Jacob Munez served in the light infantry, infantry and medical divisions of the US Army in his six years of service. He was stationed across different states in the US, and deployed to Korea, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan, before returning to the Philippines to settle for civilian life. He later joined a national pageant and won the winning title, and has since helped manage a PBA basketball team, and co-own a successful CrossFit business, ‘LOKAL Active’ based in Quezon City.
US Army Training
Jacob was only 18 years old when he started training for the US Army in August 2010. He considers his six months stay at the US Army boot camp in Fort Knox, Kentucky one of the most challenging experiences in his life. From completing a 12-mile ruck march, which consisted of carrying 45 pounds while hiking in the woods, to getting screamed and cussed at by drill instructors, to sharpshooting targets to earn his first marksmanship badge.
Jacob says he had never been so pushed to the limit in all ways. Simultaneously, it was also there and then that he was disciplined and molded mentally and physically. The level of commitment to precisely executing and successfully accomplishing a task regardless of difficulty, and the emotional stamina to overcome hard situations no matter how stressful are personal qualities he was able to develop thanks to his military training.
Military Life
Life after training was generally less taxing, as Jacob’s military lifestyle in his first base was built around predictable routines. Jacob’s first station upon graduating from basic training in March 2011 was at Schofield Barracks in Oahu, Hawaii.
A typical day for him would be waking up at 5am for PT (short for physical training), a big breakfast alone or with his colleagues, followed by a regular 9 to 5 doing office work, then a work out session in the Schofield fitness center, and a hearty dinner before going to bed.
Outside the usual schedule, Jacob would be assigned 24-hour shift staff duty, sometimes called for field training exercises that ranged from company level to battalion, as well as participate in various combatives and skill development courses. In fact, it was during an airborne course that Jacob incurred an ACL (short for anterior cruciate ligament) injury, consequently needing reconstruction surgery for his knee to recover.
There were also a few months when he was sent overseas. In particular, he resided at Camp Casey in Dongducheon, South Korea where he took part in ROK/US military training exercises.
Completely opposite to the Hawaiian tropical and humid climate, Jacob was later stationed in Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Tacoma where it was often cold and raining. Whereas he became extremely tan in Hawaii, Jacob jokes that he turned pale in Seattle. On a serious note, Jacob shares that “it taught me to learn to adjust to any environment though, which is probably why I’m able to assimilate quickly to different environments and circumstances.”
Jacob was in JBLM when he was ordered to go to Kuwait, where he was deployed for 11 months. Jacob mentions that this was his mom and then-girlfriend (now wife), Denice’s worst fear. But as a US army soldier and a United States citizen, his mindset was fixed, and he was very willing to serve his country.
Deployment in War Zones
While in Kuwait, there were days when he did not know if it would be his last. He was in Camp Arifjan when a Shia mosque exploded just minutes away from their base. He recalls the adrenaline rushing through his veins and his stomach curling as he drove a Humvee to the bomb site to check on the situation.
Jacob had also been pulled out from Kuwait to take special flights to Iraq and Afghanistan as part of classified emergency missions. Jacob confesses that “seeing war up close changes you, and you realize that life just ends like that…”
Jacob comments that the US has been extremely supportive of its soldiers’ welfare. He appreciated the fun runs that the camp’s MWR (morale, welfare, and recreation) center would organize on a monthly basis that helped him fellowship with his co-soldiers, and occasional cook-outs that made them reminiscent of normal life at home.
While Jacob has engaged in sprinting, combatives, and strength training in the past, as it happens, Jacob was introduced to a more extreme full-body fitness practice in Camp Arifjan, CrossFit. “I really liked the CrossFit environment more than utilizing traditional gym equipment. I felt my overall fitness level progress faster, and really enjoyed the community who genuinely just want better for themselves and our co-athletes”
Jacob shares that the coaches who ran the CrossFit box in Camp Arifjan were also deployed soldiers, but actually volunteered their certified CrossFit coaching services for free, out of love and passion for the CrossFit community.
By the time Jacob returned from Kuwait to Tacoma in late 2016, he felt ready to settle down, and decided to go home to the Philippines to be with his girlfriend Denice, who he had been, at the time, in a 4-year long distance relationship with already.
Transition to Civilian Life
Back in the Philippines and at 25 years old, friends and family in the Filipino-Chinese community teased Jacob to try his shot at pageantry, since it would be the last year he would be allowed to participate due to Mr. and Ms. Chinatown’s Philippines’ (MCMP) prescribed age limit.
Lo and behold, Jacob ended up doing great and appealing to the pageant’s followers because of his story and physical appearance. He was chosen as the Darling of the Press of his batch and wowed audiences with his powerful answer to the finale Q&A during coronation night, where he reiterated the importance of imparting the values of brotherhood and resilience to the next generation, which he learned to cherish because of his military background.
Jacob was able to secure endorsement deals with TechnoMarine, Blackwater and April Aesthetic Clinic before deciding that modeling and showbiz was not his cup of tea.
In 2019, Jacob was appointed to assist in managing the Blackwater Bossing PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) basketball team. Surprisingly, working with the team has appeared to be very similar to the way he handled things in the military. Much of the job is done outside the court. Like ensuring the team’s physical readiness and communication with coaches, players and their family members, all to ensure a harmonious team environment in time for game day. Much like how it was with his soldiers and colleagues in the US Army.
The Blackwater Bossing’s home court is at the top floor of Aero Center in Quezon Avenue, QC.
LOKAL Active CrossFit
Since moving to the Philippines, Jacob has kept an active lifestyle and was part of other CrossFit boxes before many CrossFit locations started shutting down when the pandemic hit. During the prolonged ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) in 2020, Jacob resolved to simply working out at home with his own WOD (work out of the day). He had been into CrossFit for five years by then, and could easily manage his own fitness regimen.
When covid protocols started easing latter part of the year, Jacob was invited by his co-athlete to invest and become co-owners of a new fitness business, which turned out to be LOKAL Active founded in January 2021.
For Jacob, it made sense to turn his passion for fitness into a revenue generating enterprise, as the location of his CrossFit venture also happened to be in the ground floor of Aero Center, the same venue he reports to work at daily for Blackwater Bossing.
“Right now, LOKAL Active is really a passion project. My co-owners and I are all super dedicated to the sport, but have our own day jobs outside the box.” Jacob says CrossFit is like a family, and to be able to have a first hand leadership role in fostering that feeling of belongingness while ameliorating the physical and mental state of LOKAL athletes is already gratifying on its own.
“In CrossFit, all you gotta do is show up, and it just keeps getting better after!” CrossFit has been a pivotal part of Jacob’s functional-fitness improvement while in deployment. But it has also been immensely beneficial to reconditioning his mental well-being as a channel for better self-esteem, stress release, and improved cognitive health!
It helps that Jacob possess the military psyche of pushing for excellence and adapting to any environment. These qualities have pushed Jacob to innovate LOKAL’s fitness programs and motivate him to study the whole new world of entrepreneurship and marketing.
LOKAL Active as a brand aims to enliven the local fitness space. Whereas many boxes have ceased operations since the pandemic, LOKAL Active defied odds and opened despite economic risks, to build a safe and inspiriting community that drives each other to achieve health and fitness goals together.
Words for 2022
Recovery and growth are two key words Jacob is holding on to this 2022. As the country is slowly opening up again, he hopes LOKAL Active will be a source of recovery and growth for its box members, as he also aims to achieve for himself in all aspects of his life. “We’ve lost so much because of covid, it’s time to recover from things we missed, and maximize and grow from opportunities that we otherwise would not have without the pandemic.”
You may follow Jacob and his business ventures below:
Personal Facebook: munezjacob
Personal Instagram: @jacobmunez
LOKAL Facebook: lokalactivecenter
LOKAL Instagram: @lokalactive
—alike.com.ph
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