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Fitness

The Most Important Team in America

Awareness is nothing without action, and Team RWB leads the charge to help our nation’s veterans live rich, fulfilled lives.

Written by Pete Hitzeman Last updated on March 18, 2018

This week’s episode is a special one for me, because I get to talk about an issue that is deeply personal. It’s easy to become jaded by statistics, but the 22 veterans a day who take their own life is one number that has touched me personally. When there’s a name and a face that you once knew behind a number, it takes on a deeper significance; all the more when it’s a former brother in arms.

It’s not good enough for us to shove our hands in our pockets and sadly shake our heads. This is not a problem that will be solved by throwing more money at it. There needs to be concrete, immediate, and personal action.

Team Red White and Blue has stepped into that gap. Their mission is “to enrich the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity.” If you’ve seen a bunch of eagle-emblazoned, flag waving crazies at your local 5k, that’s Team RWB. But behind their unabashed patriotism and almost impossible friendliness is a group with a very serious purpose. They’re using the best tools available to fight back against the tidal wave of veteran disengagement, depression, and suicide, by fostering camaraderie, purpose, and mental and physical health.

Zack Armstrong is the Director of Programs for Team RWB, and he sat down with me to dig into how they take action every day, all around the world, to create authentic, positive connections between veterans and civilians alike. He details the philosophy and core values that they deploy through their cadre of Eagle Leaders, who then become engines of positive change in their local communities. We discuss how they’ve managed their exponential growth while preserving their culture, and how their leadership development programs focus on providing the skills and practice needed to engage veterans in empathetic, authentic relationships.

About Pete Hitzeman

Pete Hitzeman is an unlikely athlete. Raised in a household of engineers and musicians, he was introduced to athletic training only after joining his high school wrestling team on a whim. The ten years after graduation were filled with more cigarettes, pints, and cheeseburgers than he cares to remember, until he rediscovered mountain biking as an adult.

In the years since, he has steadily developed into a pan-athlete, flinging himself headlong into cycling, running, and CrossFit. Despite being physiologically ill-suited for any of those endeavors, he has competed in a variety of endurance events, including the marathon, 6-hour road bike time trials, and a 100-mile mountain bike race.

His pursuit of his own physical potential is far from over, but his greater desire is to inspire others to find theirs. He has become a race director, fitness media consultant, and a coach and mentor to the athletes around him. He believes that good coffee is the root of all genius, that there’s a bicycle out there for everyone, and that we are all born athletes.

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