Hero WOD for June 13 — SSG Andrew Pokorny
SSG Andrew Pokorny, born on Sept 10, 1972 and from Naperville, Illinois, tragically lost his life on June 13, 2003 in an armored vehicle accident in Asad, Iraq. He had been serving with the 3rd Air Defense Artillery, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, based in Fort Carson, Colorado. The incident occurred during the return from a patrol when Pokorny’s M113 armored personnel carrier encountered a track malfunction, causing the vehicle to veer off the road and overturn after a 4-foot drop-off.
Andrew Pokorny had a deep-rooted dedication to his military career, enlisting right after high school at the age of 17. He began his Army career as a mechanic and was stationed in Germany, where he met with his future wife, who had previously served as an administrative specialist for the Army.
In 1992, Pokorny spent six months as a mechanic with the Army Rangers in Mogadishu, Somalia. Reflecting on his experiences, his wife, Martha Pokorny, shared, “He just loved the camaraderie. He loved being with other soldiers, the soldiers who were under him. Everything about them came first,”
While Andrew Pokorny’s dedication to his job and the soldiers under his command was unwavering, his family couldn’t help but worry about him. His sister, Barbara Bonnet, expressed concerns but also acknowledged their understanding of his profound commitment to his duty, saying, “We knew how he felt about it…this was his thing. He was proud to be doing it. He was ready to get down there and do it and do it right.”
This Hero WOD is created and dedicated to SSG Andrew Pokorny and his loved ones left behind.
Together We Served page for Andrew Pokorny
Warmup:
200 yard run
9 4-count Jumping Jacks
10 Reachers
72 2-count Flutter Kicks
200 yard run
WOD:
This is a 30 minute bodyweight AMRAP, you’ll need to mark out a distance of approximately .25 miles/400 meters. You will perform these exercises in order and repeat each round until the time runs out:
3 Burpees
6 Ankle Touch Jump Squats
13 Perfect Pushups*
30 Stiff Legged Situps
3 Burpees
Run .25 Mile
Repeat until time is up
* Perfect Pushup: A hand release pushup is a variation of the traditional pushup where, after lowering your chest to the ground, you briefly lift your hands off the floor before pushing back up. Once you have pushed back up, perform an alternating shoulder tap (tap each shoulder).
Modifications:
Many ways to scale this workout:
Cut the AMRAP time in thirds or half (20 minute, 15 minute…)
Burpees: perform walking burpees (instead of jumping, you step one foot at a time towards your hands and then return to a standing position) or squat thrusts (just drop hands to ground, kick the legs back, bring legs back and stand)
Traditional pushups, knee pushups, wall pushups
Crunches
Shorten the run, walk the distance, ruck the distance