Members of 31st Infantry Regiment adorned the nickname “Polar Bears” in 1918-1919 when they guarded the rail line, warehouses and supplies near Vladivostok, Siberia during World War I.
Today, Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, carry their unit pride by honoring their history and striving to become better leaders every day.
Noncommissioned officers of 4-31 Infantry learned effective and engaging leadership practices Aug. 26-29 at the Polar Bear Team Leader Academy on Fort Drum.
Command Sgt. Maj. Levi Kaplan, 4-31 Infantry senior enlisted advisor, said attending Polar Bear Team Leader Academy offers many benefits for team leaders and their Soldiers.
“I think it helps foster culture innovation by providing them with a framework for a lot of things we haven’t exactly provided a definitive answer on- things like how to physically train, how to get after sleep or nutrition, or how to take care of a Soldier,” Kaplan said. “But we’ve provided a framework to take care of Soldiers and to teach physical training and all types of different areas of H2F (Holistic Health and Fitness), and I think it gives them the space to be a team leader, to get to know their people and to take action accordingly based on who their people are.”
Training with the Polar Bear Team Leader Academy creates a foundation for team leaders to build their teams through principles taught by the Mountain CARES (Critical Assistance with Resources for Environmental Stressors) and Soldier and Family Readiness Division.
The 4-31 Infantry aims to teach effective leadership through engagements like proper care for Soldiers, communication with Soldiers, active listening, understanding risk factors for Soldiers, and Mountain CARES decision matrix and battle drills.
“It makes NCOs and leaders better because naturally we’re taught as Soldiers, mission comes first, which it does, but also you have to have the right mindset,” said Spc. Jakob Berlin, a 4-31 Infantry Soldier participating in Polar Bear Team Leader Academy. “You’ve got to make sure the Soldiers that are under you are well, their families are doing well, they’re financially stable, and they’re mentally in the right headspace so you can complete the mission.”
Leaders of 4-31 Infantry also learn about the importance of being ready today, whether that is through knowledge of how to properly care for Soldiers or how to teach them the standards of physical training.
“I’m really happy to be a part of this, I think that having an H2F day as part of Polar Bear Team Leader Academy is really an exciting thing,” said Zach Albin, strength conditioning coach for 4-31 Infantry. “I think it’s awesome that I get to get this many touch points with these team leaders, and I’m hoping that as we continue to do things like this, more and more Soldiers will kind of get familiar with the program in general and really realize the great resource that is available to them.”
Holistic Health and Fitness empowers and equips Soldiers to take charge of their health, fitness, and well-being to optimize individual performance while preventing injury and disease.
H2F staff worked with 4-31 Infantry to instill the importance of teaching form and how to care for yourself through proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise within a unit to ensure constant readiness of Soldiers.
“The Polar Bear Team Leader Academy is really pushing all the NCOs to the next level,” said Sgt Arshpreet Singh, a 4-31 Infantry Soldier participating in the Polar Bear Team Leader Academy. “And that’s how we’re going to try to help our Soldiers to push past their limits.”
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