Photo By Katryn McCalment | Fayetteville FireAntz defenseman Michael Kavanagh, right, teaches a young hockey...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Players from the Fayetteville FireAntz hockey team got an insider’s view of the daily responsibilities of soldiers on Fort Bragg Feb. 5, during a day-long trip around post.
The team started the day at the Leader’s Reaction Course, a series of obstacles that challenged the players with problem solving and team work.
“With the obstacle course, the guys had to think together as a group and conquer certain tasks,” said Mark DeSantis, the FireAntz head coach. “It was good for me as a coach to sit back and see who my leaders are.”
Assisted by soldiers from 20th Engineer Brigade, the players were broken into smaller groups to complete three challenges. Each required wooden planks and ropes to be used to transport ammunition cans of supplies over enemy lines or across fictional rivers.
“It’s great to see you guys out here, doing what our amazing soldiers do on a daily basis,” said Brig. Gen. Wayne Eyre, deputy commanding general of operations for XVIII Airborne Corps.
The team, which is currently ranked second in the Southern Professional Hockey League, then spent time taking pictures with soldiers after lunch at the Pegasus Dining Facility and moved on to flight simulators on Simmons Army Airfield where they each logged time flying the CH-47 Chinook, UH-60 Blackhawk and AH-64 Apache helicopters.
With all the components of the real-life helicopter and computer screens surrounding them, the athletes where able to navigate the mountains around Bagram, Afghanistan, while taking enemy fire or flying through a thunderstorm.
“It was awesome,” said left wing Anthony Bergin to a teammate as they compared notes.
From being thousands of feet in the air in Afghanistan, the players then regained their footing behind a M2 .50 caliber machine gun at the Engagement Skills Trainer (EST), an interactive combat simulator.
“A lot of people don’t understand what we do day-to-day and what it takes to keep the military running,” said Staff Sgt. Gary Morgan, EST team leader for 54th Forward Support Company, 1st Battalion, 321st Airborne Field Artillery Regiment. “So, it’s really great having them here and to get them some hands-on training, like we get.”
The players finished the day at Cleland Ice Rink with a short practice and then spent time mentoring nearly one hundred skaters from the Junior FireAntz and other hockey leagues from around the area.
Elijah Brown, 7, player for the Junior FireAntz said he enjoyed the time with the older players.
“It was good to have them (here) and I liked the game in the middle,” he said referring to a miniature hockey game that took place in the center of the rink, while skill drills filled the outer edges.
“It’s a give back, get back relationship with the community,” said Coach DeSantis. “We want to get out as much as we can with our fans from Fort Bragg and show (soldiers) that we appreciate everything they do for us and the country.”
For more information on the Fayetteville FireAntz hockey team and upcoming military appreciation nights, visit http://www.fireantzhockey.com/schedule.
| Date Taken: | 02.05.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 02.07.2013 14:04 |
| Story ID: | 101628 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 214 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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