Upon receiving a tasking from the Army Better Opportunitiesfor Single Soldiers program to create a local program as part of a "life skills" iniative, U.S. Army Garrison Vicenza BOSS pulled off a maze of logistics that would make a wedding planner proud.
Their event, The Amazing Quest -- designed with the "Amazing Race" concept in mind -- was a series of classes and activities that targeted specific life skills and took place Aug. 4-10.
"We focused on life skills that are important to Soldiers stationed in Italy," said Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel B. Dennison, USAG Vicenza. Those skills included public speaking, personal courage, finances and outdoor skills, just to name a few.
Nine teams of two, made up of Soldiers from Caserma Ederle and Camp Darby, participated in the pilot program that included participating in classes and making their way from Rome to Pisa to Florence and beyond. Overall, said Sgt. Amanda Donohue, BOSS president, it went well.
"It was awesome," Donohue said. "It was a huge undertaking with a lot of moving parts, but it all worked out really well. Soldiers had fun and learned a lot along the way."
The teams covered 2,400 kilometers in three days, she added.
Donohue and Paul Rosarius, BOSS adviser, said the Quest was one of the best experiences they've had in their roles with the BOSS program.
"It was eye-opening," said Rosarius, who has worked for Morale, Welfare and Recreation for 20 years. "I learned so much from the Soldiers (who participated)."
Soldiers also learned a lot from the experience, and one in particular said, although she was trepidatious at first, she finished with a feeling of tremendous personal success.
"It was a wonderful experience," said Pvt. 2 Candace L. Walker, who was on Team VI with Pfc. Brian M. O'Leary. "I went in having to face some challenges and I think I grew in the area of personal courage."
Walker, a dental specialist with Dental Activity Command here, said she has a fear of heights and a fear of water-- both obstacles to contend with on the Quest.
"I completed the challenges, though," she said of having to canoe and go rock-climbing on parts of the journey. "My mindset was that I wanted to try, and even though the option not to do it was always there, I wanted to overcome my fears. I'm really proud of what I accomplished."
As far as the many logistical items that needed to be accomplished to pull off such an event, Donohue said she couldn't have had better support from every organization involved.
"So many agencies helped throughout," she said. "Army Community Service, the Warrior Zone, the 6th Alpini Regiment, Camp Darby BOSS, Outdoor Recreation, and so many more. There was incredible support, and we appreciate it."
Following are the participants of the Amazing Quest, listed in their respective teams, in alphabetical order:
Team I-- Pfc. David Killian, 529th MP Co., Pfc. Dillion C. Wright, 529th MP Co.
Team II-- Pfc. Markell Gibson, HHC, U.S. Army Garrison, Sgt. Angela Noble, HHC Garrison
Team III-- Sgt. Joshua J. Rohr, VMID, Spc. Matthew T. Wheeler, VMID
Team IV-- Pvt. 2 Wyatt C. Finifrock, HHC 1/503, Pfc. Stephen W. Wildey, HHC 1/503
Team V (2nd place)-- Cpl. Dylan A. Widener, HHC 2/503, Spc. Michael B. Hommel, HHC 2/503
Team VI-- PFC Brian M. O'Leary, VDCC, Pvt. 2 Candace L. Walker, VDCC
Team VII (1st place)-- Spc. Nathan M. Deline, 511th MP Plt.(Camp Darby), Spc. Joseph F. Dallas, 511th MP Plt
Team VII-- Sgt. Ryan L. Facklam, HHC BDE, Sgt. David L. Kisling, HHC BDE
Team IX-- Spc. Justin L. Andrew, HHC 54th BEB, Spc. Leticia M. Valle, HHC 54th BEB
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