Story and photos by
Staff Sgt. Danny E. McCormick
U.S. Army Human Resources Command Public Affairs Office
MOUNT WASHINGTON, Ky. - Soldiers at U.S. Army Human Resources Command tested the mettle of some young men here July 14 as part of the Fort Knox School Partnership Program with Sunrise Children’s Services.
Students at the Spring Meadows Residential Facility had asked Soldiers from HRC’s Soldier Programs and Services Division under The Adjutant General Directorate to give them the real experience of taking an Army Physical Fitness Test.
“The Fort Knox School Partnership Program is an initiative that has Soldiers reaching out to the community to interact with them in hopes of establishing goodwill between the two,” said Maj. Arthur Jenkins, the deputy branch chief of TAGD’s Combat Related Special Compensation and the lead for this event.
Soldiers visited residents of Spring Meadows several weeks ago to discuss career and schooling choices available to them, such as college, trade schools and the military. They then led the residents through a physical training session in preparation of Thursday’s APFT.
Sunrise Children’s Services operates Spring Meadows and nine other residential treatment facilities and therapeutic foster homes throughout Kentucky. Sunrise is a non-profit organization that provides care for children who are victims of abuse and neglect.
“This is a great thing that the Army does to come out with the kids. One reason is because many of the kids are interested in joining the military so they are interested to find out what it is like,” said Brandi Felser, the chief development officer for Sunrise Children’s Services. “What does it take? How does one join the military? What are the job opportunities in the military?”
Jenkins and his team answered these questions during their first visit and chose to return to have the residents participate in a practice APFT to show them what level of physical fitness is expected of them in the military.
Jenkins began this second session by re-introducing his team before turning control over to Sgt. 1st Class John Letson, who led them through several stretching exercises designed to loosen muscles and lessen the chance of muscle strain and cramping. Master Sgt. Robert Przygoda then read the test conditions and standards while Sgt. Johade Harilall demonstrated the pushup and sit-up events for the residents.
The 10 residents present separated into three groups to begin the test, which quickly developed into a competition for bragging rights about who can complete the most repetitions of each event. The residents exhibited good sportsmanship by simultaneously cheering and harassing each other.
“It’s all about the fun. … No one is going to fail today,” Jenkins said in support of this show of camaraderie.
Several Spring Meadows and Sunrise Children’s Services staff and administrative members were also present to lend their support to the children and the event.
At the completion of the APFT, Letson, Przygoda and Harilall presented each resident with a goody bag full of Army-branded items, such as water bottles and pens. The third-highest scorer also received an Army T-shirt and laundry bag. The second-place participant received a T-shirt and an insulated mug. The top scorer received an MP3 player as an additional prize. Spring Meadows staff showed their appreciation to the visiting Soldiers with a cake, which was sliced and served by Claudia Lauber, the director of Marketing and Advancement for Sunrise Children’s Services as the culminating event of this fellowship between the two organizations.
“This helps them build their self-esteem and confidence. It also lets them know that there are other people in the world that actually care about them,” Felser said. “The kids just want somebody who’s interested in hanging out with them, spending time with them " interested in them.”
For more information about U.S. Army Human Resources Command, visit: www.hrc.army.mil
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