Our roots are at Fort Bragg because that’s the home of the Green Berets and where the schoolhouse is. It’s an honor to travel back and share our lessons this weekend -- some of them a bit unorthodox -- with any and all who show up.
We’re pretty reasonable guys, and we like to start with the basics, sort of how John Wooden used to give a class on tying shoes before the season started so he could get everyone on the same page.
Let’s talk about why this hard charger has a contractor bag slung over his shoulder.
His Rucker has two perfectly good straps -- in fact, they’re the best straps that money can buy if you want to carry weight comfortably. But he’s got a knotted .50 cent bag. Why?
The lesson is this: anything can be taken away from you in an instant. Everything you take for granted, and so much more. Poof! Here today and gone right now.
The deeper lesson, which we lived through down to the marrow of our bones is that everything and everyone you love most will one day be taken from this world. Life goes on until it doesn’t, no matter the weight you carry. But as long as you’re breathing, keep serving the mission and keep moving forward. Others who aren’t here anymore would love to carry that bag just the way it is, and you GET to do this. So make the most of it in a short ass life.
I bet you didn’t see that coming from a contractor bag! But the perspective of what really matters, and what you are willing to do to drive on -- that theme happens in all areas of GORUCK whether you’re rucking in your neighborhood or in Afghanistan. Do you stop when it gets hard, or do you keep going, just a little more?
We exist to encourage you all to go a little more.
— jason
Some Call-Outs:
- Coverage - snapshots below - is primarily on the GORUCK IG page - stories and posts throughout the weekend. For every hour you spend watching, you owe us that much time rucking!
- DFQ. Don’t F*cking Quit. This is good advice for how to pass our hardest events (so is ruck a lot and train hard). We have a full restock of shirts (that we build entirely in house with TriblendX) -- live now.
- Camp Mackall - it’s a small but VERY important compound just outside Fort Bragg. More on this in the next email (this weekend). It’s also the namesake for our Mackall Rucking Boots (that I’m wearing right this second).
Remember: we GET to do this, and we celebrate that. :)
