Cold Steel Soldiers use their knowledge to escape

JOINT BASE LEWIS MCCHORD, Washington -- Soldiers assigned to the 189th Infantry Brigade participated in Sexual Harassment and Assault Response Prevention training while navigating through an escape room at the Army Reserve Center here.

Sgt. 1st Class Toneka Raglin, the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, or SARC, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 189th Infantry Brigade, created the event to give Soldiers a different take on SHARP training.

“I created an escape room using the knowledge we [SARCs] are given from the SHARP program,” said Raglin. “I wanted to get Soldiers out of the office and give them a chance to have fun while learning.”

Starting April 19, Soldiers from each battalion would break into smaller groups to complete the escape room challenge.

“Each group has 30 minutes to complete each task in order to leave the room,” explained Raglin. “There are a total of three challenges or tasks in each room.”

Each escape room was built to simulate a barracks room and a SARC’s office. Each challenge was situational based on the Soldier’s environment.

The challenges included deciphering Morse code to reveal a SHARP-related message and completing a crossword puzzle using only SHARP-related definitions. Soldiers were given SHARP-related riddles throughout the escape room to make their search for clues easier. The more knowledgeable Soldiers were regarding SHARP, the faster they escaped.

“The final challenge was filling in the missing letters for the Sexual Assault Awareness Prevention Month mission statement this year which is ‘Protecting our people protects our mission,’” Raglin said.

Staff Sgt. Ryan Sullivan, an Observer Coach/Trainer assigned to 3rd Engineer Regiment, 364th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 189th Infantry Brigade, enjoyed the unique training.

“Not only was it [the training] immersive, but it was a team-building exercise,” expressed Sullivan. “It kind of led us into a deeper discussion.”

April was National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. If you or someone you know needs help, the National Sexual Assault and Harassment Hotline is 800-656-4673. The Safe Hotline, the Sexual Assault support for the Department of Defense community, is 877-995-5247 or text 55-247.