Courtesy Photo | The 41st Fires Brigade Soldiers run on Fort Hood's Battalion Avenue during a III...... read more read more
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FORT HOOD, Texas - Approximately 400 Soldiers representing every unit on the installation gathered outside of the III Corps headquarters building Friday to begin Fort Hood's "Community Strong Day."
A three-mile run wound its way throughout the installation, beginning and ending at the III Corps flagpole. The command run emphasized one of the pillars of resiliency — physical fitness.
"Being physically strong is important," Command Sgt. Maj. Arthur L. Coleman, III Corps' senior non-commissioned officer noted following the run. "In the Army, we need to stay physically fit. A three-mile run is a great way to start the day."
The morning physical training was only the beginning of Community Strong Day.
"We've got a great day planned," Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, III Corps and Fort Hood commanding general, told the Soldiers in formation following the run. "The weather isn't perfect, but that's why we have long underwear."
The day warmed to an un-Central Texas-like mid 40s by 11:30 a.m., when several hundred gathered outside the Resiliency Campus' Spiritual Fitness Center to dedicate the new Reflection Pond. Joining Fort Hood and community leaders were five Vietnam-era Medal of Honor recipients who drew a standing ovation when they were introduced.
Campus commandant Col. Bill Rabena said the pond was completed in about a month, thanks to the generosity of Sue Mayborn and the efforts of designer Steve Kainer of Hill Country Water Gardens and Nursery from Cedar Park, Texas. The commandant praised Mayborn's gift to Fort Hood and the soothing setting designed and created by Kainer and his company.
"It's a combination of water, rock, gravel and plant life," Rabena told those assembled for the dedication during his opening remarks, "turning a vacant field into a beautiful landscape."
The pond is 25 feet wide, 40 feet long and is between two to three feet in depth. The plantings surrounding the pond are all native to Central Texas.
"The plants are hardy Central Texas native perennials, shrubs, cactuses and trees," Rabena told the crowd. He pointed out the waterfall feature, the secondary stream springing from an Asian urn and some three dozen goldfish who call the pond their home.
The pond construction project cost $97,000 with a single benefactor — the Frank W. and Sue Mayborn Foundation. The foundation supports numerous area religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational projects.
"It's a place where Soldiers and families can reflect on life and focus their thoughts," Rabena said while thanking Mayborn and Kainer for their support of Fort Hood.
After making brief remarks, Cone joined with Mayborn to cut a yellow ribbon officially opening the pond. A replica cake stood waiting for cutting just inside the walkway, courtesy of 16 Army chefs from the campus' Culinary Arts Center. The cake was made to exacting detail, down to the bridge, the entry way, trees and water. All of it was edible.
"It took our team three days to complete the project," Master Sgt. Anthony Roscoe, team manager at the Culinary Arts Center, said. "For the water, we used a piping gel, which is a sweetened clear gel."
Roscoe added the three-layer cake with butter cream icing, which used chocolate, ginger bread and graham crackers to form structures, rock and foliage, could feed 250-300 people.
Prayer sessions and classes were conducted in the Spiritual Fitness Center in the hours leading up to the dedication ceremony. Col. Mike Lembke, III Corps chaplain, instructed more than 50 Fort Hood leaders in what he called "The eight 'F' words of resiliency."
"Being engaged," he began, "that's what spiritual fitness is all about. That's why we're here today and that's what this center is all about."
Lembke went on to explain the eight "F" words of resiliency: faith, family, friends, forgiveness, focus, future, fun and flexibility.
There was something for everyone at the Resiliency Campus. Games were set up for kids stopping by, including a rock climbing wall and Texas barbecue was served up at lunch time. Many in attendance were impressed with the serene setting of the reflection pond.
"It's awesome," Jody Mansell, a health educator who works at the adjacent Army Wellness Center, said. "I'm going to come out and feed the fish."
Her colleague, Ruth Manuele, sees herself visiting often ... once the weather warms a bit.
"I'm going to come here with my sandwich and eat lunch," Manuele, a dietician and acting director of AWC, said.
"It is our hope that the gardens will be enjoyed by all of the Fort Hood community," Kainer wrote in a statement provided at the ceremony, "but especially by the men, women and families of the U.S. Army who have given so much."
| Date Taken: | 12.11.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 12.16.2009 19:30 |
| Story ID: | 42854 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 259 |
| Downloads: | 224 |
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