Annual Educator Tour stops at 10th SFG (A)

FORT CARSON, CO, UNITED STATES

04.28.2022

Story by Staff Sgt. Daniel McQuilkin 

10th Special Forces Group (Airborne)

FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Recently, the United States Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) provided a firsthand look into the Army’s way of life by inviting educators from across the country to participate in an annual Educator Tour which included a visit to Fort Carson and the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) compound on April 28, 2022.
This year’s event was a combined tour between the Phoenix Recruiting Battalion and the Oklahoma City Recruiting Battalion, bringing along people from Arkansas, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and New Mexico.
“The purpose of this [tour] is to showcase the Army to centers of influence, focused specifically on school administrators, guidance counselors, superintendents and public officials that can help with our Army recruiting,” said Lt. Col. Jacob Cecka, Oklahoma City Recruiting Battalion Commander.
Cecka spoke on how the Educator Tour brings people that have generally no military experience, aside from society’s perception, and provides them with a day in the life of active military personnel. This is done in hopes that the knowledge gained from the tour can be taken back to their respective school districts and share newfound insight, while providing a perspective to students based on hands-on experience.
Before taking in what 10th SFG (A) and the Army have to offer, the entourage had the chance to dine at the LaRochelle Warrior Restaurant located on the compound. After lunch, the group had the opportunity to speak with Green Berets about their military experience, view Operators’ equipment, sit in military vehicles and learn about weapons systems. To add on to the day’s excursion, the educators got the chance to shoot weapons used by Soldiers at an indoor shooting range.
“I have been impressed with the quality of the facilities; it is not what I expected,” said Brad Coffman, Assistant Principal at Russellville High School, Arizona. “The Soldiers had a great depth of knowledge and deep skillsets. Just interacting with the different recruiters and battalions, they all have different stories of how they got to where they are.”
Coffman goes on to add that as an educator, learning about how the Soldiers’ experiences have landed them in their current positions has been interesting to see and hear.
One goal for Command Sgt. Maj. John Carroll of the Oklahoma City Recruiting Command is to change the understanding that students have of the military by providing a different point of view.
“As recruiters, when we are out there talking to students, these [educators] are a lot of the major influencers that help sway their decision on whether they want to serve or not,” said Carroll. “Giving them more of an insight into what we do and making them understand it is not just everything you see on TV and the movies; there is a lot more to it. Those educators can help mold the path for people who want to serve.”
The USAREC Educator Tour provided more than the chance to dwell amongst Soldiers.
“We can share experiences and stories,” said Coffman. “It has opened my perspective about all the different available career paths and opportunities for people in the military that I never even thought about.”
For more information on joining the military, visit the U.S. Army official website at www.goarmy.com.

• Date Taken: 04.28.2022
• Date Posted: 05.12.2022 14:32
• Story ID: 419929
• Location: FORT CARSON, CO, US