FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- Football players from the Syracuse University "Orange" were able to experience military training firsthand during a weeklong summer training camp at Fort Drum that ended Saturday. They completed their experience with a scrimmage at Sligh Field to thank 10th Mountain Division Soldiers and their Families.
While the team was at Fort Drum, Soldiers throughout the division created a military-style training environment for the players to help them further develop their leadership and teamwork skills to prepare for their upcoming football season.
"The Army, for two centuries, has been a leadership laboratory," said Maj. Gen. Mark A. Milley, Fort Drum and 10th Mountain Division (LI) commander. "We produce some of our nation's greatest leaders. We take young men and women out of high school or college, and we transform them very, very quickly into leaders."
After arriving on post Aug. 12, players stayed in the barracks and ate their meals in post dining facilities with Soldiers. The next morning, former drill sergeants now in 3rd Brigade Combat Team woke the players up to simulate basic training and marched them to breakfast. The team's military-specific training began after the morning's football practice.
For the remainder of the week, players divided their time between intensive football practices at Sligh Field and military training with 3rd BCT Soldiers.
Part of the team's training involved going to the Engagement Skills Trainer and familiarizing themselves with military weapon systems and participating in virtual combat situations as a "squad." The players also got a chance to participate in a paintball competition on post.
"It's fun and new and different; it's a good way to give us leadership and prepare us for the season," said Zen Jones, defensive tackle for the Syracuse University football team.
Soldiers in 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, also created a physical training course for the team at the Pine Plains athletic field. Players once again divided into "squads" and worked in teams to accomplish five different tasks ranging from evacuating a casualty out of a vehicle to guiding a blindfolded teammate through an obstacle course.
"We're just giving them a little taste of what the Army does by way of physical fitness," Milley said of the fitness courses and competitions Soldiers created for the team.
The team was not the only party that benefitted from the week. The Fort Drum community was invited to watch a scrimmage and attend a barbecue with the team Saturday at Sligh Field.
"We've got 45,000 people here on Fort Drum; it's a great opportunity for the Soldiers and the Family Members to come out and see some really talented elite athletes," Milley said.
Soldiers realize the importance of being involved with the community, both while deployed and in garrison.
"(Soldiers of 10th Mountain Division) are in the North Country, so it is important that they sink roots in the local communities and get involved," Milley said. "We have a thing called 'Piece of the Rock' here in the North Country; each one of our units (have been tasked) to engage with various community leaders."
While 3rd BCT was deployed, members of the SU Athletics Department showed their support by sending Soldiers a Syracuse football and basketball. The sports balls traveled through the battle space so Soldiers could sign the balls and take photos with them. Both sports balls were returned to SU, where they are now on display in the university's athletic facilities.
"We have done so much with the military, and we have done a great (job) of making our players aware," said Doug Marrone, head coach for the Syracuse University football team. "I think that is one of the reasons why we are here; I think that is a big thing for us, having a basketball and a football sent back to us from the troops in Afghanistan."
While the players enjoyed their time with the Soldiers, it also served as a team learning experience. Syracuse University coaches strived to instill a sense of patriotism and leadership in their players. Seeing what the military does on a daily basis reinforced the values and appreciation the players have been taught for the military.
"Our players will be able to take away a lot from this," Marrone said. "I knew it was a great opportunity for our football team to become better. The principles that were taught are the principles that we preached."
While the coaches hoped the players seeing their peers in difficult Army leadership roles would encourage them to develop leadership and teamwork skills, Fort Drum leaders hoped that young Soldiers would be encouraged to further their educations after seeing their peers work hard to attain a college degree.
"A lot of our Soldiers have not had college yet, and they enlist right out of high school," Milley said. "So I think it's also very important for our young Soldiers to see their peers in college and that will help motivate them to seek out a college education."
Players left Fort Drum with a different perspective of the Army and newfound motivation to practice what their coaches emphasize during practice.
"Everything that we have been saying as coaches is being reinforced by the people that are around them that they have never met before," Marrone said. "There is no better model than the U.S. military when we talk about leadership and teamwork, competitiveness and the will to win."
The team also was impressed with the sense of community they experienced during their week on post, along with the level of partnership established between the team and 10th Mountain Division.
"A community that's around football, they all watch the football games. … I feel like a military community is the same way they work together as a community," said Jarod West, a Syracuse University wide receiver.
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