Troops tackle winter challenge

FORT DRUM — Soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division have done without a mountain for more than two decades, but this winter, some were able to crunch snow much as their predecessors did in World War II.

About 130 soldiers of the 10th Sustainment Brigade huffed, puffed and motivated each other for 10 kilometers through the Muleskinner Challenge III, a quadrathlon in which teams of four soldiers snowshoed, cross-country skied and pulled sleds, in addition to testing their marksmanship.

The competition, which one team completed in a little over an hour and a half, was a chance to connect with the division of the past.

"This is part of our unit's history," said Spc. Benjamin H. Shelly, a finance soldier.

The 10th Mountain Division in World War II was composed of soldiers recruited by the National Ski Patrol.

The soldiers trained in Camp Hale, Colo., in the early 1940s and, in 1945, fought battles in Italy — notably, Mount Belvedere and Riva Ridge.

The modern Muleskinner brigade, which provides the division and other units with support that includes logistics and security, is broken up into smaller units that deploy independently.

Its soldiers work in harsh conditions, whether it be Afghan mountains or the Iraqi heat. The unit conducts its physical training to the Army standard, but last year it introduced additional voluntary events for soldiers called Muleskinner Challenges.

The first two events consisted of a 194-mile, two-day bicycle race and the Adirondack Marathon.

The latest challenge meant two months of snow and gym time for Spc. Shelly.

"It's been pretty good, a lot of cold mornings," he said. "It's actually a nice experience to do in the middle of the winter."

Command Sgt. Maj. Allen G. Fritzsching, the unit's top noncommissioned officer, saw it as a growing opportunity for his soldiers and a reason for them to get out of the barracks.

"The bottom line of these challenges is to challenge young men and women to do something that maybe they would never get an opportunity to do, something that could be a lifelong accomplishment and something they can be very proud of," he said.