Former BOSS president wins Armywide award

By Lauren Finnegan, Joint Base Lewis-McChord Garrison Public AffairsAugust 23, 2019

BOSS President
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- She's the boss of the BOSS.

Sergeant Jin Lim, 1st Squadron, 14TH Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, was named the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers President of the Year for the Army. Lim received her award from Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Marble, Joint Base Lewis-McChord Garrison command sergeant major, at the Aug. 7 JBLM Garrison Community Update at the Club at McChord Field.

"Through Sergeant Lim's leadership and enthusiasm, BOSS events, activities, volunteering and participants doubled," Marble said. "Sergeant Lim has been the voice of the single service members bringing their issues and concerns directly to leadership allowing them to be heard."

When Lim became JBLM BOSS president in 2018, her one goal was to bring awareness about the program to more JBLM service members. During her yearlong tenure, which ended in August, she was able to do that and much more.

"I just wanted to build a solid stepping stone so the next person who was in the leadership position had a good jumping off point to continue the program," Lim said. During my time here, we've done a lot with the program. I like to think that we breathed some fresh air into it."

During the first few weeks as president, Lim was able to almost triple the attendance at the annual Single Service Member Day and increased participation in the organization's events overall.

William Strock, the JBLM Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation adviser to BOSS, who nominated her for the award, said she has organized multiple recreation programs to challenge service members.

"Sergeant Lim has spearheaded various recreation programs, varying from hiking to white-water river rafting," Strock said. "She has also planned various trips to local facilities that challenge the service member both mentally and physically. Sergeant Lim is present at nearly all the events (and) always has a smile on her face."

In addition to the many activities she planned, Lim also planned multiple volunteer initiatives that gave service members a way to give back to the community. This included regular visits to the Washington Veterans Home in Port Orchard, Wash., and assistance with the Suits for Service Members program in the Hawk Transition Center on Lewis North.

"Suits for Service Members is an on- and off-base organization that is able to give out free suits for interviews to service members leaving the service," Lim said. "We stepped in and helped managed, clean and sort them and about six (BOSS members) are continuing to volunteer there each month."

However, the biggest contribution Lim has made in her short time as president, is her willingness to listen and advocate for JBLM service members.

"Sergeant Lim has always made sure the (service members) were taken care of first," said Sgt. Dawson Naugle-Suchman, the current JBLM BOSS president. "Everything she does is in the spirit of ensuring that the Soldiers and Airmen are taken care of, have the best services available to them and ensures that their needs are met."

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