The Fort Campbell garrison is a robust community of civilian employees who strive to offer Soldiers and their Families the best possible experience. The garrison serves more than 26,000 Soldiers and more than 45,000 Family members, civilian employees and contractors.
In 2017, Fort Campbell supported the Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division and multiple tenant units including the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, 5th Special Forces Group and the 52nd Explosive Ordnance Group who deployed in support of multiple missions around the world. The garrison workforce contributed to a thriving and resilient military community.
New leadership
Two thousand seventeen brought changes to the Fort Campbell garrison including new leadership. In a change of command ceremony at the end of June, Col. James “Rob” Salome, outgoing garrison commander, relinquished command to Col. Joseph P. Kuchan.
“This is a place where such historic and elite units … all live and train,” Kuchan said during the ceremony. “It’s a place where a dedicated civilian workforce is committed to serving Soldiers and Families and a place supported by the most welcoming and engaged community in the Army.”
The garrison also welcomed Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Osborne as the new garrison senior enlisted adviser during an assumption of responsibility ceremony in December.
Reaching out
During 2017, Fort Campbell hosted and supported many events that promoted Family fun and community partnerships.
In February, the Austin Peay State University Governors honored Screaming Eagle Soldiers with a tailgate and basketball game during APSU’s Military Appreciation Night. Together the Soldiers, their Families and the students grilled burgers and played yard games before the game began.
“It’s not very common for military posts to have such a strong connection with their neighboring cities. Fort Campbell and Clarksville are the exception,” said Capt. Brian Campbell, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Abn. Div. “Often civilians only see Soldiers in the camouflage uniform, which can make some people hesitant to approach. The tailgating event was a fun place for Soldiers and civilians to interact.”
In May Fort Campbell supported the 101st Airborne Division’s Week of the Eagles. The weeklong celebration included multiple events across the post. The Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation and the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade hosted a concert featuring country music artists Scotty McCreery, Elle King and Caroline Jones. A Family fun day at the Sabalauski Air Assault School featured a U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute demonstration, an Air Assault Open House and a Community Fair. This event allowed community members and civilians to experience facets of Soldier life through static displays of equipment used by all the major units on post. The fair also included a performance by the 101st Abn. Div. Band’s Big 5 rock band and more than 20 local vendors offering face painting, inflatables and concessions.
The WOE celebration continued with the Legacy Golf Tournament at Cole Park Golf Course and multiple sports, marksmanship and Best Air Assault competitions, as well as a combatives tournament.
Major Eddie Porter, WOE action officer, said the celebration was like a Family reunion or homecoming for the 101st Abn. Div.
“[We’re] bringing the old veterans back here who haven’t been here in a long time, who served in various deployments, wars and campaigns,” Porter said. “Just to bring them back home to fellowship with their fellow comrades, past, present and future.”
In August, thousands of people visited the Hopkinsville, Clarksville and Fort Campbell communities for the Great American Total Solar Eclipse. This was the first solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States of America in the past 38 years. Hundreds of people on post turned out for Campbell Crossing’s “End of Summer Blackout Blitz” to cool off with the splash pads and watch the solar eclipse with their friends and Family.
By October, Campbell Crossing was gearing up to host National Night Out. Campbell Crossing’s project manager John Bredehoeft said National Night Out is their biggest event, with more than 3,000 guests each year. The event focuses on crime prevention, awareness and community involvement, he said.
Officers from the Hopkinsville Police Department, and representatives from Fort Campbell’s Directorate of Emergency Services and Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program attended the event to help educate the community. Families were encouraged to dress up in their Halloween costumes for the festival and to have a good time playing games and eating snacks. “In the end it’s all about safety and the more connected you are to your community, the more connected you are to your emergency services staff,” Bredehoeft said. “It provides that level of comfort. You’re more aware of the people who are in your neighborhood. Who strangers might be. It really elevates that sense of community and just provides that level of safety.”
Hundreds of retirees and their spouses packed into Fort Campbell’s Soldier Support Center during the 11th Annual Retiree Appreciation Day in October. Many retirees took advantage of the free basic health screenings provided by Blanchfield Army Community Hospital. Personnel from BACH administered 236 influenza, 29 shingles and 30 pneumococcal vaccinations.
Retirees also spent the day interacting with 101st Airborne Division Soldiers at various static displays set up at the SSC, which encompassed equipment used by infantry, artillery and explosive ordnance disposal. Buses also transported retirees to TSAAS, the Don. F. Pratt Museum at Dreyer Field House, the Engagement Skills Trainer, unit memorials and to a dining facility for brunch.
George Schwab, a retiree who served at Fort Campbell, said he attended the event because of the bond he formed with other Soldiers and veterans during his time in the Army.
“I come every year and I find out something different every time I come,” Schwab said. “The camaraderie and being able to see some of the guys I served with … and to see field artillery out here. I was in [3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment] just prior to retirement and it made me feel good to be out here giving a few hugs and learning some new information about the battalion I was in.”
The staff of the Army Community Service Family Advocacy Program hosted their annual Challenge Walk in October. The Challenge Walk is designed to raise awareness about domestic violence throughout the community. Participants are encouraged to walk a certain amount of steps in remembrance of domestic violence victims. This year, the event at Staff Sgt. Eric B. Shaw Physical Fitness Center featured free yoga, spin and Zumba classes.
“By having a community educated about domestic violence, if they see something, or they notice something, they can speak on behalf of us and direct people to use the Family Advocacy Program,” said George Sloan, victim advocacy coordinator for Fort Campbell ACS-FAP. “It’s not just one person knowing about [FAP], it’s the community as a whole knowing that we are here. Anyone can be a bystander, but they could help the community by speaking out and letting victims know they aren’t alone.”
Soldiers and their Families flocked to Hopkinsville for the annual Chili Cook-Off during Salute Week in October. The cook-off has been a tradition for about 20 years. It began as a celebration of the relationship between the city and Fort Campbell.
This year 28 teams from the community competed in the event. Fort Campbell was represented by teams from 101st Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Brigade Combat Team and 86th Combat Support Hospital. The Sustainers won the crowd favorite with their white chicken chili and brought home the $150 prize. The Sustainers served more than 10 gallons of their chili in less than 90 minutes. The Rakkasans won the Brigade Challenge, which earned them $200.
Private Daniel Houston, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, participated in the competition and said it was great to get outside of the gates and spend time in the community without wearing his Army Combat Uniform.
“Events like this let [Soldiers] know that there are actually people off post who care about the Soldiers and they care about how we are doing, civilians especially,” Houston said. “On post we always see military personnel and of course they are always supportive, but it’s good to know that we have support in the outside communities as well.”
November brought the post’s partnership with APSU full circle and Fort Campbell hosted its first NCAA-sanctioned basketball game, APSU vs. Bethel University at Staff Sgt. Eric B. Shaw Physical Fitness Center. Hundreds for Soldiers, Families and community members filled the gym to witness the Govs defeat the Wildcats, 90-58.
Major Martin Meiners, 1st BCT, 101st Abn. Div. public affairs officer, said the game was a landmark occasion in the relationship between Fort Campbell and APSU.
“I think this will open the door for more activities and games being played here,” Meiners said. “I hope this will be able to spread and grow as time moves forward.”
Eagle Challenge Fitness Tour
Seventy-eight medals were distributed during the MWR Eagle Challenge Fitness Tour Award Ceremony in November at Cole Park Commons. The 2017 Eagle Challenge Fitness Tour consisted of monthly fitness events February-November. The campaign, which began in 2013, is designed to promote healthy lifestyles for the entire community. Soldiers and their Families have been getting involved ever since.
This year, more than 600 individuals participated in the tour, said Catherine Walker, MWR special events coordinator. This year’s events including classics such as the Twilight Walk, Run or Roll and Light Your Night Glow Run and new events like the Colorful Zombie Run in October.
Hay bales, monkey bars, and mud pits were some of the obstacles participants faced during the Warrior Challenge Obstacle Course and Mud Run, which was June’s ECFT event.
“The Mud Run is one of the ‘fan favorites’ because it’s fun, it’s muddy and messy and it tests physical stamina,” Walker said. “People have fun doing it and they come back the following year and bring their Family and friends. That’s why we continue to have it.”
The civilian workforce
In February, Fort Campbell Directorate of Public Works workforce hit a milestone by marking 365 days since its last lost-time accident. A lost-time accident is an accident that causes an employee to miss time from work.
“It’s very significant,” said Gary Griffith, DPW industrial engineer. “I thought it was impossible to go a year without a loss-time accident because up until [now] the best we had done was three. In order to go a year like that, you have to be doing something right.”
During a town hall meeting in June, Kuchan, and Command Sgt. Maj. Noel Foster, former garrison senior enlisted adviser, signed the U.S. Army Installation Management Command Service Culture Initiative leadership pledge, laying the foundation to implement the program at Fort Campbell.
The Service Culture Initiative will help define IMCOM as an organization, because customer service is a part of everything IMCOM does, said Lt. Gen. Kenneth R. Dahl, via a recorded message to the workforce.
The program is made up of several components – onboarding, recognition, training and leader engagement. A major goal of the SCI campaign is to take care of employees and better integrate new employees so they will add value as productive professionals sooner.
“Resources have come down the past few years. Challenges have gone up and our purpose is to support readiness,” said Jonathan Hunter, deputy to the garrison commander for Fort Campbell. “That’s really what we’re here for is to support the Soldiers and Families to ensure we sustain readiness here at Fort Campbell for the Soldiers here – 101st, 160th, 5th Group and others.”
Soldier for Life
In 2017 Fort Campbell garrison continued to provide Soldiers with opportunities to succeed after leaving the Army. Fort Campbell’s Soldier For Life-Transition Assistance Program hosted numerous job fairs throughout the year offering Soldiers and spouses a chance to find employment.
In December, Fort Campbell and Montgomery County, Tennessee was one of seven Army communities worldwide to be recognized in by the U.S. Army with an Army Community Partnership Award.
The award, presented by the Under Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, officially recognized Fort Campbell, the American Job Center and Montgomery County, Tennessee for success in connecting more than 11,000 transitioning service members with thousands of post-separation local, national, and international employment opportunities.
Building for the future
For the post’s school system, 2017 brought about a slew of changes including the consolidation of Wassom Middle School into Mahaffey Middle School, a new community superintendent and a new 21st Century school.
After serving 26 years with the Department of Defense Education Activity, Gary Gerstner, former Kentucky community superintendent for the DoDEA Southeast District, said goodbye to his faculty and staff at the end of the 2016-17 school year in June.
Just before the 2017-18 school year started in August, Youlanda Washington, former principal of Scott Middle School, Fort Knox, Kentucky, accepted the position as the new Kentucky community superintendent for the Southeast District. During her 40 years of service to military children, Washington has previously served as a teacher and a principal.
“I take great honor and a lot of pride in being a part of this military community,” Washington said. “I am an Army brat by nature. Being able to serve [military children] at a different level now brings such joy to my heart.”
In September, the installation celebrated the opening of Fort Campbell’s second 21st Century school, Barkley Elementary School. A 21st Century School creates a more hands-on and collaborative learning environment through enhanced technology, which prepares students for a multitude of career paths. The new facility is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver Certified, 142,049-square foot facility, built to serve about 740 students.
Although still under construction, the new Fort Campbell High School will be the next 21st Century School on post. The school is scheduled to open for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Families interested in improving their physical health will benefit from the installation’s new Army Wellness Center, which opened in March 2017. This is the 31st facility the Army has opened worldwide. The Army Wellness Center is part of a U.S. Army Medical Command Initiative overseen by the Army Public Health Command. Several services are offered at the center including metabolic testing, a physical fitness assessment, biofeedback and BodPod assessment. All of these tests are conducted using state of the art equipment.
“This isn’t just ‘Let’s ace that [physical training] test.’ It’s so much more than that,” said Jheri Weidensall, director of Fort Campbell Army Wellness Center. “The Army is all about readiness being No. 1 and we are here to support that mission.”
After moving to a new location on Desert Storm Avenue in May 2017, Fort Campbell USO opened their own wellness center in October 2017. The center is open late night hours to bridge the workout gap on post, said Kari Moore, USO Nashville and Fort Campbell center director. The new facility features a boxing ring and cardio and strength building equipment that can support a Family member, but also challenge the physical fitness of Screaming Eagle Soldiers, Moore said.
“I want someone who have never started a fitness journey to come in here, feel comfortable and to get some idea and to start their journey. I want the Soldiers to recognize that there is challenge in simple equipment,” Moore said during the grand opening ceremony. “If we can do those two things on top of opening up a health and fitness mindset in our younger population on post, then we will definitely be accomplishing our mission.”
By moving to a larger facility, the USO is better able to complete its mission, which is to strengthen America’s service members by keeping them connected to Family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. Having a larger, newer facility gives the USO more opportunities to host events for Soldiers and their Families, Moore said.
Remembrance
Fort Campbell’s Army Community Service Survivor Outreach Services stayed busy throughout September by marking the installation’s Military Survivor Appreciation Week. The annual “Boots on the Ground” display is a cornerstone of the week’s events. Accompanied by Soldiers and ACS-SOS staff, Gold Star Family members work together to assemble the display, which includes more than 7,000 boots.
Each boot in the display represents a fallen service member. The display includes all branches of service, all causes of death and any location of loss. Each boot is adorned with two tags, one with a photo of the service member and the other contains information about the Soldier including their name, rank, location of loss and date of death.
“This is a bold statement to remind people that we are still incurring loss as a military Family and we are going to remember them by saying their name and we are going to honor their sacrifice,” said Suzy Yates, ACS-SOS program manager.
Approximately 4,500 people joined in the 10th annual Run for the Fallen, which was held during Military Survivor Appreciation Week. While participating in the noncompetitive run, people were encouraged to visit the Boots on the Ground display. The route also took runners past monuments honoring the sacrifices service members connected to the 101st Abn. Div., Fort Campbell and tenant units have made over the years.
To wrap up the week, surviving Family members rallied together to paint rocks for a memorial garden in honor of their fallen Soldier. After painting their rocks, everyone was encouraged to hide them on the lawn at the ACS-SOS building. Guests could also choose to keep their rock, or take it somewhere else to hide.
“A lot of the time when people think of a memorial they think of people sitting around mourning,” Yates said. “Here at SOS we want to give our survivors and our community a different way to look at a memorial. It doesn’t always have to be sad and somber, but there is a time and place for that. We want to make sure that we continue to celebrate the life of that Soldier and keep their memory alive.”