17th Fires Brigade connects with local community

Photo By Staff Sgt. James Bunn | First Lt. Todd Wiegman, a Pensacola, Fla., native with 1st Battalion (HIMARS), 94th Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade, and 2nd Lt. Nathan Rolls, a Silver Spring, Md., native with 1-94 FA, listen to a public safety class at Tumwater City Hall March 4. The class was part of a two-day event known as Tumwater University, which covered various aspects of the city including local government, services and area attractions. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. James Bunn)  

TUMWATER, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES

03.04.2013

Story by Sgt. James Bunn 

17th Public Affairs Detachment

TUMWATER, Wash. – Soldiers with 17th Fires Brigade joined citizens and city leaders from Tumwater for a two-day event known as Tumwater University.

The event, which took place Feb. 25 and March 4, was broken into 10 classes covering various aspects of the Tumwater community including city government, services and local attractions.

Soldiers with 17th Fires Brigade were present to answer questions about the military and taught a class to local citizens about Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which lies less than 20 miles away.

The 17th Fires Brigade has worked closely with Tumwater for nearly three years as part of the Community Connection Program, which partners military units with local cities, said Capt. Cynthia Holuta, an Indiana, Pa., native and the public affairs officer for 17th Fires Brigade.

Holuta said the brigade regularly takes part in local events, such as the city’s Fourth of July celebration, and has soldiers who volunteer within the community.

“It’s important to have that relationship that way the community can get to know their soldiers,” said Holuta, who felt that being part of the local community gives soldiers a “home base” they can rely on.

According to Pete Kmet, the mayor of Tumwater, JBLM has a big impact on the community because of the large number of soldiers who live in Tumwater.

Kmet said he appreciates the military and hopes to continue to build an active relationship with the base.

For the soldiers who took part, the event was a way to get more involved with their partnered city.

There are so many soldiers that live in this area, so it is important that we can connect with the people here and make sure they know who we are and that we are members of their community, said 1st Lt. Zack Feterl, a Boulder, Colo., native with 1st Battalion (HIMARS), 94th Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade.

“We are part of the community and it’s important to understand one another,” he said.

Events like this make it easy for soldiers to get involved in their cities.

“When getting to a new place, it’s easy to focus on work and forget about the community you live in,” said 1st Lt. Todd Wiegman a native of Pensacola, Fla., with 1-94 FA. “Getting involved in the community makes you feel like you’re part of the community. You’re not just at another assignment. You’re actually at home.”

Whether they are stateside or overseas, soldiers joined the Army to serve their fellow Americans.

“We signed up to fight for the country, so we need to get more involved with the community and get to know who we are fighting for,” said Wiegman.

• Date Taken: 03.04.2013
• Date Posted: 03.13.2013 17:00
• Story ID: 103406
• Location: TUMWATER, WASHINGTON, US
• Hometown: BOULDER, COLORADO, US
• Hometown: INDIANA, PENNSYLVANIA, US
• Hometown: PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, US
• Hometown: SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND, US