Commander’s Drumbeat: Fort Hood’s “Leadership Engagement”

Filed under WTC Commander, WTU/WTB by on July 15, 2011 at 5:31 pm {no comments}

By BG Darryl A. Williams, WTC Commander

BG Darryl A. Williams

It’s always good to return to Fort Hood and check in. My visit to the Warrior Transition Brigade (WTB) was fantastic. I saw a strong demonstration of extraordinary senior mission leader involvement. They were plugged in, turned on, and genuinely interested in their wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers, or Warriors in Transition! They were connected with the Triad of Care leadership, committed to resources the cadre, and displayed a lot of energy when they talked about our warriors.

After visiting with leadership, I met with several Warriors in Transition to see how things were going for them. For the first time in my visits to Warrior Transition Units, I heard something new—that their squad leaders were not tired. If the positive comments I heard from Fort Hood’s Warriors in Transition were any indication, the leader’s energy and focus on our wounded warriors is making a huge and positive difference.

Before I sign off I absolutely have to offer a shout-out to some of the folks there to recognize the hard work and great results.

  • SFC Sonja Talley-Jones is a Platoon Sergeant with the Remote Care Company. She is responsible for the care 12 Soldiers in an area of operations spanning over 900 square miles in Northwest Texas.
  • Sandra Townson is the ombudsman for Carl R. Darnall Medical Center. She and her team of professionals act as mediators for issues Soldiers may face during the healing process. She acts as ombudsman for the over 600 Warriors in Transition of the Fort Hood Warrior Transition Brigade.
  • CPT Levita Springer is the Brigade Medical Officer and a Nurse Case Manager. She oversees patient intake to include all medevacs from theater and has implemented a Comprehensive Treatment Plan that was adopted as a model across WTC.
  • Carol Livingood AW2 advocate for B Co 1st Bn WTB supported the goal of former WTB Soldier, Clayton Carver, to transition to a professional fisherman. In fact, he will be hosting ‘Purple Heart Fishing’ on local PBS affiliate KLRU starting in August this year.
  • Joy Pasco is an AW2 Advocate for D Co 1st Bn WTB and the Remote Care Company. Mrs. Pasco provides assistance for 50 Soldiers and is focused on helping Soldiers through the MEB process who want to stay in the Army. She is responsible for assisting an AW2 Soldier who went through the MEB process, received COAD status, and now is back in the fight in Iraq.
  • I’ll end with MAJ David Shoupe, the battalion’s public affairs officer. He is busy getting the word out on all things WTB at Fort Hood and a huge asset to the organization. Supporting the leadership and WTB Soldiers by communicating the challenges and successes of the organization is one of our most important missions—MAJ Shoupe is clearly on top of this.

Things at Fort Hood looked great. Thank you all for your support and commitment to our wounded, ill and injured Soldiers. Your enthusiasm for your work is obvious. Continue engaging with your leaders at all levels—your successes are directly tied to your skills and the strong relationships you’ve built internally and externally.

Warrior Games Marksman Hunts for Gold

Filed under Adaptive Sports, Staff Stories, Warrior Games by on April 28, 2011 at 1:23 pm {no comments}

By Jim Wenzel, WTC Stratcom

Warrior Games shooter SPC David Oliver poses at the Walter Reed Warrior Transition Brigade marksmanship training range.

Warrior Games 2011 is just around the corner. On May 17, roughly 200 Warrior Games athletes from all the military services will gather at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO to compete in track and field, cycling, swimming, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, archery, and shooting events. The members of the Army shooting team in particular, are determined to continue last year’s winning streak. In 2010, the Army shooting team was awarded 9 of the 12 shooting medals.

Despite the fact that last year’s winner was determined by a slim three tenths of a point, SPC David Oliver is looking for gold when he journeys to Colorado next week. Oliver was an infantryman serving in Afghanistan in December of 2009. He was serving as the gunner of a vehicle when it was attacked and rolled off the side of the road. His right arm sustained a crushing injury which required medical evacuation to Walter Reed and amputation of his arm at the shoulder.

Oliver immediately signed up for the Warrior Games after he heard the announcement at a Walter Reed Warrior Transition Brigade (WTB) company formation in January. When asked why he chose shooting, his response was both direct and confident, “I’ve always been a naturally good shot.” Oliver strengthened his natural ability by completing additional training time on the range each week and additional strength training. Noting that his injury has since turned him from a right-handed to left-handed shooter, and asked if it was difficult to switch hands, he replied, “Not really. When it comes down to it, the fundamentals of shooting are the same.” It is clear that this Sacramento, CA native mastered the mental resiliency required to meet the high pressure environment of the competitive shooting range.

MSG Howard Day, the Warrior Games shooting coach for the Army team describes the course of fire for the rifle competitors as 40 pellets shot in 70 minutes at a target roughly 30 feet away. The difficulty of this feat can only be gauged upon examination of the target. The ten scoring rings are grouped on a paper square no bigger than a cocktail napkin, and the “ten” ring is about the width of a pencil eraser. Day explained, “one dropped shot and you might as well pack it in and go home.” The finalists will most likely be determined by a computer that can calculate exactly how close to the center of the ten ring each shot is placed.

Although Day concludes that the Warrior Games are “not about the medals,” it is clear that SPC David Oliver will bring his best competitive game to Colorado Springs and feels that he will show strong for the Army and himself. As for the future, Oliver places a high priority on staying in the Army but will keep all options open. There is no doubt that he will succeed when he applies the same shooter mentality and focus he is exercising on the range to explore his future career options.

Ride to Win

Filed under Adaptive Sports, Warrior Games by on April 27, 2011 at 12:04 pm {no comments}

By Tim Poch, WTC Stratcom

In April 2010, LTC David Haines (left) accepted the Warrior Transition Battalion’s flag from COL Ronald Place (right), MEDDAC Commander at Fort Knox’s Ireland Army Community Hospital. (Photo courtesy of Army.mil)

The Warrior Games are part of a major effort to inspire success, to capitalize on physical fitness, and to promote new opportunities for growth and achievement among the Army’s Warriors in Transition. In summary, the Warrior Games encourage ability over disability not just in the area of athletics, but in all areas of a Warrior in Transition’s life.

Ability comes in many different forms and for each Warrior Games participant, ability often reaches levels far beyond his or her immediate post-injury expectations. LTC David Haines, a Warrior Transition Brigade (WTB) Commander at Fort Knox, KY, is no exception. He said, “Training for the Warrior Games gave me very specific goals and objectives. I was missing this direction before. The Warrior Games provided me the motivation to get back into the shape I was in before I was injured.” Haines will be competing in this year’s Warrior Games 30K cycling event.

Haines enlisted in the Army in 1983 as an Armor Crewman and received a commission in 1991 as an Armor Officer. He served both as an active duty Soldier and as a National Guardsman with tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

In October 2006, while on a mounted patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, Haines was in a vehicle when it was hit by an Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP), causing severe injuries to his arm, hand, and leg, resulting in nerve damage. Three of his Soldiers were also injured and one died in the explosion. Returning to the United States, Haines received treatment at the Fort Knox WTB for approximately three years. Haines also received physical therapy and an opportunity to identify how to shape his life moving forward post-injury. Although these challenges changed the way Haines lives his life, they did not change the way he achieves his goals. For Haines, athletics became a motivator to reach other goals in life.

Sports have always been a favorite pastime for Haines. As a New England native, Haines participated in cold weather sports as a child. As he got older, however, he became passionate for road and mountain bike racing. Haines has competed at the amateur level and said returning to cycling was one of his major motivations during recovery and rehabilitation at the Fort Knox WTB. When asked why he was competing in the 2011 Warrior Games he responded, “I love to race bikes and hope to represent the Army and Warriors in Transition well. It is another milestone in my recovery.”

In order to prepare himself for the Warrior Games, Haines read Joe Friel’s “Training Bible for Cyclists” and used its best practices as a way to dedicate himself to training. Starting in December of 2010, he focused on achieving a competitive qualifying time for the games. He described his training as a series of “intense” workout sessions, five to six days a week, totalling to approximately 10-15 hours of training per week. In fact, in the process he lost 15 pounds. To compliment his training, Haines participated in the Ride2Recovery Texas Challenge, an organized bike ride from the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX to Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, to get, as Haines put it, “long intense days in the saddle.”

When asked what his major life achievements are he said, “Staying married for almost 22 years and having two great kids.” Haines was quick to add that his wife deserves most of the credit for both achievements. Athletically, Haines added that his first place finish at the Kansas State Category 5 Omnium Championship in 2004 and his second place finish in the 2005 Armed Forces Europe Mountain Bike Series, are among his top cycling achievements.

For the future, Haines plans to stay in the Army despite his eligibility to retire. Haines added that if he ever decides to leave the Army, there are two possibilities out there for him. Haines explained, “If I can make a living somewhere in the cycling industry or helping other wounded warriors, I am there!”

For more information on the 2011 Warrior Games please visit the Army Warrior Games Web page.

 

 

KISS Star Gene Simmons and his “Family Jewels” Cast Rock Fort Hood with a Little Help from WTB Soldiers

Filed under WTU/WTB by on February 9, 2011 at 11:35 am {no comments}

By Erich Langer, WTC Stratcom

Gene Simmons (left) interviews CPT Jose Da Cuna (right), Commander A Company, 1st

Now with nearly 1,000 cable television stations only a click or two away on your TV remote, you probably can catch a bit of the magic that KISS and star performer Gene Simmons created for hordes of Americans 35-years ago. Of course, you can rediscover the music that made stars out of the demon painted face of Simmons and his fellow KISS musicians on your local classic rock radio station. Fortunately for today’s generation—and the last generation—YouTube and other social and traditional media won’t let you down as you cobble together what you missed before you were a twinkle in your daddy’s eye.

For the over 40 somethings who know the songs, the band, and the persona, last week’s Fort Hood visit by Simmons was special. For the younger Soldiers at Fort Hood’s Warrior Transition Battalion (WTB), they too got to see an unmasked Simmons as he and his long-time partner and actress Shannon Tweed, brought another act to the Texas Hill Country.

 It wasn’t the face painted persona and exploding stage show or the songs of yesterday that garnered all the excitement, but it was Simmons’s cable television show, “Family Jewels.” Simmons and KISS still tour around the country, but his Fort Hood trip wasn’t about the music, it was about the troops.

Now a cable icon, Simmons’ and his “Family Jewels” reality TV production team spent four days at Fort Hood with deploying Soldiers/Families and Warriors in Transition (WTs) from the WTB.

For an old rocker rising at zero dark thirty for Physical Training (PT) with a bunch of young troops from the WTB’s A Company, 1st Battalion, a two hour workout might not seem to be a priority. However, PT with WTs was high on Simmons to-do list while at Fort Hood. He and Tweed also sat down with three WTs for interviews that likely will become part of a future show. The heartfelt conversations focused on why they serve, their injuries, and of course their Families.

A second segment was shot during an “Aces and Angels” event hosted by Simmons.  Several WTB Soldiers participated after Simmons extended them invitations to the Dallas event.

Simons and Tweed stayed busy throughout their visit. They met troops, attended deployment ceremonies, ate Army chow and visited the volunteers at the United Services Organization. They even made time to put lead on target at the firing range. Simmons wanted to see up close and personal how Soldiers train and what their days are like.

Program producers explained that that the Fort Hood episode will likely air in late June or early July. 

Soldiers quickly learned that underneath the mask is a man eternally grateful for America’s sons and daughters who put on the uniform and volunteer to fight and sometimes offer up the ultimate sacrifice for those freedoms.

Long a friend of the American Soldier, Simmons is the son of a Jewish concentration camp survivor and immigrant. He came to the United States as a young boy and recently explained to the Fort Hood Sentinel, “If it weren’t for the American military I would not be here today. The American military has always meant the world to me. You can love the military as an ideal, but for me it was survival,” he said.

For nearly a decade, Simmons has been an ardent advocate of troops fighting the war on terrorism. He also puts his money where his mouth is by supporting the Fisher House Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Project. Simmons continues to personally raise money for wounded warriors.

He’s even brought his KISS buddies along in his fundraising endeavors. During the band’s last tour, a dollar from each ticket sold was donated to wounded warrior causes.

“Every one of our concerts is dedicated to our heroes,” he said. “The most impressive thing is looking into the eyes of young people who believe in an ideal and an idea. It’s called America.”

Next time you hear a KISS tune on the radio or see a vintage MTV video featuring the band, think a minute about the man behind the music, behind the mask who supports wounded warriors, Soldiers, and Families.

RSS feed

Write a blog for WTC

Warriors in Transition can submit a blog by e-mailing WarriorCareCommunications [at] conus.army.mil.