Commander’s Drumbeat: Fort Bragg’s “Team Focus”

By BG Darryl A. Williams, WTC Commander

You’ve all heard the expression—people rise to expectations—I believe that. I’ve witnessed it throughout my career and nowhere is it more visible than at the Fort Bragg Warrior Transition Unit (WTU). It was clear during a recent visit that these warriors don’t just rise to meet expectations, they exceed them on a daily basis.

I want to publicly recognize LTC James Schumacher, Commander, Fort Bragg WTU; COL Brian Canfield, Commander, Womack Army Medical Center; LTC Arthur Campbell, Chief, Department of Deployment; and COL Niel Johnson, Chief, Department of Family Medicine, they are the blue print of a successful team—setting, meeting, and exceeding high expectations. One of the most impressive teams they created includes Senior Mission Commander, MG Rodney Anderson, Deputy Commanding General, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg. They all meet weekly and in my opinion, this results in a culture that supports warriors, their Families, and the healing process.

It’s always exciting to be at Fort Bragg, this visit did not disappoint. I met great leaders, great Soldiers, and got to see the new WTU complex construction—this is located by the medical center and is on a glide path for completion in 2012. This is going to be a state-of-the-art facility and will include Family assistance, barracks, dining, and housing services.

I absolutely have to give a nod to their adaptive sports program. This was one of the highlights of the visit. I recall clearly how hard the warriors worked in the gym. Whew! These Soldiers were giving it their all and soaked in sweat to prove it. Fort Bragg may have the premier adaptive sports program around. It’s at least one of the best I’ve seen. It’s truly inspiring to watch these warriors at work. In fact, they recently introduced a pilot program in coordination with Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Performance Enhancement Program that allows Warriors in Transition to participate in daily cardio and muscular workouts at various stations as part of their duty day. This is a great success—way to go Fort Bragg!

The team at Fort Bragg demonstrates an unrelenting commitment to the Soldiers and Families they serve. They’re passionate, skilled, and dedicated to helping Soldiers recover and move forward with their lives. They have created a good command climate, a warrior culture, and embraced the warrior ethos.

As I sign off, I want to also recognize the following:

• Dr. Lorene Petta, Performance Enhancement Specialist, and SFC Class Christopher Thornton, Fort Bragg Warrior Transition Battalion Master Resiliency Trainer, who launched the Fort Bragg WTU adaptive sports program, resulting in many warriors in transition trying new adaptive sports such as sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball. I even recognized a few Warrior Games competitors there.

• Mr. Clyde Foster, AW2 advocate, and Ms. Betty Goolsby, Director, Fayetteville Veterans Administration Medical Center, are other members of the team focusing on healing folks.

• AW2 Community Support Network member, Give an Hour, a national nonprofit organization that provides counseling for military servicemembers affected by the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and their Families.

I want to thank the Fort Bragg team for their hard work in supporting our wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers. I encourage you all to continue your efforts because your high expectations and team building skills are making a difference.

Note: The appearance of external hyperlinks and/or recognition of non-federal entities does not constitute endorsement by the United States Department of Defense, the United States Army, the United State Medical Command, or the Army Warrior Transition Command of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein.