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JBSA News
NEWS | Oct. 22, 2015

Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers training focuses on life skills

U.S. Army Installation Management Command

Two weeks of mission essential fitness training in Orlando, Fla., empowering briefs from Army leaders, and life skills activities have prepared the attendees of the 2015 Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers Future Leader Training, to revitalize their BOSS programs at their duty stations.

 

Sgt. Maj. Michael Hatfield, from the G9 Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation of U.S. Army Installation Management Command at Fort Sam Houston, focused the forum sessions on life skills, a layer in the BOSS program’s quality of life pillar.

 

“If you look at the new Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley’s message, it is all about readiness,” he said.

 

“At the forum, we focused on ‘life skills’ training,” Hatfield said. “Building life skills and resiliency into all aspects of our Soldier’s lives gives us a stronger, more versatile Army.”

 

Garrison command sergeant majors and Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation BOSS program advisors joined the Soldiers at the training forums to cement their peer-to-peer and mentorship relationships.

 

“This training is about having command sergeant majors, BOSS presidents and the MWR advisors all working together, pushing each other and building camaraderie,” said Hatfield.

 

Command sergeant majors and MWR advisors worked alongside the enlisted soldiers and junior NCOs in everything from team building activities and classroom lectures to early morning physical training sessions conducted by Command Sgt. Maj. John W. Troxell of U.S. Forces Korea.

 

“My fitness program is physically, mentally and emotionally hard. It’s all about advanced functional fitness,” Troxell said. “We saturated the BOSS representatives with as much total force fitness as we could.”

 

 “These Soldiers are coming back to your installations trained and prepared to be an asset to your command, so utilize them,” he said.

 

Sgt. Jimmy Chavez, BOSS president for the IMCOM Pacific Region, already noticed remarkable changes in the program as he transitioned from a representative to the president.

“When I first joined the program in 2011, it was not what it is today. The program was centrally revolved around the traveling, recreation and leisure,” he said.

Now that the program encompasses all the pillars such as quality of life and community service, Chavez has noticed a positive effect on the quality of life and morale of the Soldiers in his unit.

In addition to life skills activities, the forum attendees had the unique opportunity to engage with Army senior leaders including Command Sgt. Maj. Rodney D. Harris of U.S. Army Cyber Command, Command Sgt. Maj. Scott C. Schroeder of U.S. Army Forces Command, retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Jack L. Tilley and current Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey.

 

For the Soldiers, it was a rare experience to talk one-on-one with the leaders and ask them questions. For the leaders, it was a personal opportunity to express their support for the BOSS program.

 

“We cannot do our mission without recognizing the service and sacrifices of our young Soldiers,” Dailey said during the forum’s closing day.

For more information about the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program, visit http://www.armymwr.com/recleisure/single/boss.aspx.