Photo By Staff Sgt. Daniel Stoutamire | Sgt. Casey Jones, a scout with Trp. A, 5th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., 2nd ABCT, 1st Inf....... read more read more
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FORT RILEY, Kan. - With his face covered in camouflage warpaint, first-grader Dwayne Bork took the handheld military radio from the Soldier sitting next to him and said calmly but firmly, “This is Ninja Turtles, do you hear me?” Another voice answered in the affirmative on the other line, and the student looked at the radio in awe.
Duane and more than 80 of his fellow Blue Ridge Elementary School students visited Fort Riley and their partnered unit, the 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division April 25, and part of their visit involved learning about military communications devices. For their call signs, students chose their favorite cartoon character or superhero.
“We wanted to show them the various aspects of Soldiers’ lives, especially as a lot of these kids are military children, so we wanted to show them what their families do on a daily basis and give them an appreciation for that,” 1st Lt. Maxwell Yates, a fire support officer with Trp. A, 5th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., and an Orange, Va., native, said. “It’s a good time for them to come outside and have fun.”
The visitors represented the vast majority of students from the school, from kindergarten through fifth grade, along with their teachers and chaperones. Six stations were set up around the “Longknife” Squadron’s headquarters, each with Soldiers dedicated to explaining that part of military life. However, fun was the priority, and one of the most popular stations had students racing each other while pulling Skedco stretchers filled with their classmates.
“Mainly we are trying to let them have fun for the day, and if they can get something else out of it that’s great too, but having fun is the main point of the day,” Spc. Gregory Decarvalho, a cavalry scout with Trp. A, 5th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., and Sacramento, Calif., native, said.
The squadron and the school share a strong partnership, and signed a new covenant agreement in October. Soldiers, including Decarvalho, regularly visit students at the school and help with homework or just have fun during recess and PE class.
Some of the teachers got in on the act as well during the visit, and the fifth grade teacher was persuaded to lay in the stretcher while a team of her students pulled her.
(“The stretcher race) was awesome,” Beth Gentry, a Chapman native, said. “A little terrifying, but that was fun and part of being a teacher is getting to be like a kid again.”
Some Longknife troopers were specially dressed for the occasion, highlighting the squadron’s need for concealment by wearing full ghillie suits and camouflage makeup.
“They were asking, ‘does it make you extra hot?’ Or does the makeup get in your eyes?’” Sgt. Casey Jones, a scout with Trp. A, 5th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., and Greenville, S.C., native, said. “At first they were a little hesitant — they see us and we kind of look scary, but we tell them the importance of it, so we look like the bad guy at first but then we’re the good guys.”
Other stations highlighted vehicles, like the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle and Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and tested students’ push-up, sit-up and run capabilities.
“This was amazing, the kids loved it and I don’t know who had more fun, the Soldiers or our students,” Gentry said. “The interaction between these guys and the kids has been great, and the kids got to see a whole different side of what these guys do.”
The students’ day was wrapped up with a cookout and lunch with the troopers before they boarded their buses back to school.
It was good to see all the kids out here enjoying themselves and running around, having a good time,” Yates said. “I remember growing up and having the chance to get to go to an Army base and see the Soldiers— it was a great day, and I hope these kids got the same experience.”
| Date Taken: | 04.29.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 07.01.2014 10:45 |
| Story ID: | 134943 |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 'Longknife' welcomes Blue Ridge Elementary students, teachers to Fort Riley, by SSG Daniel Stoutamire, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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