August 4th, 2017 By Man Down

10 brothers gathered in the gloom at The Precinct as RED Friday made it’s entry into this AO for the month of August. R.E.D. stands for “Remember Everyone Deployed.” The RED Friday movement is nationwide, and F3 regions all over have turned it into *an opportunity to sweat with our brothers as we express our support of this country’s servicemen and servicewomen, and as we remember one particular military Hero who paid the ultimate sacrifice.* Who that Hero is, and what the workout contains, varies each week.

Today we honored Army Specialist Junot Cochilus of our own Charlotte, NC, a combat engineer who was killed in Afghanistan at the age of 34 on May 2, 2012 when insurgents attacked his unit with an Improvised Explosive Device. This was during Operation Enduring Freedom. He served with the 630th Route Clearance Company, 7th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade. His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, the NATO Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Combat Action Badge.

I found very little information about Junot Cochilus before the workout, but came across something afterward that is worth posting. I didn’t find it until I noticed that his uniform showed “LeGrand-Cochilus” as his name. When I added the “LeGrand” to my search, I came across this 2012 Facebook post about this #HIM written by a 9 year-old who was raising support for this orphanage…

He was a native of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. After the devastating earthquake that ravaged Haiti, Junot answered a calling to make a difference in his country. His life’s work, even while conducting route clearance operations in Afghanistan, was Grace Children’s Home in Corix-de-Bouquet, Haiti (the first children’s home funded by the Haiti Orphan Foundation – http://haitiorphanfoundation.com), which he founded. He constantly made phone calls to help raise money and coordinate for donations to help the children during his down time in Afghanistan. While on leave from the fight in Afghanistan, he went to Haiti to work with the children. The foundation could not have been possible without Juno’s vision, hard work, and inspiration.

Junot  is survived by his wife Marie Maude-Nester and daughter Ervely Cochilus, who are both currently residing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

So what did we do today? We sweat…but not nearly as much as Junot would have in the 120-degree Afghanistan heat. We ached, but not nearly as much as the hearts of those who loved Junot ached upon hearing of his death. We groaned, but not nearly as much as he likely did when an IED sealed his fate. Today’s workout will be forgotten. And to most people Junot LeGrand-Cochilus has been forgotten. But the legacy of his life continues on through Grace Children’s Home and I am truly inspired by what little I know about his life. The lesson for us today? Make it count. Make what count? Every minute. Every breath. Every word. Every action. Live for what matters most. Don’t just “spend” your life…INVEST your life. Think about the difference.

5 Rounds:
• 40 Squats
• Down Raddington Lane
• 30 ‘Mericans
• Over to Gun Range
• 20 Pull-ups
• All the way back up RL to rinse & repeat

#REDFriday