Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Selvage | Army 1st Sgt. Charlie Gordon, the 96th Transportation Company, 142nd Combat...... read more read more
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Thanks to the efforts of the 96th Transportation Company “Heavy Truck” Motivation and Morale Committee, the sounds of soldiers’ woops, hollers and cheers filled the air of the motor pool here, Saturday during soccer, basketball and volleyball games being played.
The committee is a collective group of soldiers who give recommendations for company coins, T-shirts and other related topics as well as coordinating activities similar to a company’s organizational day back home. Each platoon has a representative.
First Sgt. Charlie Gordon, the senior enlisted leader of the 96th TC, 142nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, along with a handful of noncommissioned officers, decided the committee was needed within the company to ensure the soldiers’ voices were heard.
There is a weekly meeting with the first sergeant to hear all ideas and recommendations made by soldiers.
“They act like an FRG,” said Gordon.
They have to be motivated and have drive to be selected for the committee, said Gordon.
“The platoon sergeants picked soldiers from each platoon within the company,” said Spc. Brittany Davis, a New Orleans native, motor transport operator assigned to the 96th TC, 142nd CSSB, 10th SBDE.
Heavy Truck soldiers conduct rigorous physical training Monday through Friday and rest on Sunday. On Saturday, the soldiers play sports.
The soldiers came up with the idea of making Saturday their sports day, said Gordon.
The equipment used for the sports days are items the previous units left, said Davis. The committee has coordinated sports activities like volleyball, basketball, flag-football and tug-of-war.
The committee coordinates barbecues along with squad and platoon competitions at the end of each month to congratulate the newly promoted soldiers and celebrate all of the birthdays for the month.
The committee is working on a way to present the winning squad and platoon an award or certificate of some kind to help keep motivation high for each competition, said Pvt. Melvin Manning a Chicago native also a motor transport operator assigned to the 96th TC.
“We recognize everybody for the whole month at the end of the month with a birthday card,” said Pfc. Kadijah Jones a Rocky Mountain, N.C. native, orderly room clerk assigned to the 96th TC.
Deployments can be stressful no matter what the assignment is and the committee may help keep soldiers resilient throughout the deployment.
“Whether it’s your first time or your eleventh time deploying its always going to be stressful,” said Manning. “This gives the company a chance to come together and grow together as a unit and relive stress in a different way.”
| Date Taken: | 02.22.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.27.2014 11:05 |
| Story ID: | 121241 |
| Location: | CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF |
| Hometown: | CHAMBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, US |
| Hometown: | LETTERKENNY ARMY DEPOT, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Hometown: | NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 215 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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