It is with good fortune that we as Americans get to celebrate Memorial Day. For some it represents the beginning of summer. Time to freshen our boat engines, trim our flowers and bushes, and hose off our beach chairs. For others it means much more.
This year I was fortunate enough to attend a Memorial Day parade in a small town. Marching band, fire trucks, Girl Scouts, the whole works. After the parade we congregated at the firehouse for a speech from a decorated female soldier and paid tribute to our fallen soldiers with a gun salute, and taps by the local marching band. Hats were removed, a prayer was spoken over the loud speaker and god bless America was sung by all. It was awesome.
My father served in Vietnam as a sergeant and although he would not talk about it much was proud of his service and our country. The marines offered an opportunity for him to leave a somewhat rough existence in Nassau county and create some structure in his life. I would assume this is the reason many young men and women trade home life for the armed services. There he learned things like discipline, dedication to country, physical fitness, and respect. These principles were transferred to his home life upon his return from active service and served him well in business. If anyone has a father who was a marine you will know exactly what I am talking about. As a child these rules and regulations seemed unnecessary and difficult, but as an adult I am forever grateful for the discipline and structure handed down from father to son. My father made it home from his tour in Vietnam, but his exposure to agent orange would take his life years later.
The armed services prepare men and women for many things but what impresses me most is the ability to transform a young person into a physically fit, well prepared soldier. Whether it’s the small scrawny kid, or the overweight person who can’t seem to lose those 30 pounds, once you are sent off to boot camp you return a lean, mean fighting machine. My father returned from active duty and maintained his physical fitness throughout his life. I’ll bet if you look around at people you know that served, most of them are the same way. We recently had a patient who served in Afghanistan and was wounded in battle. He has had more than 9 operations in his body and continues to rehab his musculoskeletal system. He told us that he was an obese child and had trouble keeping his weight down below 250 pounds. If you saw him today you would not believe it was the same person. He is as physically fit as anyone who enters our office and one of the finest examples of a young man you will ever meet.
In the CrossFit community they have found a unique way to honor our fallen hero’s on Memorial Day. CrossFit gyms throughout the country hold an event called the Murph. It falls under an umbrella of Hero workouts and is a tip of the hat to honorable men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice to our country. This one is specifically to honor Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on June 28th, 2005.
What is the Murph?
- 1 mile Run
- 100 Pull-Ups
- 200 Push-Ups
- 300 Air Squats
- 1 mile Run
This workout or Hero WOD is referred to as “The Body Armor” due to the fact that Murph usually performed this workout with a 20 pound armored vest. CrossFit athletes usually perform this between 50-60 minutes and it can be broken down into a few different sequences.
The Center of Spine Care + Mobility – Treating Our Veterans
Here at CSC+M we have the privilege and honor to treat men and women who bravely put themselves in danger for the benefit and protection of this great country. Whether it’s physical therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage or medical services we treat each patient in a unique, integrated manner.
The Center for Spine Care and Mobility was started in 2000 and has developed into an integrated/multi-disciplinary health care facility. We offer services consisting of chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, and medical services. We are trained in/ have certifications in the following:
Active Release Technique, Graston Technique (IASTM), Kinesiotaping, Titleist Performance Institute (TPI), Gravity Fit, Dorsavi, MCGill Method, as well as cupping. We also have a department that specializes in pelvic floor issues with a natural focus on rehabilitation with physical therapy, massage, chiropractic, and acupuncture.
