Photo By Staff Sgt. Patrick Caldwell | Sgt. 1st Class D. J. Clapp, of Payette, Idaho, sorts through gunnery documentation in...... read more read more
By Staff Sgt. Patrick Caldwell
116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team
ONTARIO, Oregon – Sgt. 1st Class D.J. Clapp spends the majority of his time nurturing his unit and bestowing hard-earned knowledge as a master gunner to the tankers of Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, Oregon Army National Guard.
The job is a busy one, Clapp said, especially this year as Charlie Company prepares for an August rotation at the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin California.
Yet when the Payette, Idaho, resident does manage to secure some free time he participates in a number of activities, including golf and hunting and bowling. While he concedes he is fairly competent as a golfer and loves to hunt, bowling is where his skills shine.
Clapp, the full-time Active Guard/Reserve readiness non-commissioned officer in charge for Charlie Company insists his bowling gig is a hobby but he is often willing to make minor sacrifices to get out onto the lanes.
For example, this month Clapp journeyed to Montana to act as a Vehicle Crew Evaluator for members of the 1st Battalion, 163rd Cavalry Regiment, Montana Army National Guard, one of the maneuver elements for the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team.
After spending a week or more acting as an evaluator, Clapp finished his duty in Montana and started a short leave by climbing out of bed the next day before 5 a.m. to board a flight on his way to the 2015 USBC (United States Bowling Conference) Open championships in El Paso Texas. Clapp said the USBC tournament stretches over several months.
“It is one tournament every year that lasts four months. This one goes from March to July,” he said.
Clapp spent four days bowling in the amateur tournament and while he did not clinch top honors, he said the experience was a satisfying one.
Clapp said the ability to create healthy distractions from work is a critical piece to total readiness.
“If you only ever did military stuff you’d burn yourself out. You have to have something to do to relax. Bowling is just something I do,” he said.
Clapp conceded bowling in a tournament open to people nationwide, including bowlers on the pro circuits, can be stressful. Still he said it is a good way for him to unwind.
This year, as Charlie Company and the 3rd Battalion gear up for an August rotation through the NTC, finding a way to relax proved difficult Clapp said.
“With our schedule it has been hard to burn leave,” he said.
Charlie Company’s 2015 agenda is a packed one. In June the unit will spend 11 days at the desolate Orchard Combat Training Center south of Boise, Idaho and then turn around a little more than a month later and deploy to the NTC.
“I wouldn’t say it is the busiest I’ve been, because the deployment years were busy too,” he said.
Clapp said while the next few months will be demanding, he is confident his company will perform well at the NTC.
“We are a pretty solid unit right now,” he said.
Lt. Col. Brian Dean, a Salem, Oregon resident, and the commander of the 3rd Battalion, said Clapp’s ability to find an outlet from work is a critical element to total success.
“Leader burn-out is a significant problem across the military and we expect much more out of our full-time National Guard soldiers and leaders. With the amount of work and stress the full-time Soldiers and leaders deal with it is critical that they develop positive ways of dealing with the pressure,” Dean said.
Dean said whether it is bowling or golf or some other hobby, the search to find an outlet after duty hours is important.
“Those that have not developed positive hobbies or ways of dealing with stress often burnout before they reach their 20 year commitment. Sgt. 1st Class Clapp not only found that in bowling but he is an extremely high-performing leader who administers a tank company with very little help,” Dean said.
| Date Taken: | 05.30.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.30.2015 23:47 |
| Story ID: | 164999 |
| Location: | PAYETTE, IDAHO, OREGON, US |
| Hometown: | PAYETTE, IDAHO, US |
| Web Views: | 178 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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