Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Hohman | (Left) Spc. Kurt Moeller, who serves as a combat medic with the 1-17th Infantry...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – Without the support of the installation’s surrounding communities, the mission at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. would not be possible, which is why units at the base have a community connector program designed to allow soldiers and leaders at all levels to get involved and help make a difference in the cities that support the military mission in Washington.
The 2nd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Lancers, through the community connector program, have been working with the cities of Puyallup and Sumner to find ways to mutually support the service members, their families, and the people who call Puyallup and Sumner home.
The community connector program, which was formed in 2000, allows cities to "adopt" units from the base. The city of Puyallup has been connected with the Lancer Brigade Since 2007.
In an effort to help the community better understand the Stryker brigade’s mission, the Lancers showcased one of the newest weapons systems in the U.S. military arsenal Tuesday to the members of the Puyallup and Sumner Chamber of Commerce.
“The Stryker vehicle is awesome,” said Melanie Warren, a former chairman of the Puyallup and Sumner Chamber of Commerce. “I love the fact that I can get in and see it from the inside, not just as its driving down the road or in a parade. I’m glad to know it’s keeping our soldiers safe.”
The guests saw first-hand the capabilities of the M1130 Command Vehicle Stryker, a personnel carrier used by the U.S. military in its current fight in the global war on terror.
“[This] allows the community to see what we do as a military,” said Sgt. Aaron Jackson, a Stryker vehicle commander with Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Bde, 2nd ID. “Just to see their faces when they see the Stryker; it’s fun to sit here with people and teach them about things they’ve never seeing before.”
The community connector program also gives units and communities like the Lancers and Puyallup the opportunity to show their support for one another through volunteer initiatives and programs.
“We had Soldiers come out to the Puyallup Food Bank and the St. Francis house,” said Maj. Joseph Mason, the 2nd Bde. community connector representative. “It gives us an opportunity as Soldiers to get out and interact directly with the community, and it’s the privates and corporals; it’s the true heroes.”
However, the Community Connector program goes two ways and Puyallup has given back to the Lancer through a number of initiatives.
“We gave one thousand bags of coupons and offerings to the Stryker brigade so they could get out and get to know the community,” said Eric Cantor, the head of the military affairs committee in Puyallup and Sumner. “We also have, along with the Ranger and Airlifter, Operation Single Soldier.”
Over the next year, there will be approximately 10 thousand unmarried Soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Operation Single Soldier will try and leave care packages in the rooms of those Soldiers, said Cantor.
Tuesday’s visit offered a great opportunity for the Puyallup and Sumner business community to see first-hand what the mission of their adopted brigade was and identified ways to work with one another to help the soldiers and families of the Lancer brigade.
“We have never really seen behind the scenes of the joint base, just what we see when you come out to the community,” said Warren. “[We could] get behind the scenes to see how we could really work together and help each other.”
| Date Taken: | 01.24.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 01.26.2012 13:23 |
| Story ID: | 82863 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 200 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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