FORT PICKETT, Va. (April 27, 2017) -- Not a single PowerPoint presentation was shown at the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program awareness event at Blackstone Army Airfield Apr. 20.
The popular means of presentation at Fort Lee schoolhouses is not without merits, however, cadre and students have long moaned about its monotony when pitched repeatedly in dreary training settings.
That criticism was partly the impetus for the Jumping for SHARP event hosted by Quartermaster School’s Aerial Delivery and the Field Services Department along with the 262nd QM Battalion. It was billed as an alternative to the usual classroom training fare, featuring guest speakers, information booths and a backdrop of warm weather, puffy clouds against blue skies and parachutists landing on the drop zone.
Lt. Col. Brian Wolford, commander, 262nd QM Bn., said the occasion served to connect aerial delivery capabilities in the operational Army, the SHARP program mission and the attributes of readiness they share.
“Dignity and respect has to be the foundation for all we do, and that’s what we tried to get across to students today,” he said.
The 262nd QM Bn. has administrative responsibilities for students assigned to undergo training as riggers – those who prepare parachutes for airborne operations among other duties. ADFSD has the mission of training would-be riggers to support aerial delivery functions throughout the Army.
Roughly 150 mostly advanced individual training troops were present for the event. Also on hand were representatives from the Fort Pickett community as well as personnel from throughout the schoolhouse at Fort Lee to include Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Rice, the new QM Corps CSM, and Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jonathan O. Yerby, the QM Corps CWO.
Headlining the event were members of the Black Daggers parachute team representing the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C. The Daggers jumped from roughly 10,000 feet – about eight times the altitude rigger students exit aircraft, skywriting and displaying SHARP banners and Old Glory during their descent.
Prior to the famed parachute demonstration team performance, Staff Sgt. Virginia Greer, an ADFSD instructor, spoke to students. The sexual assault survivor captivated the troops and others with a startling first-hand account of her ordeal (see facing page), conveying the impact sexual assault has on victims, units and the Army. Her lesson was far more effective than any PowerPoint presentation, said one attendee.
“I do think the students learned something,” said Staff Sgt. Steven Rosa, a SHARP victim advocate for Victor Co., 262nd QM Bn. “It made it more real versus seeing something on film or otherwise because they were sitting in front of somebody they actually know.”
Wolford, who also addressed the crowd, said afterward he is thankful for Greer’s resiliency. Dealing with the phenomenon of sexual assault at its root is key to changing cultures that help to accommodate it.
“We need to get after the conditions that lead to it in the first place and that’s about education,” he said. “It’s another reason to talk to Soldiers about this after they’ve been in the Army two or three months rather than two or three years.”
A Military Police Investigation agent also was a guest speaker. He talked about the criminal aspect of sexual crimes and its impact on military careers.
Army Community Service and the James House, a Prince George County shelter for battered women, were among the agencies providing information booths.
Halfway through the event, Wolford indicated he was pleased not only with the outcome but how organizers used available resources to affect students in a meaningful way.
“Taking SHARP awareness a step further was among our objectives today and showing our young Soldiers what it means to have trust,” he said. “We‘re not looking at (PowerPoint) slides today; we’re looking at parachutes, aircraft and professionals doing their job.”
Jumping for SHARP was one of several Quartermaster School events held in support of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
ADFSD airborne operations take place every other week at Fort Pickett, a Virginia National Guard installation 45 miles west of Fort Lee in Dinwiddie and Nottoway counties.
| Date Taken: |
04.27.2017 |
| Date Posted: |
04.27.2017 16:08 |
| Story ID: |
231811 |
| Location: |
US |
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This work, Jumping for SHARP: Quatermaster School elements observe SAAPM with airy twist, by Terrance Bell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
