Thoughts while working out in the gym

Maj. Gen. Dana J. H. Pittard 1st AD and Fort Bliss Commanding General

Maj. Gen. Dana J. H. Pittard,
1st AD and Fort Bliss Commanding General:

Ready First Update
1/1 AD and the 1AD CAB continue their pre-deployment training. The “Ready First” brigade just completed a Warfighter Exercise during which it trained all of its staff functions and communications skills. This week, the brigade is busily preparing all of its equipment for movement into Afghanistan. The CAB continues to train pilots and crews for their upcoming deployments to the Middle East and Afghanistan. As time to leave Fort Bliss gets closer, both brigades will keep Families informed through FRG meetings and Care Team Briefs, as well as their official Facebook pages. We are all confident that First Brigade and the CAB will deploy, get the job done, and come back home safely.

“Fort Bliss” Major Motion Picture
You may have heard about the major motion picture scheduled to film here on Fort Bliss. The film, titled “Fort Bliss,” will feature Michelle Monaghan, star of “Eagle Eye,” and “Mission: Impossible III,” as an Iron Soldier medic and will take place both in Afghanistan and Fort Bliss. The film also features Taye Diggs, star of “The Best Man.”

The production team and actors arrive this week, so don’t be surprised to see them filming at various locations across Fort Bliss.

The film is a great opportunity to highlight not only Fort Bliss but also the incredible nobility and heroism of our Soldiers. The script really represents the Army well and we are very excited about the opportunity.

The production team would like to involve the Team Bliss community in this event, so if you are interested in participating in the film as an extra, please email filmfortbliss@gmail.com and our public affairs section will provide you information on how to get involved.

Making a Difference
Our philosophy in 1AD and Team Bliss is that everyone can make a difference – in our communities, within our Families, with our co-workers, and beyond. I would like to highlight SPC Tyler Rouse of 127th Aviation Support BN, 1st AD CAB. He started “No DUI El Paso,” an organization with a mission to stop drunk driving on the streets of Fort Bliss and El Paso. With the help of the Chaplains office, “No DUI El Paso” provides support and volunteers for Fort Bliss units requesting safe driving alternatives for events. If you would like to volunteer with “No DUI El Paso,” or if your unit would like to coordinate with them for an event, contact SPC Rouse at 877-366-7604. They also have a website, www.noduielpaso.com. Thank you to SPC Rouse and the volunteers who take time to make sure their fellow Soldiers stay safe. Your service helps tremendously as we strive to have zero preventable Soldier deaths!

A Healthy Force is a Ready Force
On September 27, Team Bliss will conduct a Suicide Prevention Stand Down Day to familiarize our Soldiers with the key resources and tenets associated with Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention programs as well as providers and facilities available at Fort Bliss and the surrounding El Paso community.

Shoulder-to-shoulder, Team Bliss stands for LIFE. This program will help us preserve the strength of Fort Bliss Soldiers, Army Civilians and Family Members. Everything we do is about preventing loss of life, shaping our way of life and winning in life and in every mission. Fort Bliss is creating an immediate impact within our community so we can set the stage for long-term progress to reduce suicidal behavior, reduce high-risk behavior, and improve health and discipline.

The Stand Down will consist of suicide prevention training and resiliency training. Additionally, twenty-five Team Bliss members will be recognized for successful intervention in helping to save another Soldier’s life.

Strong Men and Women
This past weekend, some of our Fort Bliss Soldiers supported the 7th annual Tony Mena Race for PTSD Awareness. We had some of our Iron Soldiers participate in the 8K race at Sunland Park, with Private First Class Jeffrey Cassel from the Fort Bliss Ten Miler Team winning the entire event! Maj. Andrew Medendorp and Sgt. 1st Class Greg Wyrobek, also from the Team Bliss Ten Milers, placed in the top four.

The big winners in this past weekend’s 2012 Fort Bliss Strongman Competition were Kristopher Pierce and Johnny Hernandez.

Iron Soldier Triathlon
Well, back to the pool and the roads… I am in the final training phase for the Iron Soldier Sprint Triathlon this Saturday. I have been riding my bike to work over the past week (a 14-mile trip) to try to get ready. I’m not a great cyclist, however, I’m enjoying my 4:30 a.m. lap swimming at Replica Pool. It’s not too late to register for the triathlon, which consists of a 400M swim, a 17.2-mile bike ride, and a 5K run. Late registration will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Friday and from 5-7 a.m. on Saturday at Replica Aquatic Center. Late registration costs $10 for active-duty military, $20 for active-duty military teams, $55 for all other individuals, and $75 for all other teams of two or three racers. The race begins at 7:30 at Replica.

Back to the gym – I’ll see you there.

Be combat ready, be fit, be resilient, and be Iron Strong!

Iron Soldiers – A Bias for Action!