Ten-Miler team presents trophy
to corps commander

by Spc. Samuel J. Phillips
XVIII Airborne Corps PAO

photo by Spc. Samuel J. Phillips/XVIII Abn. Corps PAO Members of the Fort Bragg Army Ten-Miler team and support members from the Directorate of Plans, Training & Mobilization, proudly display the Women’s Division first place trophy Oct. 19 in the XVIII Airborne Corps headquarters after an early morning ceremony to present the commanding general with the trophy. The women’s team retained the trophy after winning its second consecutive Army Ten-Miler Oct. 4 in Washington, D.C.

The Fort Bragg Army 10-Miler teams presented the 2009 women’s division first place trophy to Maj. Gen. Jeffery W. Hammond, interim commanding general, XVIII Airborne Corps, during an early morning ceremony at the XVIII Airborne Corps headquarters Oct. 19.

The Fort Bragg active-duty women’s Army 10-Miler team brought home gold for the second year in a row Oct. 4 with a time of 4:38:01.

For Master Sgt. Angella Jackson, women’s team captain, the explanation as to why her team came away with gold is simple. “We have a great overall team that pulls together and provides support to push each other through any barriers we may face,” she said.

However, it’s not just the women’s team that came away with a first place finish. Fort Bragg’s masters’ team also took first place in its division and the Fort Bragg active-duty men’s team placed sixth overall in their division and 18th overall with a time of 4:02:39.

This annual event got its start Oct. 13, 1985, with only 1,600 registered athletes. However, this year’s race set a new record for attendance and featured 30,000 athletes joining this storied Army tradition.

Fort Bragg sent a total of 17 individuals to represent the men’s active duty, women’s active duty and masters’ division for the competition.

Col. Charles Heatherly, C-9, XVIII Airborne Corps, had nothing but good things to say about the way everyone came together for this year’s event. “The effort that went into this year’s Association of the U.S. Army was tremendous,” Heatherly said. “The folks that represent us the best at Fort Bragg are the Soldiers.”

The Army Ten-Miler is the nation’s oldest 10-mile race.