SAM Squad presented 2008 National Championship Firefighter Combat Challenge Trophy

Col. Richard Ayres, 17th Training Wing commander, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, Lt Col. Moore, 312th Training Squadron commander, John Granby, Lion Apparel and Dr. Paul O. Davis, Ph.D., President, On Target Challenge Inc., present the 2008 National Championship Firefighter Combat Challenge Trophy to this year’s current Goodfellow SAM Squad. The winners of the 2008 Grand NCFCC in both relay and team were: Marine Staff Sgt. Charles Ammon, currently assigned to Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Air Stations, Cali., Marine Staff Sgt. Nicholas Cook, currently assigned to Yuma MCAS, Ariz., Marine Sgt. William Alexander, Air Force Staff Sgt. Kevin Wasiewski, and Air Force Staff Sgt. William Gates. Dubbed “the toughest two minutes in sports” by ESPN, the Challenge simulates the physical demands of real-life firefighting as competitors race against themselves, their opponent and the clock, wearing "full bunker gear" and their Air-Pak breathing apparatus, to tackle a linked series of five tasks including a 5-story tower, hoisting, chopping, dragging hoses and rescuing a life-sized, 175 lb. “victim.” The SAM Squad team finished second in the 2008 World Challenge, missing the top spot by 1.4 seconds. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Robert Martinez)