Fort Belvoir, Va. (May 15, 2014) - On May 2, Fort Belvoir Soldiers, civilians and Family members spread out across Washington D.C. in a race to visit different historic memorials.
The "History Hunt," was one of U.S. Army Garrison Fort Belvoir Headquarters Battalion's monthly Leadership and Professional Development events. The battalion opened the event to other directorates on Fort Belvoir and Family members.
"The purpose of the history hunt was to get Soldiers out of their barracks, out of Fort Belvoir and to connect them to some of the history of the United States," said Maj. Geoffrey Earnhart, Headquarters Battalion operations officer.
Soldiers, civilians and Family members broke into teams at the National Mall, where they received clue sheets.
"They had to figure out which monuments to go to and they had to take a photo of themselves at the monument," Earnhart said. "There were questions about the monument, like 'What's inscribed at the base of the monument?'"
Visiting the monuments helped remind Soldiers and team members about the Army's history and lent perspective to their daily jobs, Earnhart said.
"When they're going to the World War II Memorial or the Vietnam Veterans Memorial or the Korean War Memorial, it puts in greater perspective what service in the military is all about," he said. "Then, when they're going to some of these other memorials -- the Lincoln, the Jefferson, the FDR Memorial and Martin Luther King Memorial --it kind of brings in (the idea) that there's a lot more to what we're doing here than just the military. This is kind of what we're fighting for."
It's easy to get caught up in the daily grind, but events like these give Soldiers and Army civilians a break from the office and help re-motivate them, Earhart said.
"Sometimes if you just take a break and you go somewhere that's not like work and you wear civilian clothes and you do something different, it is morale building," he said. "It increases resilience."
Teams earned points for visiting each monument and answering the questions correctly. They also earned bonus points for taking pictures with tourists from other nations, or with a mounted law officer, Earnhart said.
The History Hunt is one of many activities Headquarters Battalion hosts each month for Leadership and Professional Development activities, said Lt. Col. Brian Zarchin, Headquarters Battalion commander.
"We do these really to build cohesion, but also to expose our Soldiers and our leaders to things that are available in this area," he said.
Last year, Headquarters Battalion hosted a History Hunt on Fort Belvoir.
Scavenger hunts like these promote physical fitness, since Soldiers are racing to find clues on foot, he added.
It's also a way to help Soldiers get comfortable in the local area, so they can then bring their Families back with them.
"It is resilience training in disguise," Zarchin said. "Now that these Soldiers and leaders go out and they do this stuff, they can take their Families out because they're familiar with where they are."
Zarchin recommended the History Hunt event for other units and directorates on post.
In fact, he said the battalion is willing to share the digital event package, including a map to the monuments, marker templates and clue sheets, with any unit that requests them.
"This year, although there was a lot of planning, the guys did a great job of putting together a very simple packet. We have that. You don't have to reinvent the wheel," he said.
To request the event packet, or for more information, email Earnhart at geoffrey.l.earnhart.mil@mail.mil or Kinkennon at douglas.w.kinkennon.mil@mail.mil.
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