NAS Jax Seabees build obstacle course for local university

"This is the third obstacle course we've had at JU. Our previous course was located on 62 acres of land that the school recently sold. We were lucky that they gave us another location near our building to rebuild the obstacle course. In the past, we had several staff members and students who had the expertise to build the course. Unfortunately, this time we didn't," said Capt. James Pendley, commanding officer of the JU NROTC. "We started looking for someone to help us rebuild. When we called on the Seabees at NAS Jax, they were extremely helpful, enthusiastic and far exceeded our wildest hopes and expectations. We couldn't have done this without them."

The project, which started last November, consisted of clearing the area including removing several trees and lots and lots of roots, constructing the course which includes huge wooden structures, metal bars, a 6-foot wall and sky-high rope climbing stations. "The course has 16 stations and is built with safety in mind. We were able to use some pieces of the old course, but we basically rebuilt a whole new course," said BUC(SCW) Shawn Fellows, operations chief at CBMU 202.

Lead Project Supervisor EO1(SCW) Erik Pearson of Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 202 Detachment Jacksonville, salutes Capt. James Pendley, commanding officer of the Jacksonville University (JU) Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, before receiving a Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his work on the new obstacle course. Also receiving the award was EO2 Curtis Wilson (right).

"Although our primary job is to do construction projects for the base, we occasionally take on community projects. When the NROTC Unit contacted us to see if we could help them with this project, we went out and surveyed the site to see if we could handle the job," explained Ensign Leonard Neal, office-in-charge of CBMU 202. "Once we determined we could do this, estimated how long it would take and what was needed. The hardest part of doing jobs outside the base is the logistics. We had a crew of four working on it and they were able to complete the project in 115 hours."

"We followed a design from the obstacle course at Camp LeJeune. It was a challenging project, but it was really fun to work on something different from what we usually do," stated EO1(SCW) Erik Pearson, project supervisor.

According to Pendley, the benefits of having a challenging obstacle course are crucial to the training of his students. "We didn't have a course here for three years. It didn't allow us to properly train our students, particularly our Marines and special operation students. The first time a person sees a 6-foot wall shouldn't be in Falljua, Iraq. They need to have to not only the skills, but the confidence to deal with the situation," said Pendley. "This provides our Marines with the training they need. It allows them to learn teamwork, leadership and offers the physical and mental stamina they need that you can't do in a classroom."

Sgt. Anthony Stimac, a student at Jacksonville University, climbs one of the ropes to test his upper body strength on the new obstacle course on campus.

"This is one of the most valuable training tools that we have. This is where our midshipmen, Marines and special operations people learn to negotiate obstacles and increase their endurance and confidence. It's awesome that the Seabees were able to help us out with this project," added JU Marine Officer Instructor Maj. Timothy Kornacki.

As part of the school's appreciation, several Seabees were recognized during the ceremony and were presented with Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medals (NAM) and letters of appreciation for their efforts. Receiving a NAM were Pearson and EO2(SCW) Curtis Wilson. BU2(SCW) Charles Hubbard and EO3(SCW) Quindell Wilson and were presented with letters of appreciation.

Staff Sgt. Jeremy Cooper slides down a ramp after a strenous climb on the new course.

Sgt. Anthony Stimac (left) and Staff Sgt. Jeremy Cooper, both students at Jacksonville University, demonstrate how challenging the new obstacle course is.