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www.aerotechnews.com/ntcfortirwin 3High Desert Warrior
Feacebook.com/HighDesertWarrior July 2, 2015

Army Values

Love and resiliency

By Gustavo Bahena

Public Affairs Office Relisa, Robyn and Col. Richard Wilson.

“I love being with him.” ing around the world and that is exciting and adventurous. You may get to live in a few
Those were the genuine, expressive words of a young military family member here favorite places around the world, for example: Hawaii, Europe, Texas, or California. You
not shy about her feelings for her father. never know, that’s the thing. Another good thing about moving is making new friends,
Robyn Wilson, 10, said those words about her dad, Col. Richard Wilson – who forgetting the past, and focusing on the future.
has been the chief of staff for the National Training Center the past couple of years.
Robyn also described her affection for dad in an essay she wrote for a contest hosted It is scary for us kids, when our moms and dads go to war or are far away from home
by Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation. The judges were certainly moved by for a long time because they may get injured or die. As a military child, I am sad when
her expressions, because she won her category, grades 3-5, for the 2015 “Young Lives, my dad comes home late at night or works long hours. Sometimes I don’t see him before I
Big Stories.” go to bed or when I wake up in the morning. I also miss my Dad when he goes out to Af-
Robyn, who recently completed fourth grade at Tiefort View Intermediate School
here, wrote about her experiences as a military child and in particular of a moment See WILSONS, page 11
she will always be fond of – an unexpected visit by dad from a deployment to Af-
ghanistan. Her winning entry follows:

What does it mean to be a Military Child?
Being a military child can be fun, sad, or even scary. Your emotions will change. Life
can also be very adventurous!
One of my favorite memories are from a time that I felt both happy and sad. It was me
and my twin sister’s 7th birthday. Our Dad was deployed to Afghanistan and we thought
that he wouldn’t be home for our birthday, but we were suddenly surprised. We were at
school in the cafeteria. The lights went off and everyone sang Happy Birthday to us and
through the walkway, it was our Dad in his uniform! I was crying down a flood. He
picked me up and I was so happy and relieved that it happened. It felt like a dream on a
roller coaster. After that, I was so emotional.
As a military child, it is fun when you move from place to place. You’re basically mov-

The Box debuts at Fort Irwin Resiliency Center

Story and photo by Leslie Ozawa said. “Not only people who are already fit, but National Training Center and Fort Irwin leadership, and staff of the new Resiliency Center
civilians who sit at desks, sit in their cars going and “The Box” perform a ribbon cutting, June 15.
Public Affairs Office off post and on post. We want them to be able
to come in here and feel that we can help them garrison commander Col. Jon Braga shared his and others who are super, super fit, then we’ve
Walk into Fort Irwin’s recently made-over reach their fitness goals.” vision for the center. kind of failed,” Braga said. “Help get the word
fitness center and you see clues about what it out. We want everyone to come over here and
used to be – a gym with hardwood floors and Day said she and her fitness trainers will “Gemma [Day] knows that if you have get a little bit better quality of life. There are so
basketball backboards. help users of The Box develop fitness for people walking into these doors five months many things to make that happen.”
functional movements, not isolated repetitive from now, mostly with zero percent body fat,
Now, as you enter the Fort Irwin’s new movements to develop isolated muscle forms.
Resiliency Center, you’ll find a Fit Foods
display counter and refrigeration cases with “You’ll be using most of your body to do
sandwiches, fresh fruits, and salads. Turn the functional movements, things that you do
corner, and you see three sides of the build- every day,” Day stated. “When you stand up
ing are laid out with gymnastic rings, exercise and then sit down, basically, what you are doing
mats, spinning machines, and at the back, a is a squat. So, we’re going to strengthen your
rock climbing wall. What was once mostly a squat. Because that’s a functional movement.”
basketball arena is now The Box.
The Box is just the beginning, according
“We got our name from what Soldiers call to Dana Spalding, chief of sports fitness and
‘The Box,’ NTC’s training ranges, but The aquatics for Fort Irwin’s Morale Welfare and
Box here is for a different kind of training,” Recreation Directorate. Over the next few
said Gemma Day, facility manager for The months, other areas of the building are being
Box. “It’s to train Soldiers in overall readiness renovated, including a chiropractic treatment
and fitness.” room, a hydrotherapy room for hot and ice
baths, a sauna, and a massage room. Classes
There’s another reason for the facility name. will be held for yoga, Olympic weight lifting,
Day pointed to the several wooden boxes of and nutrition.
different sizes placed around the open area.
More than a facility, Fort Irwin’s Resiliency
“The boxes are for biometric drills, that Center is designed to be a one-stop shop staffed
people can jump on as one of their fitness by MWR recreation specialists and Army
exercises,” Day said. “Those less fit can step up Medical Department specialists in nutrition,
on smaller boxes. They can modify their train- physical therapy and fitness assessment experts.
ing, based on their individual needs and goals.”
“We spent so many years focusing on war
Day said she and her staff of three other cer- and defending our nation,” Spalding said. “Now
tified fitness trainers will help the community it’s time to focus on being resilient, on healing.”
here, including family members of Soldiers,
DOD civilian employees, and military retirees. In his remarks during the ribbon cutting
ceremony for the resiliency center on June 15,
“Not only Soldiers, but civilians, too,” Day

For more information go to www.irwin.army.mil