OKLAHOMA CITY -- Sixteen Fort Sill commmand sergeants major and sergeants major went on a staff ride April 24 to Escape OKC.
They had one mission: Solve all the puzzles that were keeping them locked inside.
Escape OKC is a game where a small group of two to six people enters a room with 60 minutes to discover clues and piece them together to find the code to unlock their door.
The goal was simple, yet the leaders said it was extremely challenging.
"It was a great team event. Something if given the opportunity I would do again. It was a good chance to get away and it was more challenging with the mind versus physical activity," said Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Lindsey.
The group was briefed on what would help them in their respective room and also given tips on what not to do, which included not breaking anything.
The advice proved to be worth while as the first group spent a majority of their time on a cryptogram and each member of the team held a cylinder which locked away the last clue.
"We would've busted that thing open. And that door would've been breached," said Fort Sill Garrison CSM Walter Puckett Jr., when asked what they would've done if trapped in real-life.
He said their experience in the military helped them stay calm under pressure.
"I think we worked together pretty well. We spread out immediately and were searching for clues," said Puckett. "We found the code for the safe early on and then time ticked away in those last 20 minutes."
With any staff ride, the Soldiers bonded over the experience. No group was able to open their door and they shared their disappointment with each other.
"I think it showed us attention to detail is extremely important. If we would've paid attention to a little more details we would've done more reading and we would've probably gotten out of there sooner," said Lindsey.
The group did the exercise under Warrior Adventure Quest, an Army training tool designed for recently redeployed Soldiers.
WAQ combines existing FMWR Outdoor Recreation high adventure activities like rock climbing, mountain biking, paintball and more.
"I figured this is something that would get them out of their routine and they could work toward a common goal," said Mark Houseman, Lake Elmer Thomas Recreation Area and WAQ program manager.
For more photos from the staff ride, visit www.flickr.com/fortsillcannoneer.
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