2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
Story by Spc. Justin A. Naylor
04.28.2010 FORT HOOD, Texas— Stress can be extremely detrimental to health. Therefore, relieving stress is something that anyone in a dangerous profession should do. If the act of relieving stress also happens to be fun, so much the better.
For Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 2nd BCT, April 28, presented just the stress reliever they were looking for: a full day of covering one another with
For Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 2nd BCT, April 28, presented just the stress reliever they were looking for: a full day of covering one another with
paint on the Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area's paintball course near Fort Hood, Texas.
Both the 1st Bn., 8th Cav., and the 2nd STB returned from deployment to Kirkuk, Iraq, in late December 2009.
"When you get deployed, you're at a high tempo," said Sgt. 1st Class Lenneth Kim, a Sacramento, Calif., native and the non-commissioned officer in-charge of the III Corps Warrior Adventure Quest. "Adrenaline and stress are at their peaks."
According to Kim, people used to believe that a Soldier returning from deployment would easily lose all of the built up stress as soon as he returned home, which has been proven to be untrue. Now, when Soldiers return from deployments, they have to take part in programs that help them deal with these ambient stresses.
Besides paintball, the WAQ also offers units, small groups and individual Soldiers various stress relieving activities that include mountain biking, rock climbing and kayaking.
"Deploying Soldiers come back, and we take them out to these strenuous activities in a supervised environment, and that helps give them an outlet," said Kim.
According to the WAQ website, this type of training introduces outdoor adventure activities as a positive alternative to high risk [or] destructive behaviors. It also helps the Soldier learn coping skills for managing combat experiences. The events are intended to help decrease the likelihood of Soldiers being injured or killed in a non-battlefield related incidents.
Rather than drinking or driving, or buying a new car and crashing it, Soldiers can use these events to release stress and find new hobbies that keep them busy, explained Kim.
"A lot of our Soldiers have a lot of pent up stress that they need to get rid of," said Sgt. Charles Hreha, a Bradley systems maintainer with 1st Bn., 8th Cav. Regt.
Hreha himself said he came out to this event feeling tense, and after only a few games, he was already feeling much more relaxed.
"Other than a couple of battle wounds, everyone really seems to be enjoying this," said Hreha.
Units or individual Soldiers wishing to participate in the WAQ can find more information at www.hood.army.mil/resiliencycampus/warrior.aspx
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Both the 1st Bn., 8th Cav., and the 2nd STB returned from deployment to Kirkuk, Iraq, in late December 2009.
"When you get deployed, you're at a high tempo," said Sgt. 1st Class Lenneth Kim, a Sacramento, Calif., native and the non-commissioned officer in-charge of the III Corps Warrior Adventure Quest. "Adrenaline and stress are at their peaks."
According to Kim, people used to believe that a Soldier returning from deployment would easily lose all of the built up stress as soon as he returned home, which has been proven to be untrue. Now, when Soldiers return from deployments, they have to take part in programs that help them deal with these ambient stresses.
Besides paintball, the WAQ also offers units, small groups and individual Soldiers various stress relieving activities that include mountain biking, rock climbing and kayaking.
"Deploying Soldiers come back, and we take them out to these strenuous activities in a supervised environment, and that helps give them an outlet," said Kim.
According to the WAQ website, this type of training introduces outdoor adventure activities as a positive alternative to high risk [or] destructive behaviors. It also helps the Soldier learn coping skills for managing combat experiences. The events are intended to help decrease the likelihood of Soldiers being injured or killed in a non-battlefield related incidents.
Rather than drinking or driving, or buying a new car and crashing it, Soldiers can use these events to release stress and find new hobbies that keep them busy, explained Kim.
"A lot of our Soldiers have a lot of pent up stress that they need to get rid of," said Sgt. Charles Hreha, a Bradley systems maintainer with 1st Bn., 8th Cav. Regt.
Hreha himself said he came out to this event feeling tense, and after only a few games, he was already feeling much more relaxed.
"Other than a couple of battle wounds, everyone really seems to be enjoying this," said Hreha.
Units or individual Soldiers wishing to participate in the WAQ can find more information at www.hood.army.mil/resiliencycampus/warrior.aspx
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