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LOS ANGELES - One morning during the Special Olympics World
Games, three female soldiers peeked their heads into the John Wooden
Center at UCLA to check on gymnastics equipment their unit had
unloaded days earlier. The equipment was all set up and ready to go,
but one woman in the gym appeared quite overwhelmed, as gymnasts had
formed a large crowd around her.
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July 26, 2015 - California Army National Guard Pfc. Cristina Villarruel, left, and Sgt. Angela Bracken found any way they could to assist with the Special Olympics World Games, including helping the gymnasts with their hair and makeup. (Courtesy photo by California National Guard)
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“The woman, Anna, called us over and said, ‘I need your
help!'” Sgt. Angela Bracken, of the Oroville-based 2668th
Transportation Company, recalled. “We said, ‘What do you
need help with?' And she asked, ‘You do hair? You do
makeup?'”
It was the first time in their California
National Guard careers the soldiers had received that
request, but each had a few minutes to spare before
returning to other missions.
“Next thing I
know, we had been recruited into doing the hair and makeup
each day and assisting with getting everybody prepared to go
on stage,” said Bracken, who was working radio dispatch at
the Wooden Center that day. “I wasn't sure how it would come
across [to my unit], but everybody in my chain of command
has been very supportive.”
The soldiers continued
running other missions and completing all their previously
assigned tasks, Bracken said, “But we were able to work as a
team so we can also fill in and assist with this.”
In
the long list of responsibilities Cal Guard soldiers and
airmen were assigned to fulfill during the Special Olympics
World Games, the hair-and-makeup mission was nowhere to be
found, specifically. That fell under “general on-site
support,” which troops were tasked to provide at all 13
athletic and housing locations throughout the Los Angeles
region.
Most of the troops supporting the event were
members of the Long Beach-based 224th Sustainment Brigade or
its subordinate unit the 2668th Transportation Company, who
made good use of their military skills such as logistics,
warehousing and distribution. In addition, some soldiers and
airmen were assigned to fulfill communication and emergency
preparedness missions. Any troop, though, could be called on
for “general on-site support,” which Lt. Col. Julian Bond
said was a natural fit.
“Because the Army uniform is
such a global image, no matter if an athlete or family
member or delegate was from Syria or Iraq or wherever, they
were used to getting help from uniformed service members, so
it was natural for them to look to us anytime anyone needed
assistance,” said Bond, the officer in charge of the
California Military Department's (CMD) efforts to support
the World Games. “It really touched me when Iraqi athletes
were so happy to see the military uniform, because they're
so used to seeing it in their home country.”
Guard
members' civilian skills came in handy on many
general-support missions, including interpreting several
languages and troubleshooting audio-visual issues for the
Closing Ceremony. Bond said soldiers found those
opportunities to contribute because they were actively
looking for ways to make the World Games a success.
“In addition to the expected professionalism and competence
of your soldiers, I was personally impressed with the
passion and intensity they displayed to work so hard in
support of the Special Olympics athletes,” Jeff Carr, chief
operating officer of the World Games Organizing Committee,
wrote in a letter to California's adjutant general, Maj.
Gen. David S. Baldwin. “I personally witnessed a willingness
to rise to whatever challenge we faced in every soldier and
cadet I interacted with. ...
“Simply said, we could not
have done it without them.”
Since 1968, the Special
Olympics has given individuals with intellectual
disabilities a unique opportunity to develop physical
fitness, discover talents, demonstrate courage, grow
confidence and enjoy competition, all while inspiring and
educating those who witness their achievements. The 2015
World Games ran July 25 through Aug. 2, but Cal Guard
members were busy performing logistics and other preparation
long before the games began and continued support for weeks
after they were completed.
Cal Guard officers began
coordinating with World Games organizers two years before
the event kicked off. Their efforts increased in February
before hitting full stride in July and continuing through
Aug. 28. In all, more than 500 service members and teenage
Cadet Corps members contributed a combined 5,000 workdays.
In addition to the 224th and 2668th, the CMD support of
the World Games included the 22-member 9th Civil Support
Team (CST) and dozens of California State Military Reserve
(CSMR) members. The CST is a joint Army/Air Force unit that
specializes in identifying hazardous agents and advising
responders how to save lives. The CSMR is a volunteer force
dedicated to supporting the Cal Guard.
The largest
CMD component on the ground at the World Games, though, was
the California Cadet Corps, an educational and
leadership-development program run by the CMD at high
schools across the state. More than 200 cadets assisted the
athletes with their bags and moved them into their dorms,
delivered ice and cold beverages to athletes in competition,
and, like their older counterparts, did whatever else they
could to help out.
“They were always there on time
with a positive attitude,” Bond said. “They are just
remarkable youths that really showcased the youth of
America. Everybody saw them not as youths, but as part of
the solution.”
Carr said the cadets did a fantastic
job, particularly when transportation challenges arose at
one housing location, where the cadets' dedication and
support enabled the mission to succeed.
He added
that the CMD's overall support was a tremendous asset for
the massive World Games, which hosted 8,500 athletes and
coaches from 165 countries and attracted 350,000 spectators
to 290 events.
Guard members' consistent dedication
and high performance impressed the World Games' corporate
partners as well. Rolf Pherigo, of UPS, who served as the
World Games director of supply chain, said he has
recommended to his human resources department that they look
to hire some of the soldiers he worked alongside.
“The military folks I worked with here were precise, they
were on time, they didn't make excuses, they performed and
they had good follow-through — all the qualities [we look
for],” he said. “When it gets tough out there, a lot of
people run from it, and it seems that military people don't
run. They stand tall and do what is asked of them. ... I
personally enjoyed working with each and every member of the
military at the World Games.”
The World Games
provided a unique training environment for troops to
exercise their transportation, communications, interagency
coordination and leadership skills. But most said that's not
what they'll remember most.
“It's the athletes that
make it worth it,” said 2nd Lt. Andrew Tenorio, officer in
charge of a Cal Guard team that managed bowlers' equipment
for six days. “Just seeing them compete and how vibrant they
are really makes it special.”
Tenorio's assignment at
the bowling alley was not easy: It was “up tempo,
back-and-forth, boom, boom, boom.” But he still managed to
speak with about 100 athletes from 30 different countries
during the six days. He made many new friends, gave out tons
of hugs and photos, and even exchanged a few gifts.
“One of the New Zealander bowlers promised me she would
bring me a kiwi — it's a bird that's a national symbol for
New Zealand,” he remembered. “Later she brought it to me, a
little figurine, and she gave me a hug. She's a lifelong
friend now. I was like, ‘What more could I ask?'”
By Brandon Honig, California National Guard
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
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