Sweat poured down Spc. Richard DeJesus' face.

"Pretty good workout," he said as we caught our breath.  "What a way to start the day."

Assigned to 1^st Platoon, C Troop, 3^rd Regiment, 38^th Cavalry Squadron, DeJesus and 20 other Soldiers in the platoon had just finished carrying three litters (with patients), two five gallon cans filled with water and two boxes of MREs over a 4.5 mile course.

"This is our ‘Full Kit Day,'" 1Lt. Rich Blomstrom, troop executive officer, explained as we ran the course early last Friday morning.

"This is about strengthening spirit de corps, working as a team and competition between the troops," Blomstrom added.

Each Soldier in the platoon wore their "full kit," or plate carriers with plates, ACH (Army Combat Helmet), eye protection, gloves, hydration system, boots and carried three empty ammunition clips.

At the end of the litter carry the platoon was inspected. If a Soldier forgot an item - anything from a notebook to a first aid kit - the platoon would do 10 burpees.  After the inspection, uniforms and barracks would be inspected.

"Part of the event is about ensuring attention to detail," explained 1^st Sgt. Justin Spicher.  "The other part is to hone leadership skills and perform monthly counseling."

The day harkens back to what some in the Army know as "Pay Day Activities."

Back in the day, Soldiers stood inspection before they received their pay.  With today's electronic transfer of funds, this rarely happens. 

As the Army now redeploys after almost a dozen years of deployments, it is now using "Full Kit Days" to reintroduce Soldiers to garrison standards.

Back out on the road, however, garrison standards not on our minds.  Getting to the end of the course was.

"Our commander is into Cross Fit training," Blomstrom said as we neared the end.  

As I ran beside DeJesus, I recalled the kettle bells I had seen in C Troop's ready area.

Kettle bells are an integral part of Cross Fit training.  So too are burpees.

Five minutes later, the event ended and the platoon formed up for inspection.  Blomstrom ran through the inspection list.

The platoon was two items short, and that meant 20 burpees.

"It's about attention to detail," DeJesus said.  "But look how much we've gotten done this morning," he added cheerfully.

It wasn't even 8 am.