Last Thursday morning, I breakfasted on cat food and rice.

In the early hours of the day before, I had joined 3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon to participate in a 56-hour event called the I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord's Senior Leaders Mangudai.

"There will be little sleep and less food; we'll carry our rucksacks and walk everywhere," I Corps Command Sgt. Maj. John Troxell had told us. "We're gonna see what we're made of, and leadership skills will be strengthened. We will validate our credentials as NCOs."

What I'm made of didn't concern me; eating food for cats, though, gave me pause.

"Friskies makes a good product, doesn't it?" Troxell said as he smiled and watched me eat.

My two-word response can't be printed here. 

According to legend, the "Mangu-Dai" were the elite of Genghis Khan's army.  These warriors were chosen for their ability to endure and win under harsh conditions.

Today, the term "Mangudai" denotes a leadership challenge that can last up to 72 hours.

"This event will test your physical, mental and emotional endurance as well as our warrior skills," Troxell told two platoons, comprised of eight squads of 65 Soldiers, two Airmen, one Marine and this reporter.

Air Force Senior Master Sergeants Thomas Briggs and Ryan Knight, 1st Air Support Operations Group, welcomed the opportunity to validate their standing with the Soldiers they work with.

"It's good to keep basic our skills sharp," commented Briggs. 

Knight smiled.  "This isn't something we haven't seen before; it's good to be out here."

The members of my squad were Master Sgt. Michael Kohlhorst, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade; 1st Sgt. Bernard Chapman, 51st Signal Battalion; Sgt. 1st Class Donald Register, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment; Staff Sgt. Kevin Moore, 2nd Regiment, 3rd Infantry Regiment; Staff Sgt. Michelle Sarabia, Non Commissioned Officer Academy; 1st Sgt. Justin Spicher, 3rd Squadron, 38th Cavalry Regiment; Sgt. Maj. Jamie Scott, 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade; Sgt. Maj. David Nal, 17th Fires Brigade; and Sgt. Maj. Alonzo Melton, 62nd Medical Brigade.

Our mentor was Sgt. Maj. Carl Parker, one of the many who worked with Troxell to put the challenge together. 

No one Soldier on our squad had ever met the other.

"Expect confusion," Parker advised.  "How we work together is crucial."

Our first challenge was an obstacle course, during which our squad's sense of teamwork took form.

It had to - there was no other way to complete Mangudai.

The hours passed quickly, the miles slowly. Tired muscles and hunger grew incrementally.

No one complained.

Throughout the event, the JBLM Mangudai Warriors received ambiguous instructions in confronting challenges ranging from assaulting the urban environments at Mytkina, Leschi Town and Regensburg and capturing high value targets to stress firing and confronting a field leader's reaction course.

"This is a leader development exercise," Troxell repeated when talking about his 11th Mangudai event. 

The toughest event was the litter carry. With a large Soldier dressed in full kit (and weighing about 300 pounds), we carried the litter 3,000 meters to a casualty collection point.

Now muscles weren't just talking, they were screaming - a working definition of a "gut check."

Between events were miles of road march. 

Rest came in small intervals as we nodded off on Strykers, helicopters and on the deck of a landing craft.

That's right - Mangudai featured air, land and water operations.

On Oct.19, the final day, the remaining 62 warriors boarded the Malvern Hill, a 174-foot landing craft, for a 3-hour ride to an amphibious assault at Solo Point Beach.

As the grey dawn opened her eyes, we splashed ashore and climbed a very steep and long hill. Once on top, the two platoons began planning an assault on a trench line.

"This is ‘combat light,' no heavy gear," someone in the brush behind me said.

My fatigue level said otherwise; nothing felt light anymore. 

The assault on the objective proceeded, and both platoons performed well.

"This has been the best Mangudai ever," a clearly pleased Troxell said as we moved toward American Lake and a Zodiac boat crossing. "This is the first Mangudai here, and I hope to make it a biennial event," he added.

As we stood in formation later at Shoreline Park for the awarding of certificates, the mood of the tired and hungry Soldiers, Marine, Airmen and reporter was upbeat.

"You've all performed well. Mangudai has been an unqualified success," Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, I Corps deputy commanding general, said during closing remarks.

As I walked away, Troxell asked me if I wanted to participate in a second JBLM Mangudai early next year.

I said I look forward to my next breakfast of cat food and rice.