For the first time in four years, Soldiers from all over the world gathered at the National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia, to participate in the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers training forum from July 14-21, 2023
Among them were BOSS advisors, BOSS presidents, and sergeants major from U.S. Army Garrisons across the Indo-Pacific region, from Alaska to the Marshall Islands and from Hawaii to East Asia, representing U.S. Army Installation Management Command-Pacific.
“I knew BOSS was important, but the BOSS conference allowed me to understand the importance of BOSS, not only for the Soldiers on Camp Zama but Army wide,” said Spc. Michelle Antonio, movement specialist from the 623rd Movement Control Team at Sagami Depot, Japan. Sagami Depot and Camp Zama are installations managed by U.S. Army Garrison Japan.
Throughout the event, members of the IMCOM-Pacific BOSS team shared best practices and participated in training designed to improve the quality of BOSS programs at their garrisons.
“The conference was amazing. We learned so much valuable knowledge on best BOSS practices and more. We also were able to network and connect with BOSS members from all over the globe,” said Sgt. Victoria Hill, USAG Yongsan-Casey BOSS president.
Soldiers received Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and learned about a wide range of topics including legal requirements, revenue generation, budget and financial literacy, customer service, sponsorships, advertising, and marketing to enhance their local BOSS programs.
“Having the training conducted at the convention in a classroom setting is great, because there’s a transfer of knowledge that happens in person; that cannot be duplicated via any other means,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Ghant, IMCOM-Pacific BOSS representative.
Soldiers also helped refurbish the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home as a community service project.
“What an awesome time for us, especially our young Soldiers, to connect and fellowship with Veterans that came before us,” said IMCOM-Pacific Command Sgt. Maj. Jon Williams.
The BOSS forum featured an awards banquet, which included recognition of several Pacific BOSS programs and people:
• BOSS President of the Year; Sgt. Ian Holmes, USAG Humphreys, South Korea.
• Best BOSS Program (Video Presentation); First Place, USAG Humphreys, South Korea; Second Place, U.S. Army Garrison Daegu, South Korea.
• Best Community Service Event; Large Garrison Award, USAG Hawaii; Small Garrison Award, USAG Okinawa, Japan.
• Garrison BOSS Showcase (BOSS in a Box); Medium Garrison Award, USAG Daegu, South Korea.
• BOSS Program of the Year; USAG Yongsan-Casey, South Korea.
“I am extremely grateful for being awarded First Place for the best BOSS Program of the Year. With all of the support from our organizational partners, local community bonds, and enormous support from our Soldiers and leaders it comes as no surprise that we won. It’s because of them that we are able to achieve this and we plan on working even harder for our Soldiers to continue providing them with the best opportunities available,” said Hill.
Pacific BOSS programs received the following monetary awards:
• BOSS Program of the Year; USAG Yongsan-Casey, $5,000; USAG Humphreys $2,500 and USAG Hawaii $1,000.
• BOSS in a Box Award; USAG Daegu, $1,000.
• Community Service Award; USAG Hawaii, $1,000; USAG Okinawa, $250.
• Best BOSS Video Award, USAG Humphreys, $1,000; USAG Daegu, $500.
Winning awards for having outstanding programs and people helped lift the spirits of the entire Pacific BOSS team and led to some conspicuous celebrating.
“There was some serious strutting going on during and after the awards. It was all in good fun, but it definitely sparked some healthy competition,” said Williams.
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