CommunityEditor
02-09-2009, 11:48 PM
Pairing extreme sports and leadership exercises, Installation Management Command-Europe is hoping to ease the difficult transition troops can face when returning home from the combat zone.
About 8,000 soldiers stationed in Germany have begun participating in Warrior Adventure Quest, a new program conceived by Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command.
The program was piloted in late 2008, but this is “the real deal,” said Ken White, chief of public affairs for Installation Management Command-Europe.
Activities in the one-day program can include paintball, skiing, snowboarding, rappelling, rock climbing, mountain bike riding, canoeing and bungee jumping.
Soldiers with the 2nd Striker Cavalry Regiment, the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade and the 1st Armored Division are among the first to experience Warrior Adventure Quest.
The idea is to take platoon-level groups and help readapt them to the home front through these sports, White said. Combined with leadership-building activities, soldiers are encouraged to build self-confidence and develop further trust in one another.
Transition programs are important because soldiers who have been in combat grow accustomed to an environment where they “survive on adrenaline,” White said.
“When you go to an environment where all of a sudden that no longer exists, there are folks that say you are predisposed to make decisions that may be a little more risky to try and recreate those adrenaline levels,” White said.
These adventure sports allow soldiers to “get that adrenaline going,” White said, but in a safe and responsible way.
The program is free to soldiers. Activities vary depending on location and time of year.
The Army has plans to expand the program in fiscal 2009 to many stateside bases where soldiers are returning from deployments, White said. The hope is to enroll those soldiers who are within 90 days of returning home from combat, he said.
Article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/02/army_quest_020909w/
About 8,000 soldiers stationed in Germany have begun participating in Warrior Adventure Quest, a new program conceived by Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command.
The program was piloted in late 2008, but this is “the real deal,” said Ken White, chief of public affairs for Installation Management Command-Europe.
Activities in the one-day program can include paintball, skiing, snowboarding, rappelling, rock climbing, mountain bike riding, canoeing and bungee jumping.
Soldiers with the 2nd Striker Cavalry Regiment, the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade and the 1st Armored Division are among the first to experience Warrior Adventure Quest.
The idea is to take platoon-level groups and help readapt them to the home front through these sports, White said. Combined with leadership-building activities, soldiers are encouraged to build self-confidence and develop further trust in one another.
Transition programs are important because soldiers who have been in combat grow accustomed to an environment where they “survive on adrenaline,” White said.
“When you go to an environment where all of a sudden that no longer exists, there are folks that say you are predisposed to make decisions that may be a little more risky to try and recreate those adrenaline levels,” White said.
These adventure sports allow soldiers to “get that adrenaline going,” White said, but in a safe and responsible way.
The program is free to soldiers. Activities vary depending on location and time of year.
The Army has plans to expand the program in fiscal 2009 to many stateside bases where soldiers are returning from deployments, White said. The hope is to enroll those soldiers who are within 90 days of returning home from combat, he said.
Article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/02/army_quest_020909w/