For Dan – Be thou at peace

Army Captain Dan Whitten, 28, of Grimes, Iowa, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, died February 2, 2010, when enemy forces in Zabul, Afghanistan, attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. Whitten is survived by his wife, Starr Whitten, his mother, Jill Whitten, his father, Dan Whitten, and his sister, U.S. Army Captain Sarah Whitten.

Warm Up:

Once again my workout will need all the time I can get. Lets mosey to get the blood flowing and get started. So we ran a lap around downtown Cramerton.

The Thang:

The CrossFit “Whitten” WOD is listed below as prescribed.  All modification that were preformed due to location, time or lack of equipment are listed in parentheses.

“Whitten”

Five rounds for time of: (Completed 4 rounds)
22 Kettlebell swings, 2 pood (cinder blocks used in place of kettlebells)
22 Box jump, 24 inch box (jump over cinder block)
Run 400 meters (ran lap around downtown Cramerton)
22 Burpees
22 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball (cinder block squat press)

Pledge

Announcements:

• Burpee-a-thon coming up in May
• Need Q’s at TheStorm, Goat Island and The Fighting Yank!
• P200 meeting on 7 Feb @ the Cramer Mountain Club

Prayer Request:

• All Soldiers who risk their lives for the freedoms we have and their families
• Gold Star families who have lost someone they love in service to this country

I was fortunate enough to be a classmate and friend of Dan Whitten.  When I saw that a Q was needed on February 2nd, I immediately wanted it and knew I wanted to do this workout.  Today marks 7 years since Dan passed and even though I’ve know about this WOD and actually recommended it to some crossfitters, I’ve never tried it. I’m glad I’ve finally been able to do this workout to honor the memory of my friend and thankful that I was given the opportunity to share it and insights about Dan with my F3 brothers.

I don’t have the words to do Dan justice.  I hope my thoughts and ramblings today had an impact on the men present, even if they cannot compare to the impact Dan had on those around him.  I’ll try not to continue my ramblings here…

Dan was a real High Impact Man.  He was a remarkable leader, grounded in his faith and sense of service.  He inspired others to follow him and to do better themselves. He was quick to laugh, always found the best in the worst conditions and would give the shirt off his back to someone in greater need. I’ve seen many leaders in my time in the military and Dan easily ranks up there with the best of them.  There is nowhere he would have rather been than with his Paratroopers on that day and he died doing what he loved.

Dan, you are greatly missed but never forgotten.  Well done. Be thou at peace.