Irvin High School students spend the day with the cavalry

Photo By Sgt. Rebekah Lampman | Local high school journalists Arthur Espinoza and Crystal Medina spend time with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division troops to learn about Soldier's lives. The students were visiting Fort Bliss for research on an upcoming article they are writing.  

06.01.2006

Courtesy Story

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Two students from an El Paso high school spent the day visiting with several cavalry Soldiers at Biggs Army Airfield Thursday.

Arthur Espinoza and Crystal Medina, journalism students, Irvin High School, were conducting interviews and research for an article they are writing for a special edition of their school newspaper.

"It's a community newspaper that will be sent out to 3,000 homes," said Espinoza, who is in charge of the project. "It's basically overcastting the BRAC [Base Realignment and Closure] issue and how many troops are coming here."

The issue, which is scheduled for release March 8, will feature an article about a day in the life of a Soldier, according to Espinoza. The purpose is to educate the local civilian population about what Soldiers do every day.

The students began their day at 6 a.m. observing Headquarters and Headquarters company, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, conduct a physical training test and learning about physical readiness in the Army.

After PT, they headed out to Dona Ana Range to meet up with troops from C Company, 1-9 Cavalry Regiment, including 2nd Lt. Scott Beal, platoon leader, who were doing convoy live-fire exercises.

In the afternoon, back at Biggs Army Airfield, the students got to meet with the cavalry's Signal Company and integrated themselves into the convoy training by acting as embedded media.

During the training, Espinoza and Medina got to ride in an HMMWV and observe the troops reacting to fire. "They not only had to protect themselves, but also us," he said.

"I think the interaction with the students went well," said 1st Sgt. Gerald Morgan, first sergeant, Signal Company. Having the students there helped his troops prepare for media on the battlefield when the unit deploys at the end of this year, he said.

Espinoza and Medina interviewed several different ranks throughout the day to learn the differences in each one's responsibility.

"What I learned from one of the lieutenants [Beal] out there was that he treats them all with respect," said Medina. "They are all brothers and sisters to him. No matter what rank he was, or how high ranking he was, he treated everyone equally. He didn't look down on anybody."

By the day's end, the students had a good idea of what being a Soldier is and what they do.

Espinoza said he didn't realize how much the Army does or what they do. "I've learned quite a bit," he said. "I was surprised at how much [Soldiers] do. I thought [they] just went to war. There are so many different jobs [in the Army]. I don't think anyone knows about that," he said in amazement.

"A Soldier is just like any other person," said Medina. "They are just regular people. A lot of people see Soldiers as someone who is just out to kill, but it's different. They really cared. They gave us all the information we needed. They were there to protect us like they were supposed to whether they were in training or not. I'm going to take with me that they're regular people who really do care about us civilians. They're not just here to learn how to kill. They're here to treat other people like they treat each other," she said.

For their article, Espinoza said he is going to explain to the audience what exactly goes on at Fort Bliss. "I am going to tell them exactly what [Soldiers] do and how many jobs they do," he said. "They don't just go to war. They have actual jobs and a personal life."

• Date Taken: 06.01.2006
• Date Posted: 06.01.2006 10:27
• Story ID: 6623