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Fort Carson's morning stroll: 9,000 soldiers on the run
As many as 9,000 pairs of tennis shoes pounded the pavement in cadence as the 4th Infantry Division went for a jog at sunrise today.
The run, led by Fort Carson commander Maj. Gen. David Perkins, is about more than keeping soldiers’ waistlines trim. It’s about building a sense of community among the troops, the general said after the four-mile jaunt.
“It does a lot for unit cohesion,” Perkins said.
The general has been leading runs at the post every other month since taking command there this summer.
The troops, representing every unit in Perkins’ purview, ran in tight formation, led by flag-bearers who set a grueling pace.
On the final stretch, a quarter-mile downhill, the soldiers chanted in rhythm to keep the pace.
Perkins, one of the first finishers, waited on a reviewing stand for the rest of the soldiers to complete the run, saluting each unit and cheering as they passed.
He said the runs are a chance to thank soldiers for serving and sacrificing through wartime deployments.
“Everyone is going 100 mph,” he said, noting that his division has a brigade in Afghanistan, one headed to Afghanistan and another preparing for Iraq.
As the soldiers stood in formation after the run, Perkins lauded them.
“The United States owes a debt of gratitude to you and all of our veterans,” he told the troops, after taking a moment of silence to mark the upcoming Veterans Day holiday next week.
