Fabulous Army Life

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month and there's no volunteer like an Army volunteer! Our unit has an fabulous group of volunteers that are always available to lend a helping hand.  They do amazing things and work hard at keeping our unit Families informed and supported.  Off the top of my head, here are a few of the many things they do ... At any given time, a volunteer in our unit could be: making phone calls to unit Families planning meetings to keep Families in the information loop decorating for unit events wrapping gifts at the PX during the holidays putting together baby bags for the babies in the battalion baking goodies to sell at bake sales or just to give to Soldiers for their birthday taking all the training required to be able to bake goodies to sell organizing fundraisers taking and posting photos of unit events updating their unit Facebook page completing all required training for leaders in the FRG attending optional but beneficial trai...

Our final station for Family Day was the M240B machine gun range.  We were given a safety briefing and demonstration of the weapon, then proceeded with our one-on-one safety guide to the range.  Everyone was provided ear protection and we shot 100 rounds at the really small target in front of us.  The Soldier that accompanied me to the range was a consummate professional and helped me get myself organized to shoot.  After a little advice on readjusting my aim, I was able to successfully hit the target!  I was thrilled and was happy to keep my target as we wrapped up our last station.  Hooah! The M240B Range Soldiers in the control tower keep us on track. Demonstration of the M240B machine gun. Bringing in the rounds Love the dichotomy of the pink tutu and the automatic weapon! This is a friend's daughter and it's my favorite photo of the day! This is MY target!  Hooah!

The Warrior Skills Trainer, part three of our Family Day, is one of the coolest things I've done.  It is a simulated convoy of four HMMWVs with surrounding screens that show the scenery of a middle eastern village.  We were able to fill the spots in a mounted patrol and work together to drive through the village.  I was in the turret and the rest of my family was scattered throughout the other vehicles.  It was amazing to get a glimpse of what our Soldiers do regularly and by the end, my shoulders were in knots from the tension of looking for insurgents in the simulation.  What a great way to gain a little more appreciation for the hard work our Soldiers do! We're ready for patrol!  Kristin, Ariel, Athena, me, and Sharon In the turret of the HMMWV My mom is ready to go! My stepdad is behind me all the way! Trey at the wheel! Jacob in the simulator. My sister-in-law is a natural!

Part Two of our Family Day fun was conducted in the Engagement Skills Trainer.  We were able to try out a variety of weapons in a simulated environment ... and to keep things family-friendly, we shot at turkeys instead of people.  It was cool, though, that the turkeys burned up into little baked birds when you got a shot.  So fun! Three cute boys ready for the Engagement Skills Trainer! There's nothing quite like seeing your 11-year-old with a large deadly weapon. Jacob is ready to open fire while his mommy looks on.

The battalion Family Day is, by far, my favorite event in the unit thus far. Our Soldiers planned an amazing day of learning more about what they do on deployment and we had a great time. We met at the 1st Cavalry Division Museum's gazebo and were greeted by my (very handsome) husband. Each battery then boarded a bus to go to one of four stations. Our battery started at the Iraqi training village where we conducted a dismounted patrol through the village. We were briefed on Iraqi culture and given tips on how to interact with the locals there (and more importantly, how not to offend them). Broken into squads, we were given four different questions to ask and answer. It was such a fun experience and the Soldiers playing the roles of the Iraqis were fabulous. Here's how it went ... Nate welcomes Red Dragon Families and Friends This boy loves his daddy! Brian and Leandra on the bus heading to the Iraqi village. We receive a briefing on our way to the training villag...