Photo By Pvt. Cecilia Ochoa | Brittany Hawthorne, a Master Resilience Trainer Performance Expert at the Ready and...... read more read more
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FORT CARSON, Colo.--“So first of all, we all struggle with this, you know, being in the right mindsets, and dealing with the normal stressors that come with personal life and a military life,” said Staff Sgt. Steffen Lamar Tucker, a program manager for Ready and Resilient Performance Center at Fort Carson. “I had a very difficult childhood. So, I didn't have any of these skills that I did when I joined the Army.”
Tucker from Acworth, Georgia joined the Army in 2005 as an aircraft pneudraulics repairer, in hopes of bettering himself after dropping out of high school.
Tucker went through the R2 course in 2011 after finding a passion in the program's mission, it has allowed him to grow in many aspects of his career and now he hopes to share the skills with other Soldiers.
Initially, when joining Tucker experienced the fast-paced lifestyle of the Army, but he always found the Master Resilience Training (MRT) helpful through the difficult aspects of the military.
“I went through a very troubled childhood, and then deployments, like I joined the Army and I had to apply myself to deal with that environment, and I didn't have any of those skills,” said Tucker. “So then in 2011 when I was fortunate enough to go to the course (MRT) it was mind boggling, it changed a lot.”
In fact during MRT one of the things they teach is to hunt the good stuff, to build positive emotion and optimism, which is something Tucker continues to practice every day.
“I can hunt the good to think about, you know, positive things that are happening in my life, to boost my energy,” said Tucker. “Because that's the number one thing of this entire center is, how do we get Soldiers back into the game? Because mentally, you know, anything can happen.”
In addition, Tucker encourages everyone to take the time and work on the mental resilience side of the military.
“We don't think about it, you'll hear that a lot, it is what it is. You have to be intentional and just kind of honest, do-little baby steps that are going to put you in a place that it's going to help you succeed in whatever you're trying to do and what you're trying to succeed in,” said Tucker. “Come talk to people, and there's nothing wrong with it. And it's only going to better you, your organization, your company, your unit and the people around you as well.”
Furthermore, Tucker is the only Soldier in his department at the R2 center and is one of 32 program managers across the Army. He works alongside civilians to make sure Soldiers are taken care of.
“Being able to just talk to him about what it's like to be a Soldier in general. I think, has helped me a lot, I can make it more relevant to what, their day to day lives,” said Ms. Brittany Hawthorne a Master Resilience Trainer Performance Expert at the R2 Performance Center. “So just being able to learn from him and understand a little bit more of what that's like. And I think having a Soldier kind of embedded in our program really creates a lot of buy-in.”
The R2 Center is designed to help every Soldier achieve readiness mentally and physically, Tucker encourages everyone to check out the program and become the best version they can be. The website for more information is www.armyresilience.army.mil or stop by the office on post at 1891 Prussman Blvd, Bldg. 1843 Fort Carson.
| Date Taken: | 10.20.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.20.2023 18:17 |
| Story ID: | 456237 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 165 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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