Teams pull 18-ton vehicle for St. Jude

“Pullers ready?” “Stand by!” The sound of the siren marked the start of the inaugural Fallen Officers Memorial MRAP Pull.

Under the beaming sun on a hot Saturday in Memphis, 13 teams of eight used every muscle to pull the 18-ton MineResistant Ambush Protected vehicle using a rope.

The search-and-rescue military machine is designed to withstand improvised explosive device attacks.

Teams mostly made up of law enforcement officers, military members,

“We actually had no idea, we just came in with open hearts. We were hopeful, but at the end we ended up pulling together.”

new recruits and gym junkies gathered to raise almost $7,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through a little competition, said Byron Haynes, Memphis Police Department tactical officer.

To compete, teams had to raise a minimum $500.

“You raise more money with a competition of people coming together as a team,” he said.

Every day children at St. Jude are fighting for their lives, said Haynes, who works part time as a security guard for the hospital.

The dedication, strength and joy those children have on their face daily is unlike anything he’s encountered on the police force, he said.

After hearing about the FedEx Express Plane Pull Challenge, which benefits Special Olympics Indiana, Haynes said he wanted to bring something similar to the Memphis community. That’s how the MRAP Pull challenge idea was born.

“Go! Go! Go!, Keep pulling!” yelled spectators on the sidelines as the Orangetheory Fitness group crossed the finish line. After two rounds of the 65-feet pull, the group made up of employees and gym members finished in first place with a time of 34.81 seconds.

“We actually had no idea, we just came in with open hearts,” said Jeff Rose, Lakeland Orangetheory Fitness owner. “We were hopeful, but at the end we ended up pulling together.”

Rose, who said he often raises funds for causes in Memphis, teamed up with the Memphis Police Department tactical unit to offer a one-day high-intensity training class at the gym. He said they raised more than $1,000 as a result of the class.

After the MRAP Pull, vendors filled the perimeter of Tiger Lane with music, inflatables and video games for children and Memphis-style barbecue.

Jeff Rose

Donning cowgirl boots, a purple tutu, and a cowgirl’s hat, Lt.Tina Halfacre, Memphis Police Motorcycle Unit, pulls MPD’s 18-ton armored vehicle with her group, Girl Power Honor Guard, during the Memphis Police Tact-Unit’s first annual Fallen Officers...

Lester Grady, with his Army group, pulls the Memphis Police Department’s 18-ton armored vehicle during the Memphis Police Tact-Unit’s first annual Fallen Officers Memorial MRAP Pull at Tiger Lane on Saturday. Teams of 8 had two attempts to pull the...