Photo By Staff Sgt. Steven Colvin | Sgt. 1st Class Brent McDowell, a Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program...... read more read more
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Since the establishment of the Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program in 1989, the Army has continued to make improvements on the well-being and morale issues of single Soldiers throughout it’s installations. In order to make these improvements, there must be a voice to represent the needs and concerns of these Soldiers.
Over 80 company, battalion and brigade level BOSS representatives of 10th Mountain Division gathered at the Ramada Inn in Watertown, New York, for the Fort Drum’s Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers annual symposium April 5-7.
The representatives were split up into three work groups that discussed issues like proper communication, education and the Army’s Tuition Assistance program. They also discussed dining facilities and basic housing allowance for single Soldiers who have visitation rights with their children.
“The BOSS symposium is held every year so that the Soldiers can bring up any issues that they have experienced at Fort Drum as an installation or the Army as a whole,” said Sgt. Shawn Schroeder, the Division BOSS president. “It’s important for the single Soldiers to be recognized and heard so we can enhance the morale and welfare of our Soldiers, which is the mission of the BOSS program.”
The BOSS program is designed to provide a "voice" for single Soldiers. It has three key components: well-being, community service and recreation/leisure activities. It is also a program that helps commanders address the well-being and morale issues of the single Soldiers in their units.
“We listen to the recommendations that the Soldiers give and pass them on to the installation chain of command,” said Allan Williams, a volunteer facilitator for Army Community Services. “Sometimes we’ll take those issues to the Army as a whole so that the Army can come up with better programs, resources and solutions to the specific issues that are addressed.”
One of the work groups discussed the issue of proper communication between the junior and senior enlisted Soldiers.
Pfc. Hakeem Ndikumana, the BOSS representative for E-Troop, 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, said that sometimes the Soldiers would be told by one noncommissioned officer to do something a certain way and then be told by another noncommissioned officer a few minutes later to do it a different way.
“It gets very confusing for us junior enlisted Soldiers when we are told to do something two different ways,” said Ndikumana. “Everything in the Army is about proper communication.”
The facilitators continued to work with the BOSS representatives to help resolve some of the issues that the Soldiers are currently facing and answered some questions that they had throughout the event. Together, they were able to come up with some solutions to improve the morale and welfare of our single Soldiers.
Williams thought the event was very successful, especially because all of the facilitators for this particular BOSS symposium have some type of military background, which certainly helps when dealing with some of the issues that were brought up.
“One of the biggest reasons the Soldiers have the support that they do is because of the past BOSS symposiums and the facilitators,” said Williams.
“We will continue to hold these events because we want to constantly improve the morale and well-being of our Soldiers.”
At the completion of the event, the voice of the single Soldiers was heard because of the dedication and determination of over 80 BOSS representatives of the 10th Mountain Division.
| Date Taken: | 04.11.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 04.11.2017 15:54 |
| Story ID: | 230033 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 26 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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