FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- Every morning on Fort Bragg holds an opportunity for something significant to happen amongst Paratroopers. Whether it`s resilience, strength, or teamwork, the cool fall mornings on Fort Bragg can open up doorways to special "All American" days.
Thirty-nine chaplains and their assistants assigned across the 82nd Airborne Division made Nov. 4 a special day by participating in a team-building event.
During the dark early morning hours, the Paratroopers boarded buses and traveled to the Fort Bragg Pre-Ranger Course. Once there, they began classroom training on land navigation in preparation for testing their skills on a land navigation course as a unified unit ministry team.
"Basic land [navigation] skills are important; it uses the whole Soldier concept within our chaplain ranks and they will use land [navigation] as a way to communicate with us from a distance during this exercise," said Maj. Jerry Waldrop, the division family chaplain assigned to the 82nd Abn. Div.
As UMTs moved to grid coordinates for ministry response training, Waldrop posted at a specific point to manage an open group session on different topics, such as teen grief counseling and Muslim pastoral comfort.
The Paratroopers displayed other ways of working a team while completing the FBPRC obstacle course in 6 to 8 inches of muddy, standing water.
The first half of the course was negotiated using individual strength and confidence. The second half, however, was a brigade unit competition lane.
"The course was a fun and challenging way to work as a team," said Staff Sgt. Patrick Neal, a Paratrooper assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Abn. Div. "Everybody got through safely and we did it together."
Teamwork, basic soldier skills and job-specific tasks came together in one event for a group of professionals that rarely get the chance to be together, which is what made it a special and unique morning.
"It`s hard to get all these guys together at once because they`re at different units, but when we do it`s special," said Maj. Emmitt Furner, deputy chaplain for the 82nd Abn. Div. "We get to team-build and train on religious support."
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