By LTC Jeanette Griffin, STRATCOM

The Army recently launched Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF), a new tool to help Soldiers, Families, and Army civilians face the physical and psychological challenges of sustained operations. CSF’s mission is to develop and institute a holistic fitness program in order to enhance performance and build resilience. The program focuses on five areas of fitness:

• Physical
• Emotional
• Social
• Family
• Spiritual

Participants complete the Global Assessment Tool (GAT) survey which rates their emotional, social, Family, and spiritual fitness. They are then directed to training modules that match their fitness levels on each of the different areas.

I took the GAT a few weeks ago and realized that an AKO log-in is required. The GAT took me about 15 minutes, and I was satisfied with the balance of my scores.

After completing the survey, I was intrigued, and I completed one of the Emotional modules called “Put It In Perspective”. This module also took about 15 minutes and helped me walk through an exercise where I avoided “catastrophic thinking”, or focusing on the worst-case scenario, and instead developed a plan for the more realistic possibilities. In the exercise, I was told that my senior leadership wanted to see me by the end of the day.

1. First, I had to write out the “worst case” possibilities – that I might be fired, reprimanded, or given an impossibly difficult assignment.
2. Then, I wrote out the “best case” possibilities, such as being promoted or given a raise or award.
3. Finally, the module helped me look at the more realistic ideas – that my supervisor might be giving me feedback on a specific assignment or tasking me with a specific project, and I developed a plan for addressing the issue.

AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and Families are an incredibly resilient group of people who have overcome so much. This tool won’t solve the wide range of problems wounded warriors face during recovery and transition, but it may provide some tools to address the challenges that continue to surface. I encourage AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and Family members to give it a try.

CSF emphasizes that the GAT scores are confidential, and individual scores will not be reported to Commanders or Leadership. CSF is not a screening tool for any physical or psychological disease or dysfunction. It is instead a self-assessment tool to help individual Soldiers, Family members, and Army civilians to evaluate their balance of their fitness levels on each of these dimensions.

Posted byaw2stratcom underFamily Resources, General, Training | Comments (0)

By Sarah Greer, AW2 Community Support Network Coordinator

Between December 15 and February 1, 12 new organizations have registered for the AW2 Community Support Network to demonstrate their support for AW2 Soldiers, Veterans, and Families. I encourage you to visit their Web sites to learn more about the unique services each organization offers.

AW2 also recently hosted the first quarterly conference call with AW2 Community Supporters and focused on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and AW2 encouraged AW2 Community Supporters to send their success stories for use in the AW2 blog and other AW2 publications. AW2 Veteran Matthew A. Staton also joined the call to discuss how he manages his PTSD and TBI and the important role AW2 Community Supporters have played in his recovery and transition.

Federal Organizations (registered between December 15 and February 1):

• Joint Warfare Analysis Center
• U.S. Army Career and Alumni Program (ACAP)

Additional Organizations (registered between December 15 and February 1):

• Gameday for Heroes
• Global Tattoo Orthotic Prosthetic Innovations
• Missouri Veterans Commission
• NARHA Horses for Heroes
• On Our Own Services
• Operation Oasis
• Oshkosh Corporation
• Park University
• The Home Base Program
• United Service Organization, Inc. (USO)

Any AW2 Soldier, Veteran, or Family member can nominate an organization for the AW2 Community Support Network by contacting me at AW2CommunitySupportNetwork@conus.army.mil or (703) 325-0397. For more information, please visit the AW2 Community Support Network section of the AW2 Web site.

The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the United States Department of Defense of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as military exchanges and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) sites, the United States Department of Defense does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations.

Posted bysarahgreer underCommunity Support Network, Non-profit, Uncategorized Community Support Network, Resources | Comments (0)

• AW2 Veterans and Family members attended the Army Family Action Plan Worldwide Conference in Arlington, VA, and are pictured with Secretary of the Army John McHugh in Army News. [Back row (L-R): Mario and Angelica Bracamonte, Melissa Cramblett and David Proctor, Jared and Jennifer Hatch, Ken and Brenda Kraft, and Jay Wilkerson. Front row (L-R): Vivica Stokes and Secretary of the Army John McHugh holding Stokes’ service dog, Starsky.
• AW2 Soldier SPC Michael Brown, featured in Albany Times Union, reunited with his brother and hit the ski slopes at Windham Mountain Resort.
• AW2 Veteran Michael Cain and AW2 Soldiers SFC Jonathan Grundy and SSG Preston Jackson were featured in MHS Profiles in an article about outdoor activities and community-supported recreational programs that provide wounded warriors with the confidence, strength, and pride required to heal both body and soul.
• AW2 Family, the Calhouns, were featured in a The Leaf Chronicle article about receiving a free house from Homes for Our Troops, a nonprofit program.
• AW2 Soldier CPT Ivan Castro, featured in The Fayetteville Observer, is the first blind officer to receive a diploma from the Maneuver Captains Career Course at Fort Benning, GA, and is now the operations officer for Fort Bragg’s Special Operations Recruiting Battalion.
• BG Gary Cheek, commanding general, U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command (WTC), featured in DOD News, signed an agreement with Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to increase opportunities for wounded warriors.
• AW2 Soldier Melissa Cramblett is featured in Recruiter Journal (page 12) in an article about being a volunteer official spokesperson for www.StayStrongNation.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping servicemembers recover from post-traumatic stress disorder.
• AW2 Veteran Robert “Bobby” Henline, featured on KENS-TV, shares his story of burn injuries in a standup comedy act to make people laugh and also raise awareness.
• AW2 Soldier SGT Quitman “Trey” Lockley and his Family are featured on KKTV- TV in a story about his miraculous recovery from his injuries.
• AW2 Veteran Joseph Paulk was featured on WNDU-TV in an article about Operation Mend giving Soldiers their faces back through reconstructive surgery at no charge.
• Oregon Soldiers, featured on KVAL-TV, recounted a roadside bomb attack and how they saved AW2 Soldier SPC Jeremy Pierce’s life.
• AW2 Veteran Matthew Staton, featured in DOD News, spoke at the 2010 Military Health System Conference about the technology-based care he received through the Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program that has enabled a successful post-military life.
• AW2 Veteran Scott Vycital and AW2 Advocate Christine Cook were featured in The Denver Post about how AW2 support Soldiers and Veterans. Vycital, also featured in the Fort Collins Coloradoan, shared a box with the first lady at the State of the Union Address.

The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the United States Department of Defense of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as military exchanges and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) sites, the United States Department of Defense does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations.

Posted bytaniameireles underSoldier Story, Soldier and Family Story, Weekly News Digest aw2 weekly news digest, soldier stories | Comments (0)

By Lee McMahon, WTC Stratcom

The Army is built on strong leaders. They are the individuals whose impact stays with you for years to come. I had a chance to learn about one such leader from someone just starting his path in the Army. On February 1, CPT Scott Smiley takes command of the West Point Warrior Transition Unit. I had a chance to talk with a first year cadet, Will Webb, at West Point who has known CPT Smiley for nearly 10 years about what kind of leader he is. CPT Smiley is not only becoming a leader of Warriors in Transition, he is a wounded Soldier himself. CPT Smiley was severely injured in a suicide bomb attack in Iraq on April 6, 2005. As a result he lost his sight. This has not stopped him from leading Soldiers and continuing to serve in the Army.

What was your first impression of CPT Smiley?

The first time I met CPT Smiley was Spring of 2000. He and my brother were classmates and he visited our house for the weekend. I was immediately impressed with his humble and personable servant attitude and rock-solid faith. He immediately struck me as the kind of person that genuinely cares about the people he comes in contact with, and someone who I could look up to and emulate.

Has he impacted your experience at West Point with the Army? If so, how?

CPT Smiley has greatly impacted my West Point experience in numerous ways. As an Army Officer and West Point graduate, he has mentored me and supported me through the toughest challenges here at the Academy. As my sponsor, he and his wife, Tiffany, have graciously provided their home as a place of relaxation and refuge from the challenges and demands of the week. And as my bible study leader, he has greatly impacted myself and the others in our group spiritually, and motivated us to choose to walk on the path less traveled, to be godly men of character. There is no doubt that without the influence of CPT Smiley in my life, my overall experience at West Point this year could not have been the same.

What do you think about CPT Smiley taking command of the West Point Warrior Transition Unit?

While I am sad to see CPT Smiley leave his teaching position, I am excited to see him take command of the Warrior Transition Unit. I know that he is thankful for this opportunity, and I am confident that he will continue to excel and have a profound impact on the soldiers that he will soon be commanding.

What are the characteristics of CPT Smiley’s leadership?

CPT Smiley is a selfless, dynamic, and highly successful leader who always puts others first and strives to be a positive influence on them. He is the kind of leader who looks for ways to challenge himself and then eagerly conquers those challenges. As a highly capable and experienced leader, CPT Smiley can be trusted to accomplish any task set before him.

Note: To read an interview with CPT Smiley and his wife Tiffany, please visit the WTC Blog.

Posted byaw2stratcom underSoldier Story CPT Smiley, Warrior Transition Unit, West Point, Will Webb | Comments (0)

The following is an interview with AW2 Veteran Tim Gillem who has started his own security firm in Greenville, S.C. after recovering from wounds suffered as a result of combat in Iraq. Tim graciously agreed to this interview in the hopes that it would inspire AW2 Soldiers and Veterans to start their own businesses.

AW2 Veteran Tim Gillem pictured while on active duty in Samarra, Iraq at FOB Brassfield-Mora.

What does it mean to you to be an AW2 Veteran?

It means that I have constant support. I’ve been out of the Army since November 29th and my AW2 Advocate at Ft. Jackson calls me at least once every two weeks to see how I’m doing and what’s going on. She knows me and she alerts me to new programs that come up and asks for my input. That’s the most important part: knowing that I have a support system if I need it.

When did you decide that you wanted to start your own business?

Actually, my co-founder Tony and I discussed it during our 2006-2007 deployment to Iraq. We talked about it the entire time we were deployed and before we got wounded. We really wanted to do something together when we retired. As fate had it, the night I got wounded Tony also got wounded when he came out to rescue me. I got hit by an IED and while Tony was coming out to get me he got hit by an IED. It was a very well coordinated attack; it took out our platoon, and it took out the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) along with Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD).

Throughout our deployment we had been discussing different business plans and coming up with ideas for what we wanted to do. Since both of us served in the infantry we really wanted to continue in similar line of work, but we also wanted to do it for civilians and executives. That end up being what our company is all about — executive protection.

When I say that we protect executives I mean that we protect judges, celebrities, politicians, or anyone that feels that there is some threat level, whether it’s a low threat level or a high threat level. Our aim is to protect those kinds of individuals so they can go about their business and everyday lives.

Did your AW2 Advocate provide you with any support or guidance to start your own business?

Definitely. Wanda, my AW2 Advocate, has been a great resource to me. She was actually the one that pointed me to the Web sites for the Small Business Administration in South Carolina. She also made sure I was aware of small business briefings and she got me into an ACAP class that helped me learn a lot about running my own business. The class also featured a number of speakers from Veterans and others that had started their own businesses. It was very informative and helped me understand what I was getting myself into. The class also had a group come from Benedict College in Columbia and that helped me set up a business plan and assisted with financing. Wanda was very instrumental in helping us, and Tony and I are very thankful for her help and support.

Read more…

Posted byryanalexander underCareer and Education, Soldier Story Career and Education, Entrepreneurship, Soldier Story, Tim Gillem, Triple Strand Security | Comments (0)