Page 10 - Ft. Irwin High Desert Warrior, July 6 2018

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High Desert Warrior June 1, 2018
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U.S. Army Outstanding Service Medal awarded
Photo by: Louis Katz, louiethelens.com
Gen. (Retired) Carter Ham, President AUSA, Country Singer Craig Morgan, Col. (retired) Pete Seitz and Lt. Gen. Bruce Crawford, Army Chief Information Officer during the presentation of the US Army Outstanding Service Medal.
Huntington Beach, Calif. — Country singer and U.S. Army veteran Craig Morgan received one of Army’s highest civilian honors during a ceremony at the Army Ball held at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach on June 23.
Lt. Gen. Bruce Crawford, Army Chief Information Of- ficer, Gen. (Retired) Carter Ham, President AUSA, and Col.
(retired) Pete Seitz presented Morgan with the U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, during the event hosted by the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of the United States Army.
The award was to recognize Morgan’s “significant dedication to supporting not just Soldiers, but all military serving their country
– often in harm’s way,” according to a news release. The medal is one of the highest awards the Army can bestow on a civilian.
Morgan has completed 10 USO tours, entertaining troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Korea among other locations. Morgan served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserve
for 18 years.
Strong B.A.N.D.S 2018 topped the charts with participants
By Ms. Brittany Nelson
(iMCOM)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The end of May marked the wrap up of the annual Army Strong B.A.N.D.S fitness cam- paign. With a focus on balance, activity, nutrition, determina- tion and strength, the program brought in staggering numbers.
Sixty eight garrison locations held a total of 394 programs with a whopping number of 69,807 participants who joined the fitness movement in May.
Strong B.A.N.D.S is hosted by the Family and Morale, Wellness and Recreation department of the U.S. Army Instal- lation Management Command.
There were events for all ages. Fort Polk, Louisiana, held a Child and Youth Services Kids run on Armed Forces day. A total of 169 children took part of the fun run. The event had various competitions including long jump, jump rope, pull-ups and a 100 yard dash.
Jazmine Sartain, the mother of a child who participated, signed her son up for the event as a chance to introduce him to competition and the joy of sports.
“I registered my son for the run because I wanted him to come out and have fun. I’m a runner and I wanted him to have the chance to run in the event. It’s not about winning or the medals, it’s about having a good time,” Sartain said.
Children like Mylasia Johnson participated to find out their athletic abilities.
“I wanted to compete in all of the events today, especially the 100 yard dash. I wanted to see how fast my time was because I want to train to go to the Olympics to compete in that event,” Johnson said.
Story Walk is another activity geared towards getting children active while having fun and learning.
Laminated pages from children’s books are attached to wooden stakes and installed along an outdoor path. The child reads a page then walks to get to the next one until the story is finished.
The walk is a unique way to get children involved in the month’s fitness initiative.
Various gyms at garrisons teamed up with the Strong B.A.N.D.S campaign to bring more awareness to the classes and programs offered at their facilities.
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, held events all month long. At the end of the month, Davidson Fitness Center hosted the Strong Weekend where a variety of classes were offered from yoga to body boot camp. A total of 64 patrons took part to get fit.
Karen Robinson, a recreation aid through Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation at Davidson Fitness Center, said the main point of the event it to just get to the gym and
Photo Credit: Mrs. Martha Yoshida (Leonard Wood)
Many participants took part in the “Strong Weekend” at Fort Leonard Wood during the Strong B.A.N.D.S campaign in May. Various classes were offered at the Davidson fitness center from yoga to boot camp.
try a class.
Robinson understands the initial fear of a gym that some
patrons might experience. When she moved to Missouri five years ago she had no idea what she was going to do until her husband suggested the gym.
“I never worked out,” Robinson said. “The classes are what
See STRONG, Page 11
For more information go to www.irwin.army.mil