Over the past four years, the retired technical sergeant of the US Air Force Chris Ferrell has worked as a specialist in the field of Special Operations Combat Training. It is his job to facilitate live scenarios with foreign and domestic special operations OPS teams, so they are willing to protect themselves and others in case the situation requires it.
Whether it is about training service embers, speaking on behalf of wounded veterans, or even being part of the Warrior games, Ferrell is of the opinion that he owes his efforts to those who came for him and helped him in his own life and time.
“I had fantastic leadership throughout my career.”
The current position of Ferrell (one of the many he has chosen to take on) is one that he is proud of, not just because of what it does for those he trains, but because of how close he came to lose his own life.
Service was the life he chose
The resident of Bossier City, Louisiana was a high school senior when the attacks of 11 September took place, and the son of a Navy -Lineman immediately knew what he was going to do later in life.
“At that time I knew that I would lead a life of service.”
After a year at the university, he felt that it was time to make his move. Ferrell took service with the Air Force of the United States, where he became an explosive technician.
“I wanted to become a pararescueman or combat controller, but I didn’t get my eye examination. They said I could do EOD, and when they explained what it was, I said:” Cool, draw me. “
By 2005 he was on his first of various efforts, traveled to Afghanistan. During his career, he had found and disarmed various improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to help his teammates carry out their activities.
Ferrell’s career and life changed dramatically on December 15, 2009, when one of his teammates rose an IED during a kill or conquering operation in combination with British troops. The teammate was killed and the power pushed Ferrell and the other teammates at 10-15 feet. Ferrell remembered that the teammate, Tony Campbell, was in an explosion with his hand up, almost goodbye to goodbye before he took his last breath.
“Fast forward, I cleared the rest of the area, we could make fellow.”
After a stay in a week in a hospital, Ferrell could have went home, but chose to stay and continue to serve.
Two months later, together with teammates and British Infantry Groups, he would encounter a different Ied explosion incident. He was about 15 feet distance, but it still killed one person and injured three others. Ferrell’s efforts helped the wounded and knew the site. As a result, he received a British recommendation from the Kandahar Airfield Commander for heroism. By the time he was medical in 2017, he also received many other awards from his own country, including a bronze star and purple heart.
Fit his life literally saved
The physical injuries that came with Ferrell’s incident were clear, but as he found out, they could be worse. He grew up, but was strong for his size and started with weight training while playing football. He knew little that his dedication to the iron would save his life. Once he started working as an EOD technology, he committed even more, especially for running, whom he admitted that he was never a fan.
“Running was miserable and is still to this day, but I was very good at it.”
Ferrell knew that he had to be in the best possible form, and that decision has paid off for him. During a mission in 2005 he had to run to help three teammates who were hit by an IED. A teammate suffered an amputation and two others were injured. Ferrell had to run half a mile to get to them and started victim care. All three were saved.
“That was my introduction to the army at war. I realized that I had to be in shape so that I could save boys. My training changed drastically.”
Fast forward to his own incident in 2009, and it turned out that passion for fitness saved him again. He was told by his doctors that his muscle mass and bone density literally save him to cause extra damage through the explosion.
“I could not be an obstacle to the team. I had to be a plus,” he explained. “The doctor came in and said that if we hadn’t been as close as we were, our injuries would have been much more serious.”
Mental tolls and overcome
The toll on Ferrell, however, was far beyond his body. His mental, emotional and spiritual health was also affected, but it was not clear to him long after the incident took place.
This was confirmed when he started evaluating his brain after noticing changes in his behavior and even trying self -removal several times. Doctors told him that he had 32 dead spots in his brain. He also dealt with bilateral hearing loss and other issues of which he was never aware of.
Ferrell went through various forms of treatments, was about medication and even therapy, but he concluded that there was a difference between what he called ‘alive’ versus ‘existing’. Something was missing and he found it while he was on his way to recovery.
“I realized that after the service, I had to find a way to serve.”
While he became involved in the Warrior games, he saw that there were many people who were in similar situations with his. He also realized that he had a new way to serve and contribute. He could help his colleague heroes who had to do with the same toll that he was.
“Let me help those who have a hard time as I was.”
Ferrell became a public speaker and advocate with a personal mission to achieve and make contact with service embersons who are confronted with their own setbacks. He also focused on what he could do with training, so he led to Lynn Coffland and Catch-A-Lift.
“Lynn Coffland found me at my lowest point,” he remembered. “Fitness was the catalyst. That was the only thing I didn’t have to think about.”
Ferrell has also credited Air Force Wounded Warriors, who helped him personally and with which he also collaborated. He travels and speaks about leadership and trauma. Those efforts and others have given him the incentive to continue, to continue to serve and enjoy making a difference.
As the husband and father concluded during his journey, if a bomb could not kill him, and he could not even do it himself, he should get the most out of the life he has, and that includes helping others to get the most out of them. He has lost many teammates, both in battle and through other ways. In Ferrell’s eyes every life he can help save one that is worth all the time that he can commit.
“As soon as it gets dark, it can be very difficult to see the light,” he shared. “Advocacy is a necessity. That is what gives me a goal now.”
Chris Ferrell’s Century training
More than 20 years ago, Ferrell found a system that helped him to train hard for strength and endurance, and he credits it for saving his life. He calls it the Century training program and invites you to take it for a spider. You choose a weight for every exercise that can be estimated at 65 percent of your one representative Max. The goal is 100 total repetitions for each exercise, regardless of how many sets it needs.
“You do every exercise until you reach 100 repetitions with a break of 30-45 seconds between sets,” he said. If you perform 15 repetitions at the first set, start the next with 16. Keep that count going until you reach 100 repetitions. You then continue to the next exercise. Ferrell stated that he is still doing this with retirement, so that he can continue to prove himself when he trains other operators.
“The training must take between 50 minutes and 1 hour, depending on the pace you use.”
Ferrell shared a Sample Push Day training that thinks that would be a challenge that is worth trying every lifter, regardless of the fitness discipline they follow. Perform 100 total repetitions of each exercise on the list below.
- Flat Barbell Bench Press
- Help bank
- Cable crossovers
- Dip
- Pushups
- Rope extensions
- Seated overhead dumbbell -press
- Skull Crushers
- Straight Balk Triceps -Extensions
- Close GRIP PUSHUPS
Mave Military Editor Rob Wilkins has contributed to this article.
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