353d Civil Affairs Command hosts Arts in the Armed Forces on Fort Wadsworth

Photo By Sgt. Hubert Delany | Actors Bill Heck, Jason Butler Harner, and Reg Rogers perform True West for service members and civilians as part of a show presented by the Arts in the Armed Forces acting group hosted by the 353rd Civil Affairs Command on Fort Wadsworth, New York, 14 May, 2022. AITAF was founded by actor and Marine Adam Driver, and actress Joanne Tucker, in 2008. Its mission is to honor and enrich the lives of the U.S. military community by offering powerful shared experiences in theater and film. Featuring professional artists and contemporary American content, the AITAF creates spaces for meaningful dialogue, igniting connection and a deeper capacity for an understanding around common humanity.  

STATEN ISLAND, NY, UNITED STATES

05.14.2022

Story by Sgt. David Marquis 

353d Civil Affairs Command

The 353d Civil Affairs Command hosted the Arts in the Armed Forces during their May training weekend on Fort Wadsworth, New York. The event was open to the public, and hosted an acting group who performed for the Sailors, civilians, and U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers in the area.

AITAF was founded by actor and Marine Adam Driver, and actress Joanne Tucker, in 2008. Its mission is to honor and enrich the lives of the U.S. military community by offering powerful shared experiences in theater and film. Featuring professional artists and contemporary American content, the AITAF creates spaces for meaningful dialogue, igniting connection and a deeper capacity for an understanding around common humanity.

Before the performance, Col. Donald Vacha, the 353d’s deputy commander, said that there’s a shared lexicon between the arts and the armed forces, and that shared connection creates parallels between how the actors on the stage interact with one another and how Civil Affairs Soldiers deployed in a theater of operation can interact with the people of their host.

“We gain knowledge, transferred from so many different things, whether it be sports, literature, or performance arts,” said Vacha as he addressed his Soldiers. “I want you to use this as a growing experience for yourself. Think about the communication, think about the ideas that are being discussed, and use it for your own personal and professional development.”

Professional actors Jason Butler Harner, Bill Heck, Reg Rogers, and Constance Shulman played the characters in the performance, “True West,”. The Actors only rehearsed the play once prior to the live performance and used nearly no stage props, which encouraged the watchers to use the theater of the mind when interpreting the words and actions the performers portrayed.

“While serving as a Soldier in the Army you are given many eye opening experiences and opportunities,” said Sgt. Maj. Robert Bruce, a senior civil affairs advisor with the 353d CACOM. “One of the big takeaways for those experiences are the lessons we learn and the emotions we feel. Sometimes it can be hard to put those emotions into words and that is why programs like this where we are able to see others project their feelings in a healthy way are so beneficial.”

After the play concluded, the actors and stage staff participated in a round of questions and answer with the service-members in the audience.

After the questions and answers the 353d CACOM Soldiers gave the performance team a demonstration of the unit’s joint light tactical vehicles before escorting them to Coast Guard Station New York, where Vacha and the AITIF were taken to see the Statue of Liberty.

• Date Taken: 05.14.2022
• Date Posted: 06.21.2022 12:35
• Story ID: 422186
• Location: STATEN ISLAND, NY, US