Soldiers' performance on Army physical fitness test in keeping with standards of excellence

By: Bill Phelan and Scott Moyers
Unit Public Affairs Representatives






FESTUS, Mo. - Pfc. Jesse Coffey is a 19-year-old Soldier new to the Missouri National Guard. Staff Sgt. Durwin Heater and his wife, Sgt. Stephanie Heater, are both seasoned veterans who have been in the Guard more than a decade apiece and have two Iraq tours each under their military belts.

Despite the differences in age and military experience, all three have something in common - they all recently scored extremely high on the Army Physical Fitness Test, far exceeding the minimum military standards.

Having served nearly 22 years in the military, Master Sgt. Timothy Davis is not easily impressed. So when Coffey, of Pacific, scored an astounding 408 on the test, Davis was awed. And ask the Heaters about the requirements to max the test with a perfect score, they can rattle off those numbers without missing a blink. Both - he's 35 and she's 28 - maxed their test with scores of 300, which they have done every year for the past five years.

Several took notice of the achievements - some for the longevity of what the Heaters, who live in Festus, do annually and others for the sheer magnitude of Coffey's sky-high score.

"I can't recall anyone ever scoring a 408," said Davis, the noncommissioned officer in charge of India Company, a Recruit Sustainment Program unit based in Festus. "I mean, you hear of Soldiers scoring a 350 or a 380, but to score over 400 is simply amazing."

To put it in perspective, Coffey, a medic with the 1175th Military Police Company, completed 150 pushups and 99 sit-ups, each in two minutes. He also ran two miles in 12 minutes and 12 seconds.

To many in the Guard, Coffey's accomplishment is near super-human.

"On a scale of one to 10, Private Coffey is a stud," joked Staff Sgt. Jonathan Edmonson, an Area 9 RSP coordinator. "I served four years with the 1st Ranger Battalion and I never saw anyone do what Private Coffey did. I scored a 350 last time and he beat me in every event. He smoked me, hands down."

For the Heaters - who both serve with the Guard's 220th Engineer Company in Festus - maxing at their PT test is commonplace. Staff Sgt. Durwin Heater, the 220th's full-time training noncommissioned officer, did 101 push-ups 82 sit-ups and ran two miles in 11 minutes and 48 seconds. For males age 32-36, the minimum requirement is 36 push-ups, 42 sit-ups and a two-mile run in at least 17 minutes and 42 seconds.

Sgt. Stephanie Heater did 52 push-ups, 82 sit-ups and ran two miles in 13 minutes and 53 seconds. For females age 27-31, the minimum is 17 push-ups, 45 sit-ups and a run time of 20 minutes and 30 seconds.

But don't ask the Heaters what the minimum requirements are to pass the test. They don't know.

"Just passing it is never the goal for us," said Sgt. Stephanie Heater, a military mechanic in the 220th. "When we're taking the test, people always ask us what the minimum is to pass. They don't know what it takes to max it, but we don't even know what the minimum is. We don't even put that in our brain. We think of it like our minimum is our max, so we have to get at least that."

Staff Sgt. Durwin Heater said he and his wife are both high achievers in most aspects of life.

"We wear this uniform, so the standard's there," he said. "As NCOs, we're supposed to set the standard. So if we set the bar at 300, it sets an example."

Pfc. Coffey and the Heaters all have their regimens for preparing for the PT test.

"I eat a peanut butter, banana and honey sandwich every morning," Coffey said with a smile. "But one thing I never do is lift weights. All I do is pushups, sit-ups, crunches, pull-ups, and I run. Running a lot helps."

Coffey takes physical fitness very seriously, emphasizing endurance over brute strength.

"For medic training you have to carry a rucksack and a litter and the patient can weigh up to 250 pounds with all their gear on," he said. "Split that between two Soldiers and up a three-degree incline and you'll feel it. You have to have endurance. I train myself to last for as long as I can. If I have to carry one person for a long distance, I can do it. If I have to carry several people shorter distances, I can do that. I feel I'm a better asset to the National Guard having endurance over strength. After all, strength comes with endurance."

As for all the accolades, Coffey confesses he's humbled.

"To know that Soldiers in the cadre are somewhat impressed is kind of humbling and it makes me feel really good to be in such good company, especially since I've only been in the Guard for nine months," he said.

Having obtained a civilian emergency medical technicians license, Coffey will soon start working as an EMT in St. Clair, but that is not his ultimate goal.

"I'm looking forward to starting school to become a nurse," he said. "With all I've learned in the military I already have a leg up. I already know anatomy, how to check for symptoms and injuries, how to use an IV - it's just a wealth of knowledge that I already have."

Some Soldiers may wait until a few weeks or months before to start worrying about the PT test. For the Heaters it is more of a lifestyle. Both were natural athletes in high school. She ran track and played soccer and he was a pitcher and center fielder for the baseball team. They also love the outdoors, whether it's going kayaking, rollerblading or fishing.

"The natural ability for us is there," said Durwin Heater, a Guard Soldier for 13 years and a prior-service Marine. "I think if I didn't train at all, I would still pass the PT test. But we still have to train to max it."

They exercise at least three times a week, meeting at the park to run together and then work on push-ups and sit-ups at home. They make healthy eating choices most of the time and try to live health-conscious lifestyles while juggling his full-time job at the armory and her full-time nursing school schedule at Jefferson College.

It helps that they both are making healthy choices together.

"It definitely does," Stephanie Heater said. "Because, come on, if he went by McDonald's every night, I'd be pulled into the fat-eating ring. We motivate each other."

While they have gotten perfect scores on their PT tests for five years, it's not old hat, the Heaters said.

"You still get nervous because you have good days and bad days," Stephanie Heater said. "But if you're training and doing the things you need to pass it, even on a bad day you should be able to - maybe not max a 300 - but you should be able to pass."

And neither of them has any plans of getting scores lower than 300 - which they say is a realistic goal as long as they continue to stay healthy, eat right and exercise.

"I will do everything I have to do to achieve this," Durwin Heater said. "By the time I retire, I will have a 300 every year. That is the goal I set for myself and there's no reason I can't meet it."




Posted: 4/8/2010 2:08:11 PM