Thousands attend annual Mountainfest celebration on Fort Drum

Fort Drum, N.Y. -- Division Hill was alive with the sound of music, games and celebration on June 21 for Mountainfest. Thousands of Fort Drum and surrounding community members gathered on post for the annual summer party that featured both a National Football League and country music star among the day's highlights.

The daylong festivities offered an opportunity for 10th Mountain Division (LI) Soldiers and their loved ones to relax on their home turf on this first day of summer. It also gave neighbors outside the gates a chance to partake of the fun and mingle with members of the Army community.

Pfc. Antony Gibbs said that he enjoyed talking with attendees as he represented C Company, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, in the static display area. Gibbs was the subject-matter expert on hand to explain the Raven B, a hand-launched reconnaissance and surveillance drone used by infantry Soldiers.

"I think it's nice to open the post like this for the people who live around a military installation and don't really know what's going on here," he said. "It's a great event to bring the kids to, and we get to show the community what we do."

Gibbs said he likes to tell people how his father said that he would never get paid to play video games, and yet, as a small unmanned aircraft system operator, that is basically something he does now.

"Here I am sitting down with my controller and flying this airplane," he said.

Jamison Wolf, from Fort Drum Boy Scout Troop 26, also was practicing his community engagement skills with other pack members during Mountainfest. Their booth offered an array of beef jerky -- from the standard pepperoni variety to Tex-Mex, hot barbecue and chili-lime-flavored sticks of preserved protein goodness. Wolf reminded attendees that the money they raised goes toward activities for the Fort Drum Scouts.

"We go on camping trips and we have celebrations," he said.

Wolf said that he looked forward to having fun at Mountainfest after his three-hour shift at the Scout tent, and the dunk tank was one of the sites he wanted to try. He might have been encouraged after hearing Sgt. Robert Kearney tempting people to try knocking him into the water. Kearney, from 23rd Military Police Company, 91st MP Battalion, said that his mission was to get attendees to "get even with an MP."

"This is a great opportunity to show off the company pride," Kearney said. "I'm proud to be in the 23rd MP Company, and I really enjoy doing these kinds of activities and showing that we really care about everyone in the community."

This was his second year attending Mountainfest, and Kearney said that he looked forward to bringing his son later that day.

"We probably won't be attending the concert with our 5-year-old, but we're going to do all the other fun stuff," he said.

Representatives from the Special Operations Recruiting Battalion at Fort Drum were busy talking with attendees about their unique profession.

"This is a great opportunity for us to engage with 10th Mountain Division Soldiers and their Families and talk to them about career opportunities in Special Forces, psychological operations, civil affairs and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment," said Maj. Jonathan Murphy, D Company commander. "Really, our recruiting pool only comes from in-service recruits, but we are here to spread the Army message and tell our Army story to both Soldiers and Civilians as well."

Murphy said that even though most attendees might not be qualified for these specialized fields, he said it is still time well spent.

"That's OK, because a lot of the time they will spread the word to their buddies," he said. "Of all the ones who come through here, we'll reach a few hundred Soldiers throughout the day and we hope to gain about 20 or 30 who will come into our office in the following weeks looking to go to a selection course."

Pvt. Armando Pedroza, 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, was among the flag bearers participating in the Salute to the Nation ceremony, which featured 10th Mountain Division Soldiers marching onto the parade field with flags from all 50 states and six territories. He was originally given the New Jersey state flag but was able to trade for his home state of Georgia with Pvt. Justin Ramey.

"I happened to be standing right next to him, and we traded," Pedroza said. "I lived my whole life in Georgia. I never left Georgia until I joined the Army."

In addition to the roll call of states and territories, spectators at Salute to the Nation were treated to a skydiving performance by members of the Black Daggers, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Parachute Demonstration Team.

Brig. Gen. Andrew M. Rohling, 10th Mountain Division (LI) deputy commanding general-support, welcomed everyone to Fort Drum during the ceremony, describing the day as "quite perfect."

"This ceremony, with all our unit colors, state and territory flags waving before us, makes it even more so," he said. "While we are enjoying this beautiful day, we would be remiss if we did not take a moment to think of and thank the roughly 184,000 Soldiers who will spend the upcoming Independence Day while deployed in 140 countries around the world. Among them is our own 10th Combat Aviation Brigade currently serving in Europe and Iraq. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers."

Rohling introduced the keynote speaker, Alejandro Villanueva, a former 10th Mountain Division (LI) officer who is currently an offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Villanueva said that he was humbled and honored to be back at Fort Drum, where he attended the annual Mountain Remembrance ceremony June 20, hosted a two-day youth football camp and met with former colleagues.

"I also had the opportunity to feel like a Soldier again, and that's the only tough and difficult part about this trip," he said. "Tough, because I simply miss being part of this great unit. Tough, because I thought that playing in the National Football League would be the best football environment I could ever be a part of, but coming here reminded me that playing football at a combat outpost in the middle of nowhere with my platoon was actually the best time I ever had playing football."

Villanueva served as a platoon leader, executive officer and assistant operations officer and deployed to Afghanistan three times while assigned to 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, and with the 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.

"Of course, coming here is a difficult reminder of the lives that were lost in the fight -- the lives of Soldiers who sacrificed everything in the line of duty," he said. "It has been humbling for me to meet the Gold Star Families of heroes who walked around this very same installation, heroes who answered the call of duty in time of war -- Mountaineers who will be remembered forever."

Villanueva said that people often wonder what compels men and women to take up arms and leave their Families and friends to go and fight the nation's wars. He said that everyone who wears the American flag on their shoulder knows that the answer is the men and women who stand next to them wearing the very same patch.

"You belong to a brotherhood that stays with you forever, and a brotherhood that makes the 10th Mountain Division a place where friendships are formed that last forever. For me to be part of this brotherhood means more than anything else I can ever ask for," he said.

The U.S. Military Academy Class of 2010 graduate said that being back at Fort Drum reminded him of the little things that he once took for granted that he now misses.

"Don't think it gets any better than working out every morning with people who are willing to go to the end of the world with you. It doesn't," Villanueva said. "Don't think that anything else will give you as much professional purpose as strapping on your helmet and walking out the wire in search of the enemy with your brothers and sisters. And don't think that you will meet anyone more memorable, loved and respected than someone who has laid down their life in battle. These are just simple truths."

Villanueva concluded his remarks with a shout-out to his former unit.

"If the 10th Mountain Division is the best division in the Army then, of course, and I say this knowing this is my only chance to address the division, then 2-87 Catamounts are the best infantry battalion in the armed forces."

The evening ended with the Salute to the Troops Tribute Concert featuring Trace Adkins and a fireworks finale.