Photo By Master Sgt. Vin Stevens | FORT BLISS, Texas – Fort Bliss Morale, Welfare and Recreation hosted the annual...... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, Texas – Every time I move to a different duty station, I feel like I don’t ever get all the information I need or desire during installation and unit in-processing.
Moving to a large installation like Fort Bliss can seem daunting, especially with the amount of Soldiers, training areas and amenities that are located here.
On Aug. 6, my anxiety was alleviated when I learned how great this installation and the El Paso community truly are after I stepped inside the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center.
The Fort Bliss Morale, Welfare, and Recreation hosted approximately 100 on- and off-post agencies lined up behind endless rows of tables at the 15th-annual Bienvenidos á Bliss Relocation Fair.
“We had over 750 Soldiers and families attend our event this year,” said Cheryl Rankin, ACS Relocation Assistance Program Educator. “We’re excited to host this annual event. This is our welcome for Soldiers and families to Fort Bliss and El Paso.”
I immediately starting walking from table to table, talking to each representative, who were very helpful in expressing what information I needed as a geobachelor living in El Paso.
There are so many activities that Soldiers, families, and civilian employees can enjoy, both on and off the installation.
A representative from Team RWB (Red, White and Blue) invited me to participate in a variety of volunteer and exercise events. Who knew they did more than just running?
MWR, BOSS (Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers) and the Fort Bliss Outdoor Recreation Center offered a variety of tours and events during the fair. You can sign up to attend mountain hikes, farmer’s markets, and out-of-state trips to places such as New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
“We provided our Discord server app to newcomers, which is where they can see our upcoming events right on their smart phone,” said Sgt. Gavin Tomeny, Fort Bliss BOSS President.
I walked away with a lot of useful information and free stuff after speaking with representatives from the many Army Community Service tables, Army Wellness Center, the Fort Bliss Arts and Crafts Center, and the various William Beaumont Medical Center tables.
I also spoke with numerous volunteer and off-post organizations. Army Community Services works with many of these organizations if you’re interested in volunteer opportunities.
ACS can help units track volunteer hours and if Soldiers accumulate enough hours, they are eligible to submit for a Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. There are also other volunteer awards and perks, such as designated parking spaces at on-post facilities.
Fort Bliss MWR held prize drawings throughout the fair as newcomers turned in bingo cards stamped by representatives at various tables.
I personally won four free tickets to an El Paso Locomotives men’s soccer game. I’ve seen the Locos play a few times at Southwest University Park downtown, where the men’s baseball team also plays- the El Paso Chihuahuas.
The Bienvenidos á Bliss Relocation Fair is one of two information fairs that Fort Bliss MWR hosted this year. MWR also hosted the Que Pasa Newcomer’s Fair in February.
I personally recommend you check out the Fort Bliss ACS and MWR Facebook pages for more information about when the next fair will be as well as upcoming events.
I also recommend checking out what else the Fort Bliss and El Paso communities have to offer. Whether it’s an outdoor event, music concert, or historical tour, there are plenty of fun activities to do here.
Bienvenidos á Fort Bliss!
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 08.09.2019 17:28 |
| Story ID: | 335371 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 102 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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