Warrior Brigade Spouses and supporters bond through Solder Tasks

By Pfc. Robert England, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Public AffairsMay 5, 2010

Warrior Brigade Spouses and supporters bond through Solder Tasks
Spouses and friends of 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division assist each other in negotiating a wall at the Leadership Reaction Course at Schofield Barracks April 30 as part of Warrior Ohana Day. The day's events... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Soldiers, spouses and supporters with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Advise and Assist Brigade), 25th Infantry Division, participated in the brigade's Warrior Ohana Day celebration here April 30.

Teams of spouses and supporters from all units within the brigade, including the Stability Transition Teams (STT) and brigade headquarters, gathered for a day full of healthy bonding and friendly competition to further unify and strengthen support groups prior to the brigade's departure for deployment.

During the opening ceremony at Watts Field, Col. Patricia Frost, the senior advisor for the brigade's Family Readiness Groups (FRGs), gave eager participants an idea of the events that would test the motivation and camaraderie of all the Warrior participants, beginning with a guidon-making competition that allowed each team to design unique flags to represent its inner beast.

Competitors were split into two groups and shuttled by bus to the Battle Command Training Center, and the Training and Audiovisual Support Center, where the teams practiced with the virtual squad and convoy trainer and learned "Combat Life Saver" techniques. Competitors were also instructed and tested on the assembly and disassembly of the M9 pistol and M4 carbine.

After both groups rotated between each location, they moved to the Leaders Reaction Course on-post. Each team was encouraged to utilize critical thinking and teamwork to accomplish each objective. Participants were then administered a mock physical fitness test - they had to do as many push-ups and sit-ups as they could for one minute for each exercise. Finally, the teams began the two-mile road march down to the obstacle course for the final event of the competition.

After the obstacle course, competitors returned to Watts Field for the closing ceremony where the brigade command team presented individuals and teams with awards ranging from most push-ups to most team spirit.

All participants displayed tremendous amounts of pride for their respective units, but kept an overall theme of unity and sportsmanship in mind as they tackled the various events throughout the day, congratulating their teammates and cheering each other on. Col. Malcolm B. Frost, the 2BCT commander, with members of the brigade command team, expressed gratitude to the participants and supporters, as well as the brigade staff that assisted in making the event successful.