Fort Sill unveils new 'Team Sill Oklahoma PRIDE' campaign

By Mrs. Monica Wood (TRADOC)January 14, 2010

Title
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SILL, Okla.--Fort Sill unveiled its new "Team Sill Oklahoma Pride" initiative at a meeting last week. The campaign, intended to show the unity of Fort Sill, is a comprehensive program that ties everything Fort Sill is doing and everything that Fort Sill is.

"So it's not just about the present, it's also the past and the future," said Lt. Col. Kevin Gregory, strategic communications director. "It's more than Fort Sill, with its rich history and heritage, it's about Southwest Oklahoma ... so that diversity, tied to the history of Fort Sill and how it progressed and the tie from Fort Sill to the present-day, to Lawton and Southwest Oklahoma. We're all one team linked together. Our post commander wants everyone - Soldiers, civilians and family members to feel part of more than just Fort Sill - we're Lawton, Fort Sill and the Oklahoma community."

According to Gregory, who unveiled the logo and a video about Team Sill Oklahoma Pride, the intent of Team Sill is to show our pride in Team Sill and in Oklahoma.

The campaign embodies five principals: People, Readiness, Innovation, Diversity and Excellence.

According to the video which was unveiled at the Sill FACTS meeting, Fort Sill is a team of unique people, people who form the fiber that defines who we are: Soldiers, families, civilian employees and contractors.

It has made Fort Sill a true "center of excellence."

Maj. Gen.David Halverson, commanding general of the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill, spoke to the Sill FACTS attendees after the video was unveiled. He said, "Team Sill is part of your whole civic responsibility. This is part of what we do here as part of greater Southwest Oklahoma. This is one of the approaches where we really have to come together, because the more focused we are, the better we are going to be to move us forward, both from the community side and here on post, to enhance readiness. All of us here have an obligation of civil payback to the community. One of the things we're looking at is,"How do we get there' How do we give back that which used to be family time or civic time, so that we connect with our civic responsibilities'" We are an all-volunteer force. We have to sustain that forcen as we are in an era of persistent conflict.

"We'll need everyone's support here to connect the dots; to get the word out is very important. You'll see a lot more of Team Sill because we do have a lot to be proud of here at Fort Sill-Lawton," said Halverson.

Gregory summed it up by saying, "We're all in this together, working together for the same common goals, and we move forward as a team. This program is about everything, from the importance of education, colleges and universities and those folks growing up and becoming part of the workforce of Southwest Oklahoma."

"From a leaders' point of view, it's a way to look at your people. How are they doing' Are they involved in the community' Do they have time to engage and enjoy what Fort Sill's history and Southwest Oklahoma have to offer' 'Team' implies just that - it's that transparency of everybody being part of the same team - there's no one who doesn't have a voice. Team Sill gives us a framework with which to live it. Everyone is part of the solution and together we all move forward," said Gregory.