The Corporal Freddie Stowers Complex was humming with the sounds of leaf blowers, pressure washers, and other maintenance tools, Nov. 3 as the 165th Infantry Brigade conducted their Harvest Cleanup. Speakers pumped music across the complex as Soldiers and Department of the Army Civilians tackled projects to improve the quality of life of single soldiers that call the complex home.
Sam Brown, the housing manager over the single Soldier barracks in the Fort Jackson Garrison Housing Office, said that while the on-post housing area for Soldiers’ and their Families receives a lot of emphasis, “We cannot leave out our single Soldiers because they’re part of the team too. They dedicate just as much, and they do just as much as the married soldiers on post.”
Col. Kent Solheim, 165th Infantry Brigade commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Roberto Guadarrama, 165th’s senior enlisted leader, were joined by Soldiers, civilians, and even Family members from across the brigade as they worked to improve the outside appearance of the complex. While 165th personnel tackled the outside, the Directorate of Public Works had staff on site taking care of maintenance issues inside the barracks.
Guadarrama said the cleanup was an example of a tangible way the 165th is putting people first.
“For us number one is people,” he said. “Everybody is using ‘People First’ but we really internalize people first. We want to give back internally to our single Soldiers and let them know that we care and improve their quality of life, even if it means doing a little bit of lawn maintenance, taking care of things that might have been overgrown.”
The 165th also provided lunch to those who came out to help and took some time to recognize a few of the individuals that went the extra mile. Solheim, Guadarrama, and Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Cesar Duran, made it clear that this was not a one-time thing but was part of a continuing effort to improve the quality of life for single Soldiers.
“At the end of the day, it’s about how we take care of our people,” Guadarrama reiterated. “Whether you’re a single Soldier who has to do their own individual part, or if you’re a commander at various echelons, (it’s about) all of us doing our piece to take care of what’s ours, being a good steward of our facilities.”
Social Sharing