JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
More than a thousand Soldiers, along with a couple of hundred Sailors and Airmen, participated the first Joint Base San Antonio-wide “We Care Carnival” Sept. 19, highlighting Sexual Harassment, Assault Response and Prevention, Equal Opportunity, Army Substance Abuse Program and chaplain programs.
Held at the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Student Activity Center, students training at the Medical Education and Training Campus participated in carnival-themed events and activities focused on sexual harassment, assault, suicide, and discrimination. It was a joint effort as Army, Navy, and Air Force offices from all across the installation took part in the carnival.
The carnival was designed to engage students about the programs in an entertaining atmosphere. Students learned about these initiatives by answering questions at booths, playing bingo, participating in a gameshow, and playing games for prizes. Students also enjoyed popcorn, cotton candy, slushy drinks, prize raffle prizes, sumo wrestling, and a petting zoo of working therapy dogs brought by volunteers with Paws 4 Hearts, a non-profit organization based in Texas.
The 32nd Medical Brigade, U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence, or MEDCoE, led efforts in organizing the carnival. They received a lot of assistance from the Medical Professional Training Brigade, MEDCoE, the Navy Medicine Education Training and Logistics Command, and the 502nd Air Base Wing student population, with the most of the funding provided by U.S. Army North.
Sgt. 1st Class Mishiella Roseburgh and Sgt. 1st Class Freyja E. Eccles, from the 32nd Medical Brigade, were the primary planners and points of contact for the event.
“The reason we hosted this event is because since my return to JBSA in 2016, I have been surprised at how little inter-service coordination there is for the SHARP programs,” Eccles said. “It has been my goal to foster cooperation and coordination amongst all the military services within JBSA since becoming the 32nd Medical Brigade’s sexual assault response coordinator, victim advocate. I am looking forward to working with all of our sister services moving forward.”
To learn more about the SHARP, EO and chaplain programs, visit https://www.jbsa.mil/Resources/Sexual-Assault-Prevention-and-Response/, https://www.jbsa.mil/Resources/Equal-Opportunity/, and https://www.jbsa.mil/Resources/Chaplain-Services/.