Two dozen volunteers from the 717th Military Intelligence Battalion at the Lackland Air Force Base Annex helped Columbia Heights Elementary School with its field day May 17, putting a military touch on this year's event.
Throughout most of the morning, third-, fourth- and fifth-graders enthusiastically executed physical training in the form of pushups and sit-ups, carried each other on litters, and performed an Individual Movement Technique -- a relay race with some slight complications -- with direction and encouragement from the Soldiers.
Teachers and other school staff members seemed to be delighted at the children's reaction to the men and women in uniform.
"The children are more excited than if I was telling them what to do, like I do every day," said Coach Jose Ramos. "You can see how excited they are; they are jumping up and down."
The 470th MI Brigade has maintained a relationship with the Harlandale Independent School District school in south San Antonio since 2008, when volunteer Soldiers began providing an annual program for the school on the day before Veterans Day. Last fall, volunteers from the brigade's Medina-based battalion stepped forward to run the event as community outreach.
"Just two months ago we formalized our relationship," said Maj. Scott Linker, the battalion's operations and training officer. "We'll be doing three events a year. In addition to Veterans Day and the field day, we'll be doing a careers day in January or February."
Linker noted that elementary school children don't have the exposure to the military that high schools have through recruiter programs, and that's why the 717th picked an elementary school.
"Our Soldiers can provide the children with a positive role model," Linker explained. "At their age, the impression the Soldiers make can last the rest of their lives."
Spc. Terrence Aursby, who coordinated the event, added that, besides members of the battalion's headquarters and headquarters company, A Company and B Company leading the physical activities, the battalion's color guard performed opening and closing ceremonies for the school.
"We really appreciate that the Soldiers came," Ramos said. "It's been a blast."
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