The Amazing Race: EMDG Style

(Hopefully I'll have a few pictures later I can add into this post).

This was easily the MOST FUN I've had here at Joint Base Balad in 5 months.

As part of the AFTH's Olympic Games (see St Patrick's Day Party when I completed a personal best doing pushups for the first event), the last event was the "Scavenger Hunt". In reality, this was much more the Amazing Race (so tons better).

Each Squadron fielded a team of 4 (EMDSS had 2 from Logistics, 1 from BioMed, and me from Nutrition). During all parts of this event (except when doing the challenge at each destination) all 4 of us had to be holding onto a rope (keeping us together).

1. List the names of Wing & Hospital leadership (piece of cake). Then we get our first envelope. At the first mention of "Dawg" in the clue, we immediately ran to Logistics (they are the "Log Dogs"). Out on the loading dock we played bean bag toss; had to score 4 to get the next clue.

2. "Flag" and "Patriot" sent us flying through the long hospital hallway. "Coming through" was my warning as we ran full throttle. Out to Patriot's Passage (parallel to Hero's Hwy). Our challenge: Say or sing the "Star Spangled Banner". We finally got it on the fourth try.

3. We were instructed to carry a litter and 2 sandbags to a place for a game that combines handball and tennis. Must be the volleyball court. In order to get the next clue we went one at a time in a crab crawl from the serving line to the net line and back. Nice dirty butts.



4. "Alarm Red" on the clue had us drop to the ground and then run for the nearest bunker (okay, not the nearest, the second nearest) to drink 2 cold bottles of water without spilling a drop. I do much better with room temperature water but our team really stepped up to the task. Next clue was in red and immediately I thought of the "Dragons Den" (our classroom in the basement).

5. One of us would have 10 seconds to find an envelope with our squadron name on it. If no luck, the next person goes. We got it with the second person. Much easier after the person at the door said "look under the chairs".


6. This next clue confused all 3 teams. When we think of "special people" and "smoking", we all thought of "OR5" where the doctors (and others) enjoy their cigars & unwind (on the roof of the main building). Whoops; it meant the regular smoker's pit. Down the stairs, out the back door. We had to write down the names of all 50 states (fortunately we got the first letter of each, in alphabetical order). Unfortunately we got a little hung up on the M's (sorry Minnesota, you were the last we remembered).








7. Final clue was easy, back to the beginning. Final task, recite the Airman's Creed. Then show we had all 7 envelopes and all 7 clues. EMDOS beat us by less than a minute. But our 2nd place finish we'll keep our boss from having to get a pie in the face during the closing ceremonies this Thursday.