFB's 75th Security Police Squadron, works his way over the Confidence Climb obstacle during 1 I VA Purtell has also been a bodybuilder for several years, as is his wife, Biance. After watching her contend in bodybuilding competitions for several years, Purtell decided he would give it a try in 1990. In a local competition in San Antonio, he competed in the lightweight division and took third place. Nearly four years later, he finally tried his hand at it again. He competed as a middleweight in the Mountain States Bodybuilding Competition in Logan, Utah, in February. Not only did he capture his division, he seized the overall title for the event as well. He said that his lifestyle has really paid off for Peacekeeper Challenge. "At any point during the year, I am pretty close to the condition I would need to be in for PK," Purtell said. "I ) the Chief's Challenge at the Peacekeeper Challenge worldwide competition held in the fall at Kirtland AFB, N.M. He placed third in the event. just have to train a little harder for a few months to get to the point where I can run my best times." Even after all his successes, he insists that next year will be the final Challenge for him and he will go back to devoting an entire year to being a security policeman. Nonetheless, he looks back at his PK experiences with extreme fondness, quite similar to how a professional athlete looks back at a successful career just prior to his or her retirement. "For 10 years, the Air Force has paid me to do something I like to do, which is to compete in a physically demanding event. It's easy money," Purtell said. "It's like being paid to play baseball. It's my little outlet." |