FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Dec. 6, 2023) -- Three 1st Brigade Combat Team Soldiers were recognized during the monthly Fort Drum Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers meeting Dec. 5 for their efforts to promote BOSS in a big way.
Early in October, Spc. John Gutierrez, Pfc. Daisy Yang, and Pfc. Heloysa Aguilar – all with 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment – designed a giant, attention-grabbing BOSS events calendar in the hallway of the troop operations facility.
And instead of building something to put on a wall, they decided to use the wall itself – covering it in black chalk paint to sketch a calendar large enough to display a full month of event flyers.
“It’s hard to miss,” Gutierrez said. “We wanted something that Soldiers would stop and look at, and then hopefully this will get them to attend more events when they see everything they can do.”
Event flyers are typically posted on corkboards, and these can be found everywhere – in the barracks, headquarters buildings, recreational facilities, and such. Often they can be overlooked or overshadowed by other notices, schedules, and messages.
“When Aguilar and I became BOSS representatives, we said we definitely needed to update our BOSS board,” Yang said. “It was just a normal board with a bunch of flyers on it. We needed a better way to display everything that people would notice.”
“And there was never enough space on the board to put everything,” Aguilar added.
They discussed this with Gutierrez, who had the idea of creating a massive chalkboard.
Gutierrez served as the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (HHT) BOSS representative at the time of the project’s inception before passing the reins to Yang and Aguilar.
“As the BOSS rep, I had to run this by my commander and tell him, ‘Sir, I want to do something crazy,’ and find out what my limits are,” Gutierrez said. “He said as long as Soldiers are getting all the information they need, do what you need to do.”
Capt. Michael McKeon, HHT commander, said he never doubted Gutierrez’s intent, or the team’s ability to accomplish the task.
“Gutierrez has done a lot of work around the troop area to make it better for everybody at HHT, doing things that inspire true pride and camaraderie,” McKeon said. “I remember when we came out of the field after Warrior Peak (training exercise), and everyone was standing in the hallway seeing the BOSS board for the first time. It’s so big and in-your-face. I’ve seen how Soldiers are using it to get information, and it’s all because of all the effort that was put into it.”
Aguilar said the project had to be big for two reasons. First, the number of activities in any given month requires a lot of space. Second, it’s in a high-traffic facility where Soldiers are likely to dart by the average wall display without paying attention to it.
“We decided to create a big calendar, so no one has an excuse, like ‘Oh, I didn’t know what day that event was on,’” she said. “This is like a big reminder for everyone.”
They also exercised some creativity to it, drawing seasonal pictures around it for the December holidays.
“It’s a team effort,” Aguilar said. “Today, we invited Soldiers and NCOs to come and draw something on the board to make feel more involved. That’s the whole point of this.”
Sgt. Cole Couchon, 3-71 Cavalry BOSS representative, said that often when Soldiers say there is nothing to do, it is because they are not aware of what is available to them.
“There is always something to do, and this does the job of showing Soldiers that,” he said. “I was very surprised when I saw them working on the BOSS board. It looks amazing.”
Gutierrez said Soldiers do their jobs every day, but some struggle to find ways to occupy the in-between time. He said the BOSS program gets people active in the community, provides positive social experiences, and promotes esprit de corps.
“I just wanted to do something that would get people to participate in more things, go out and try something different,” he said. “I know what it feels like being in the barracks and being kind of a loner, and it’s not fun.”
Yang said she became involved in BOSS after becoming aware of the variety of activities the program offers single Soldiers.
“I feel like it’s a great way to bring everybody together, especially when you feel like you are just stuck in the barracks with no plans and nothing to do,” she said. “It’s super easy with BOSS, because they already have a plan for you. You just have to show up. That’s the reason I thought it was cool to be a part of that.”
Aguilar said Fort Drum is her first duty station, and she recalled feeling out of place when she arrived with the rest of the in-processing Soldiers.
“I felt like we didn’t know anything or anyone,” Aguilar said. “There’s not much to do, no friends, and I didn’t have any family here. BOSS showed me it is possible to have fun, it’s possible to make friends, and it’s possible to get involved the community and make connections.”
She said the BOSS Social is a good ice-breaker event for new Soldiers.
“It’s really a lot of fun,” Aguilar said. “We have food, we have games, we dance, and everyone can have a relaxed night.”
Alongside the wall calendar, the team installed a display box to showcase medals, coins, and awards that Soldiers earn from competitions and participation in BOSS events. That’s where Gutierrez placed his Mountain Mudder medal – one of the first BOSS-sponsored events he participated in.
“It was two years ago, and I remember it could have been the first and last event I attended,” he said. “There was a water obstacle, and I didn’t know how to swim then.”
Instead of bypassing a challenge, he dove in and immediately confirmed he was lacking the particular skill that obstacle required.
“My lieutenant pulled me out, and we finished up the Mountain Mudder,” Gutierrez said. “It just became another funny story I could tell the group, and my XO (executive officer) never let it go that I almost drowned when I first got here.”
First Sgt. James Holling commended Gutierrez for his commitment to the BOSS program and the way he has encouraged other Soldiers to participate.
“Not only is he involved in all these extracurricular activities that are awesome for everybody in the squadron, as a Soldier he is second to none,” Holling said. “When it comes to task organization, he’s my right hand, and he’s a rock star at his job.”
Couchon said the participation rate in BOSS events among 1st BCT Soldiers has significantly increased since the wall calendar was made – with one month’s numbers surpassing all the other brigades combined.
“It makes me feel really proud that this is making a difference,” Yang said, “especially when people pass by and they’re like, ‘It’s such an amazing job,’ or when they ask questions about it. It’s good to know people are talking about BOSS events and becoming more aware.”
“And we made this as friends – she is literally my best friend,” Aguilar said of her fellow BOSS representative. “We did this as a team.”
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