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Joint Base Lewis-McChord Opens Its Gates To Scout's Honor
(July 9, 2011) | 
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. (7/6/2011) – They arrived grinning from
ear to ear. After spending the morning looking at Stryker Armored
Fighting Vehicles, the anticipation of seeing what equipment an Army
engineer battalion used was obvious. |
Boy Scouts of America Troop 1496 stands in
formation with the 864th Engineer Battalion during the battalion
close out formation and safety briefing June 24, 2011. The scouts
came to learn about different occupations in the Army and see what
kind of equipment the Army uses. |
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The Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1496 from Bainbridge, Wash., visited
Joint Base Lewis-McChord June 24. The purpose of their visit was to show
the scouts that the Army does more than just fight while deployed.
The 864th Engineer Battalion hosted the visit by the scouts to tell
them the units' history, show them what the engineers accomplished while
deployed in Iraq, and to give them a unique hands on experience with
some of the equipment the engineers utilize.
“This gives us an
opportunity to show the younger generation, who are growing up in
America and already participating in something positive, that the Army
is also a positive thing,” said Sgt. 1st Class Raymond G. Washington,
the battalion's current operations non-commissioned officer in charge.
The scouts watched a video about the battalion's deployment to Iraq
before going to the motor pool to see the equipment in person. This gave
the scouts an idea of what the equipment was used for and the
environment where soldiers had to be able to operate it.
“It was
pretty cool to meet all the people,” said Robert Hobbs, a Boy Scout with
Troop 1496. “I didn't even know that the Army did construction. When you
think Army you think of people clearing buildings in other places.”
The Army and the Boy Scouts are both volunteer organizations, said
Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Pearson, the 864th Battalion rear detachment first
sergeant. The visit can be a great recruiting tool since the scouts are
able to see what soldiers do on a day to day basis and have more
knowledge about the Army. This visit could be what makes one of the
scouts decide to join the military and serve their country.
“We
went and visited the Bangor [Naval] Base to tour one of the nuclear
submarines,” said Patrol Advisor Tim Goon, with Troop 1496. “The Navy is
OK but there's a lot more room around the Army. I really appreciate what
the service members do for the country and I don't think that there are
enough people who actually speak up and show support.”
The scouts
had a great time looking inside the submarines but they didn't get any
hands on experience, said Goon. Here they were able to operate some of
the equipment in a safe controlled environment and have a lot more fun.
“I thought the Army was always really strict but, that's not always
the case, they can also be pretty casual,” said Johan Griesser, a Boy
Scout with Troop 1496.
After touring the battalion's motor pool,
the scouts joined the battalion's close out formation where they watched
the soldiers sound off with their company mottos and received an Army
weekend safety briefing from the Battalion Commander, Lt. Col. John W.
Henderson. | |
Article and Photo by Army Sgt. James Hale
28th Public Affairs Detachment
Copyright 2011
Provided
through DVIDS
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