Bravo Company claims 115th CSH ‘Commander’s bed pan’

Photo By Chuck Cannon | Sgt. 1st Class Tony Gonzalez, 115th CSH, flips burgers and hot dogs in preparation for the final event of the 115th Combat Support Hospital Sports Day March 23 at the Fort Polk Soldiers Athletic Complex — lunch.  

FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, UNITED STATES

03.30.2018

Story by Chuck Cannon 

Fort Johnson Public Affairs Office

FORT POLK, La. — March 23 was a day of fun, food and festivities for the Soldiers of the 115th Combat Support Hospital as the unit celebrated the start of spring by spending the day outdoors in friendly sports competition.
Master Sgt. Kevin Bross, operations NCOIC for the 115th CSH, said the “fun day” was a way for the unit to repay its Soldiers for their hard work.
“In the Army we do a lot, and we ask our Soldiers to do a lot,” Bross said. “Recently, we have been running pretty hard, getting prepped with readiness, prepared at all times, so were always go, go, go.”
Bross said each quarter the 115th CSH tries to have a day where, “we pull it back a little bit.”
“During sports day the focus is on esprit de corps,” he said. “We go out and do a round robin sports event, and then award a commander’s trophy for the quarter to the company that did the best. So, it’s just a day to come together, play a little sports, have a little meal, have a little junior versus the seniors kickball at the end to wrap it up, then call it a day.”
The day’s events included kickball, dodge ball and a functional fitness relay that began with 10 burpees, a short sprint, water can carry, obstacle jump, sled drag, then run back and tag the next partner who did the same activities.
For the second quarter in a row, Bravo Company earned the bragging rights, and took home the commander’s trophy.
“The trophy is the ‘Commander’s Bedpan’ since we are a CSH,” Bross said.
The day of fun was a type of culminating event for the 115th CSH outgoing commander, Col. David W. Wolken. Col. Lee A. Burnett replaced Wolken during a change of command ceremony March 29.
“He (Wolken) was there all day and talked to the Soldiers, so before he left, we got to let our hair down and have a good time,” Bross said.
The day’s activities also were a chance for the entire unit to compete for the first time in several months.
“We do a lot of field problems and missions, we’re short on manning, so we’re always pushing our Soldiers hard,” Bross said. “With the redeployment of the 485th Medical Detachment in January, we now have all of our Soldiers back at Fort Polk.”
One of those Soldiers was Pfc. Logan Stewart, B Company. He said the day was “a lot of fun.”
“I saw a lot of camaraderie that I haven’t seen for a while,” he said.
Stewart said the 115th CSH sergeant major issued a challenge to the unit’s Soldiers.
“There was a lot of trash talking going on,” Steward said. “The sergeant major said if you weren’t trash talking, you weren’t playing right. We were told to go out and have a lot of fun, and I believe that’s what we did.”
Following the sporting events, the 115th CSH’s Soldiers dined on hamburgers and hot dogs before calling it a day.
Stewart said he looks forward to the unit sports days.
“It gets us involved in things other than the motor pool or the CSH operations,” he said. “We actually get to go out and get to know the Soldiers in our unit better.”

• Date Taken: 03.30.2018
• Date Posted: 03.30.2018 10:52
• Story ID: 271231
• Location: FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, US