Photo By Sachel Harris | U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Caleb Lloyd from the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry...... read more read more
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ANCHORAGE, ALASKA - In a room full of military, business and educational leaders, Soldiers from the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry Regiment received the Business Partner of Tomorrow award for their partnership with Eagle River High School.
The award, which was given at the 2016 Spirit of Tomorrow Awards luncheon held at the Denai’na Convention Center April 20, recognized the unit’s ability to inspire Alaska’s youth to pursue their dreams.
“The 501st has been an amazing business partner with Eagle River High School (ERHS) and the ERHS Air Force JROTC program since 2010,” said Eagle River High School AFJROTC Cadet Yassi Scott. “Because of these Soldiers, our lives have been changed.”
The success of this partnership is in part due to the dedication of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Caleb Lloyd, who is credited with setting the standard for Soldier support and participation in the program. Under his leadership and following his example, the unit has donated hundreds of hours to Eagle River High School and the school's Air Force JROTC program.
Facilitating physical training sessions, participating alongside the cadets in citywide cleanups and traveling to Fairbanks for the Interior Drill Competition are just a few of the ways the Soldiers from the 501st are making a difference in cadets’ lives. The Soldiers continue to contribute greatly to the many championships ERHS’ teams have enjoyed during statewide competitions.
However it’s not all work and no play. Earlier this month, the cadets took a trip to JBER, Ft. Richardson, to experience the jump tower used to train airborne personnel. The 501st provided experienced airborne soldiers to teach cadets how to safely navigate and “jump” from the tower.
“This unique opportunity that allowed our soldiers to coach, mentor, and train the young cadets at Eagle River High School has not only helped us professionally to better ourselves but helped sharpen our leadership skills and improve our relationship with the community,” Lloyd said.
Though open to all students, the Eagle River High School partnership, which was initiated by school principal Marty Lang, supports a large number of students who are military dependents.
“This partnership serves as an example of how successful a partnership can be when it’s fully supported by both the unit and the school,” said Mary Rall, U.S. Army Alaska Community Relations Chief. “Both understand the importance providing positive role models for students and do all they can to make sure the partnership is consistently supported.”
The school partnership program supports all elementary, middle and high school students in 28 schools in the Anchorage and 12 schools in the Fairbanks Area and for Lloyd, it’s all in a day’s work.
“We’re very honored to receive this award,” he said. “We have a lot of fun, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with these awesome young people.”
| Date Taken: | 04.20.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.22.2016 15:44 |
| Story ID: | 196280 |
| Location: | ANCHORAGE, AK, US |
| Web Views: | 155 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USARAK Soldiers Recognized by Anchorage School District, by Sachel Harris, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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