spring 20 r2conity in - ready and resilient · spring 20 r2conity in the army resiliency...

Director’s Column

Spring 2018

R2COMMUNITYLINKThe Army Resiliency Directorate Newsletter

readyandresilient.army.mil

It took longer for some of us, but spring has finally sprung! Now is a great time to think about life with a new sense of renewal and fresh outlook. Even though, it always seems like our to-do list is constantly

growing, we often go through the motions without thinking about how it affects us. Here are some ideas that can help you reset, feel more balanced and motivated.

Less Is More You’ve heard of spring cleaning; but this year, dedicate some time to decluttering because the act of removing things that have outlived their purpose gives you more physical space and mental space for the things that bring you joy. You’ll be able to think clearer and achieve more tasks so whether it’s the nightstand drawer today or a whole closet tomorrow, give it a try. Ask a family member or friend to join you and that way it’ll be faster and more fun.

It’s Always The Season For Giving While you’re at it, consider donating items that can be reused so they can be loved by someone else. Think outside the box, for example, did you know that most animal shelters need old towels? Giving to your community can make you feel good about yourself and give you a sense of purpose.

Time is also a valuable gift. Schedule fun time with your family or simply connect with someone you haven’t talked to in a while, it can both boost your moods and make your relationships stronger. Call, text, email or if you can, communicate face-to-face. Saying “Hello, just thinking about you!” can positively impact their day!

Take Care Of Yourself Lastly, in today’s hustle and bustle, remember to set aside time to give yourself attention – and do it often! Self-care is different for everyone. Whether it be trying a new exercise routine, spending time outdoors, or reading that book that you bought, but that has been on the shelf for weeks, commit to it. Do it for yourself because you work hard and deserve it. Remember, keeping your mind and body healthy is a part of sustaining your personal readiness and taking care of ourselves allow us to take better care of others.

I hope that these ideas will help you improve your overall well-being, so you can continue to build your resilience and be mission ready.

Live resilient. Stay Ready. Take Action!

Ms. Sharyn Saunders

IN THIS ISSUE

PSAs: Behind The Scenes.................3

R2 Performance Centers In Action...4

ARD Welcomes SGM Harvey.............2

New R2 Integrator LTC Duran-Stanton at IMCOM............................................5

4-Time Army Trials Gold Medalist Embodies Resilience..........................5

SFAB Reports RPE Training Relevant for Deployment...................................6

“Taking care of ourselves allow us to take better care of others.”

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Brain Teaser........................................7

Campaign to Strengthen Soldiers Launches..............................2

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R2COMMUNITYLINK Spring 2018


Campaign to Strengthen Soldiers LaunchesARD Strategic Communications

Summer is often a time that we look forward to with equal parts excitement and apprehension as we plan for new activities like taking leave for a family vacation or to deal with life events such as managing a PCS move. These breaks from our typical routines can not only lead to a loss of connection with battle buddies, but also inadvertently affect others around us such as our unit, family members and co-workers.

Leaders at all levels must continue to increase their visibility and engage with Soldiers, especially when their personal readiness is affected. With the message “Be ready and resilient. Know your values. Do what’s right.”, R2’s Strengthening Readiness and Resilience Campaign reminds our subordinate leaders that it is our duty and responsibility to maintain routines and build relationships with our Soldiers to foster a culture of trust so that Soldiers are motivated to seek our guidance. Doing so enhances our ability to recognize even the smallest changes in behavior (e.g., lack of motivation, withdrawal, etc.) that are a deviation from standards or out of character for the Soldier and proactively address any concerns. Leaders who model the right behaviors and reinforce the need to cultivate relationships positively influence personal and unit readiness.

Readiness is the Army’s top priority. Strengthening Soldiers and enhancing personal readiness offers the greatest opportunity to increase unit cohesion and achieve positive outcomes. Help us spread this important message. Find resources such as public service announcements, infographics and tip sheets at readyandresilient.army.mil and share our social media posts (@USArmyR2 on Facebook and Twitter).

ARD Welcomes New Senior Enlisted LeaderARD Strategic CommunicationsSGM Gabriel D. Harvey is ARD’s new senior enlisted leader.

Harvey brings more than 25 years of experience to his new role, where he will be working with leadership on key initiatives and strategies for Soldiers to enhance their resilience and sustain personal readiness. Previously, Harvey was the Command Sergeant Major of the 59th Ordnance Brigade at Fort Lee, Virginia, the 189th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas. He also served with the 2nd and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams of the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq.

His arrival coincides with the fielding of ENGAGE, a training in which he is excited about because he sees it as an opportunity to equip Soldiers with the ability and skills to connect with others and improve unit cohesion. Harvey also has had experience with Not in My Squad (NIMS) workshops and says that these two offerings are initiatives that can make a great impact on the strengthening of our Soldiers.

While working with Soldiers in the field, Harvey noticed that many times, those who faced adversity didn’t know how to rebound. “I would say to them that no matter what you go through, it’s not the end. You can always bounce back and learn from your past.” He also says that even with our busy schedules and growing list of responsibilities, leaders need to make time for their teams and be able to connect with individuals one-on-one to help build their resilience. “When we as leaders get involved with our Soldiers, invest our time and show that we care, we can begin to foster a culture of trust,” Harvey said.

“By engaging and knowing about them, the issues they bring in and where they come from, we can make a world of difference in their lives,” he continued. Harvey is excited about his new position, looks forward to collaborating with others and meeting with Soldiers during his travels.

U.S. Army Photo by Terrance Bell

BE ready and resilient. KNOW your values.

DO what’s right.







Lights, Camera, Action! R2 to Debut Six New PSAsARD Strategic Communications

Six new public service announcements will soon be available to generate awareness about the importance of sustaining personal and unit readiness.

Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart participated in the production last summer over a span of five days, showcasing both their day-to-day jobs and activities after work hours. The film crew moved across the installation to capture scenes at the motor pool, barracks, classrooms, and even traveled off-site to Colmar to record field training exercises.

The videos emphasize the value in the strengthening of Soldiers, which includes the need for maintaining Personal Readiness, building of protective factors, making connections, fostering unit cohesion and more.

“R2 is committed to the strengthening of our Soldiers and we’re excited that these PSAs will help show our Army family how their individual readiness impacts unit readiness,” said LTC Alisha Hutson, Chief Strategy Plans Branch.

Special thanks to Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield and the Army Multimedia and Visual Information Directorate for their support and coordination throughout this project.

MOTOR POOL I

Soldiers at the motor pool perform vehicle maintenance

UNIT PROFILE

Sappers during water survival training

CLEARING THE BUILDING

Soldier checking in with battle-buddy

Soldiers participating in a financial planning seminar

MOTOR POOL II

Couple seeks NCO for guidance

MILITARY MAP

Squad running to maintain physical fitness

TOP DOWN BOTTOM UP

Behind the Scenes




Air Traffic Controllers Integrate Communication and Team Building Skills During Readiness Training

FORT RUCKER – Air Traffic Controllers from the A Co. 1-11th participated in exercises that incorporated mental and performance skills that can be used while on the job. The four challenge stations were inch worm, tarp fold, nut stacker and blind fold sock dodgeball. As they progressed through each activity, the Soldiers discussed the different communication skills they utilized and how their techniques evolved throughout the training.

R2 Performance Centers in ActionARD Strategic Communications

FORT JACKSON – Incoming FRG leaders learned about performance optimization skills, such as how to build and maintain their self-confidence, that they could use in their new positions. Team building exercises were conducted to help them identify personal goals, values and obstacles. The leaders had the opportunity to share their experiences and discuss best practices.

New Family Readiness Group Leaders Build Confidence Through Resilience Seminar

Mental Skills Help Soldiers in Range Qualification and Simulated Training Exercise Lanes

FORT BRAGG – R2 Performance Experts (PEs) participated in Range Qualification and Simulated Training Exercise Lanes with Soldiers from Bravo Company, 83rd CA BN. The PEs conducted a pre-training exercise with Soldiers focusing on mental skills and tools that would be most applicable (e.g. mindset, attention control, energy management and memory). The PEs also role-played throughout the key leader engagements and provided immediate and deliberate feedback to the Civil Affairs Teams.

FORT CAMPBELL – Soldiers from the 2-502nd INREGT and 2BCT learned how to incorporate attention control, deliberate breathing, and mental rehearsal skills during their squad live fire training. After each squad fired their blank, dry and live iterations, the R2 Performance Expert who was teaching them provided feedback and answered questions from the Soldiers. The squad will continue to implement these performance skills at their upcoming Joint Readiness Training Center rotation and other training exercises.

More Than 300 Soldiers Incorporate Performance Skills in Live Fire Training




Spc. Angel Euson: Facing Life’s Challenges Head OnBy Annette P. Gomes, Warrior Care Transition

Like the phoenix, Spc. Angel Euson is rising from the ashes and getting ready to face her next challenge.

“I can’t even count how many times I’ve wanted to give up. It’s so difficult to not get caught up in any setbacks or “failures” and there have been way too many to count,” Euson said. “However, as cliché as it sounds, ‘I don’t give up’ is the biggest motto I live by.”

Currently Euson is looking to prove that motto at the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games, June 2—9 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She recently competed at the 2018 Army trials at Fort Bliss, Texas in which she won four gold medals in swimming, two in field and one in track. She is one of 40 athletes selected to represent Team Army at the Games.

“I’m super excited to go to Colorado! This is such a great opportunity and I feel so blessed to have made the team,” she said.

Her journey to the Games began when she entered the Warrior Transition Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord to heal after being injured. The recovery time brought about many changes for Euson including introducing her to adaptive sports. The Florida native says that she has a passion for learning new things and adaptive sports fit the bill.

“I was overwhelmed with how many different activities there were. I never thought I would have so many opportunities to try new things,” Euson said. “I played sports my entire childhood all the way through high school and now I’m actively involved in swimming, shooting and shot-put. Adaptive sports taught me to get outside of my comfort zone and try something new!” However, she says the biggest lesson she learned was “off the field.”

[Adaptive sports] are a reminder of how far I’ve come in my recovery and how much stronger and happier I am now. The bonds formed and the support I’ve received from my teammates has been incredible.”

R2 Performance Experts will be on-site to work with athletes at Warrior Games.

Spc. Angela Euson, a combat medic with the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Warrior Transition Battalion, competes in the shooting competition at the Pacific Regional Warrior Game Trials 2017 at Schofield Barracks. US Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Melissa Parrish

LTC Amelia Duran-Stanton is the incoming Ready and Resilient (R2) Integrator at Installation Management Command (IMCOM). She also serves as the IMCOM Deputy Surgeon and the Deputy Physician Assistant (PA) Consultant to the Army Surgeon General.

Duran-Stanton has 26 years of active duty service (prior enlisted and commissioned from the Interservice PA Program). She has deployed to Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. She completed a PhD Adult Education and a Doctor of Science in PA Studies-Clinical Orthopaedics. Duran-Stanton is looking forward to working with different agencies involved in readiness and resilience in supporting the Warfighters. We are delighted to welcome LTC Duran-Stanton to IMCOM!

New R2 Integrator for Installation Management CommandFrom our partners at IMCOM




Training Specialists from the Research Transition Office (RTO) at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research provided Resilience and Performance Enhancement (RPE) training to the 1st Security Forces Assistance Brigade (SFAB) at Fort Benning, Georgia in February 2018, prior to their deployment.

SFABs are specialized Army infantry brigades whose mission is to train, advise, assist, enable, and accompany overseas missions with allied and partner nations. The RPE Training delivered to SFAB Soldiers is a 1-hour module adapted from Squad Overmatch (now called Team Overmatch). RPE training teaches evidence-based skills for managing energy and attention in the deployed environment. Course evaluations were administered to assess the usefulness and relevance of RPE training.

Results were overwhelmingly positive. Of the 286 Soldiers who completed RPE training, a majority reported that RPE training was somewhat or very useful (87 percent) and relevant (91 percent). In addition, 87 percent reported that they were somewhat or very satisfied with the training. Soldiers indicated that RPE training will help them be better at focusing on the mission or task at hand (85 percent), supporting battle buddies (83 percent), managing stress levels (81 percent), and managing energy (80 percent). Of the different skills covered in the training, the attention strategy (“What’s Important Now”), stress reduction strategy (“Grounding”), and motivational strategy (“Self-Talk/Buddy-Talk”) were rated to be very or extremely useful on deployment by 77 percent, 70 percent, and 68 percent participants, respectively. There was no significant difference among Soldiers with and without previous deployment experience in how the training was rated.

These results underscore the opportunity for units to build resilience skills in Soldiers even shortly prior to their deployment, and suggests that regardless of deployment history, Soldiers were open to learning RPE skills. Evidence-based and militarily-relevant training such as RPE builds on the Army’s universal, upstream approach to promote performance and psychological resilience, thus supporting Soldier readiness prior to deployment. RTO plans to follow up with Soldiers post-deployment to determine which RPE skills were used and to integrate RPE training into future SFAB pre-deployment training.

SFAB Reports RPE Training Will Be Relevant and Useful for DeploymentFrom our partners at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) — Research Transition Office

Training Specialist, Tony Best, teaches RPE training at Fort Benning. U.S. Army Photo by WRAIR—RTO

Building Your Protective Factors: PhysicalWe all know the importance of drinking water and staying hydrated, but most of us don’t keep up with it. Eight (8 oz) glasses a day seems overwhelming, but when you factor in other fluids you consume such as fruit and soups it’s achievable. An easy way to ensure you are hitting your target is to carry a water bottle with you because it will be a physical reminder to drink more. If you find yourself not refilling it often enough, grab a bigger bottle. Setting goals for yourself such as, “I will finish two of these by the end of the day” will help you stay motivated.

Protective factors are skills, strengths and resources that help Soldiers deal effectively with unexpected events. These protective actions and attitudes that renew energy and reinforce commitment to taking care of oneself and others fosters a culture of trust. Therefore, beginning with this issue, we will provide tips to promote protective factors.


Questions or Comments?Contact R2 Public Affairs at [email protected]

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LoyaltyDutyRespectSelfless Service

HonorIntegrityPersonal Courage

Brain TeaserModeling what right looks like and living the Army Values 24/7, helps increase unit cohesion and foster a culture of trust.

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spring 20 r2conity in - ready and resilient · spring 20 r2conity in the army resiliency...

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