FORT HOOD, Texas - Eight-year-old Bryan Pena was excited as he walked with his family to see the horses, pumpkin-trebuchet, games and military vehicles on display during the Ironhorse brigade's "Fall Fest" here Nov. 11.
The 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division held the annual event for more than 2,000 Family members and friends to spend time together with their Soldiers, enjoy a few games, and learn more about military life.
"The Fall Fest brings Soldiers and their families together for a couple of hours to enjoy fellowship, and it is an opportunity for the Soldiers to show their Families what they do on a daily basis," said Lt. Col. Jay Brun, deputy commanding officer, 1st ABCT.
During the opening of the festival, Soldiers took a moment to honor the service of veterans with the playing of the National Anthem, a prayer by their Command Chaplain Lt. Col. Jamison Bowman, 1st ABCT, and a moment of silence.
Attendees got to navigate a maze in a darkened tent using night vision googles, try out their life-saving skills by dragging a life-size mannequin on a litter, compete in a tractor tire flipping contest, and try their luck on the ring toss, among many other games.
They also got to crawl into many Army vehicles, including the M1A2 Abrams main battle tank, M2A3 Bradley Infantry fighting vehicle, M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer, and Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle and other tactical vehicles and equipment used by Ironhorse Soldiers.
Capt. Kenneth Spoon, commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st ABCT, and his wife, Amanda, provided one of the festival's most popular attractions - three of their horses. Children got to pet and ride the horses around the baseball field.
Another crowd favorite was the scaled-down wooden trebuchet that tossed small pumpkins across the open field at a target set up about 200 feet away. The target was successfully "pumpkin'd" twice before the medieval siege tool was put up.
Everyone's favorite part varied, as Bryan Pena and his brother, nine-year-old Osmar Pena Jr., said they liked being able to get into the tanks the best.
Bryan and Osmar's father, Pfc. Osmar Pena Sr., said the event was a good opportunity for Soldiers and Families.
"I came out to celebrate with the kids and my friends," said Pena, a Bradley mechanic from Company B, 2nd Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st ABCT.
For 8-year-old Caroline Subirias, the mannequin drag made her day.
"I liked how I could put the rope around my waist and drag the mannequin," she said.
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