Photo By 1st Lt. Brianne Roudebush | Sgt. Major Clinton Lockard, the California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force...... read more read more
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Leaving uniforms, emails, and stress behind, members of the California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force headed out to the lake June 30 for a much-needed break from the office. Against the sunny backdrop of Lake Natoma at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center, the Soldiers, Airmen and their families and friends held a barbecue complete with music, volleyball, kayaking and paddle boarding.
The Morale, Welfare, and Recreation event was emphasized by the command team after a stressful period of inspections and prior to the task force’s busy summer season.
“We’re headed into the high op-tempo part of the year for us,” Sgt.
Major Clinton Lockard, the CDTF senior enlisted advisor, said. “We wanted to get everyone together before we break off into our missions and start working extremely hard for the rest of the [year].”
For a large task force like CDTF, which is spread across the state, it is important to maintain camaraderie among members. Lockard said that when unit cohesion is strong, “everyone has an emotional investment in the mission and the people they are working with.”
Staff Sgt. Claudia Sandoval, a member of the operations team, agreed, adding that cohesion makes the working environment a lot more amiable.
Sandoval and her supervisor, Master Sgt. Leah Aboabdo, both brought their sons who spent the afternoon paddle boarding and playing in the lake together.
Aboabdo said it was very important to her that families were invited.
“This event showed support to the service members and their families,”
Aboabdo said. “It’s nice to see everyone in their family role and to have the opportunity to bring Counterdrug to life for the people who support you at home.”
Throughout the afternoon, children could be found playing on the beach, eating hotdogs and cookies and dancing to the music while CDTF members made family introductions and spent time getting to know one another outside the work environment.
“I think it brings us closer,” Sandoval said. “Leah is my boss, but I get along with her – I respect her as a peer, as a superior, as a person – so I think that’s extremely important because we have a really good working relationship and, outside of work, we can also hang out. I love that.”
Lockard echoed these sentiments, adding that “Events like these bring people out of their bubble a bit. You get to know a little bit more about people outside of the uniform and rank - it kind of brings down the wall, so to speak.”
The various activities available at the aquatic center encouraged interaction and enticed people to stay all afternoon, despite the heat.
While the event allowed Soldiers and Airmen an opportunity to take a break from the daily grind, MWR aims to improve the working environment as well.
“I think it was great. I saw a lot of smiling faces and everyone seemed to have a good time,” Lockard said. “Back at the office, morale was absolutely improved. I see a lot more chatter in the area; there’s a lot more interactivity now, which is a good thing.”
| Date Taken: | 06.30.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.17.2016 13:42 |
| Story ID: | 207458 |
| Location: | GOLD RIVER, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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