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Soldiers from across the U.S. Army Reserve are spearheading the effort to transform the way the Army Reserve understands health and wellness.
Operation Holistic Warrior, an annual training event hosted this year at Fort Jackson, S.C., is instructing Soldiers on how to integrate a Holistic Health and Fitness lifestyle.
Holistic Health and Fitness, known as H2F, is a structured, five-domain framework designed to improve Soldier readiness across physical, mental, nutritional, sleep, and spiritual aspects.
"Holistic Health and Fitness is a system in the Army where it gives many domains to help Soldiers grow,” said Lt. Col. Jason Barber, incoming program manager of Operation Holistic Warrior. ”It will increase wellness amongst our Soldiers, which then increases our lethality on the battlefield."
Army Field Manual 7-22, updated in 2020, outlines H2F and its approach on optimizing Soldier readiness through the five domains. According to FM 7-22, H2F is the foundation of unit readiness. The goal of the H2F System is to build physical lethality and mental toughness to win quickly and return home healthy.
"Operation Holistic Warrior is an opportunity for reserve Soldiers across the entire Reserve space to get together and learn about what holistic health is, how they can implement it in their personal lives, but also equally as important, how they can implement it into their units, take it back, and grow the program in their units as well,” said H2F integrator and OHW team lead, Sgt. 1st Class Corey Boston.
Operation Holistic Warrior offers a diverse range of classes and hands-on exercises focused on each of the five domains of H2F. Soldiers engage in tactical mobility drills and dynamic movement exercises to enhance functional range of motion and flexibility. Other blocks of instruction are dedicated to nutrition, and even spiritual fitness.
Building Soldier readiness takes time, a lesson Boston learned firsthand. He recalled his time as a drill sergeant, saying that he understands the process required to train Soldiers to be successful is not quick or easy.
“I understand that it's not going to be an overnight process, but having events just like this, exactly like this, is going to help,” Boston said. “Now we're giving the knowledge to these reserve Soldiers, so they can better implement H2F into their units."
Barber noted the importance of helping Soldiers that struggle to maintain their readiness in the five domains. He highlighted the value of this training for those who do not meet readiness standards, and have been flagged. A flag can prevent soldiers from receiving certain benefits, and may bar them from advancing in their Army career.
"For the participant— they’re receiving the knowledge and tools to increase performance and avoid or overcome a flag” Barber said. “Then they are in turn going back to their units and sharing what they’ve learned from all the assembled subject-matter experts in the field that we brought here."
Barber noted that the program works for senior leaders, and junior Soldiers alike. Operation Holistic Warrior gives them the tools they need to implement this holistic approach at their home units.
"It’s a top-down and a bottom-up perspective that we’re trying to approach with this H2F system. It’s a leadership program,” Barber said.
With Soldiers returning to their home units armed with this knowledge, Operation Holistic Warrior continues to drive a shift in Army culture– one that ensures Soldiers are healthier, combat ready, and more lethal.
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.28.2025 13:03 |
| Story ID: | 493948 |
| Location: | FORT JACKSON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 53 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 81st Readiness Division hosts 2nd annual Operation Holistic Warrior, by SPC Zachary Potter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
