Photo By Staff Sgt. David Beckstrom | The teams of fashion designers and models gather for a group photo at the end of a...... read more read more
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CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – The Army teaches its Soldiers to adhere to a strict set of values in their daily lives. These values aim to make them honorable and professional in everything they do, whether it be fighting the enemies of our nation, physical training or shopping at the local grocery store.
Soldiers assigned to 1st Theater Sustainment Command flexed their creative muscles as they designed and crafted outfits based upon the Army Values for a Values Fashion Show on Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Dec. 31.
“I wanted to challenge Soldiers to express how they identify with the Army Values through fashion,” said Maj. Tammie Elfadili, the event coordinator and 1st TSC plans chaplain. “I wanted them to interpret these values into something tangible and visual.”
The Army Values are Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage. They are also known by the acronym LDRSHIP, which serves to remind Soldiers great leaders exemplify each of these values.
“I believe that loyalty is the foundation of being a Soldier, without it, you wouldn’t stick to the other values,” said Sgt. Betsy Parker, a team leader with 366th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Company, Georgia National Guard. “It also took loyalty for us to come together as a team to create the dress.”
The event included three teams that highlighted Personal Courage, Loyalty and Integrity.
“Being able to show people what I believe Personal Courage looks like, rather than sounds like, was a great experience,” said Capt. Gerald Eady, a plans officer with 1st TSC and the model for personal courage. “Creating the outfit allowed my team to get out of their comfort zone and use their courage to create something that will be shown to others.”
As the teams prepared to create their masterpieces, they were asked to study their chosen value to understand what it stands for and why it is incorporated in the Army Values.
“I asked the teams to research and fully comprehend what their value means and how the values have played a role in history,” said Elfadili, a native of Katy, Texas. “This research allowed them to incorporate these concepts into their designs.”
The Army uses various activities to build esprit de corps and resiliency within their units. The 1st TSC Army Values Fashion Show was one such event.
“In a busy deployment environment, it is good to have something fun to balance out the stresses of work,” said Staff Sgt. Shalisha Ross, an operations noncommissioned officer with 1st TSC and part of the design team for Personal Courage. “My team worked on this project after we finished working for the day and it not only made us closer as a team, it allowed us to relax and focus on something other than being in a deployment zone.”
The military is created by people from different walks of life and they are expected to work as a team to get the mission done. The teams worked together to create their outfits, while their units showed-up in droves to show their support.
“Regardless of a person’s background, we can come together to build a cohesive unit, as evident by our entire unit showing up to support us,” said Parker, a native of Brunswick, Georgia. “We all come from different places, but we all have the same values.”
This was a first for all of the participants of this fashion show. Ross, a Hattiesburg, Mississippi native, had been interested in fashion before and used this opportunity to try it out while others discovered their affinity with this event.
“I think that the best thing I got out of participating in the fashion show, was that it is OK to step outside of your comfort zone,” said Eady, a native of Jacksonville, Florida. “You will never know what you might like if you don’t try something new.”
The winning team was chosen by the audience through cheering for their favorite outfit. Loyalty claimed the top slot for this competition, and will receive a Certificate of Appreciation and a coin for their hard work and dedication to the Army Values.
| Date Taken: | 12.31.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 01.05.2016 10:31 |
| Story ID: | 185644 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Hometown: | BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA, US |
| Hometown: | HATTIESBURG, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Hometown: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | KATY, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 68 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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