By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
ESTES PARK, Colo., Aug. 4, 2014 – The benefits of the
partnership between the USO and Team Red, White and Blue were on full display
over the weekend as they brought together a confluence of leadership,
empowerment and inspiration with a three-day rock-climbing camp 7,522 feet
above sea level.
Andrew Hutchinson, a San Francisco-based Army veteran and
director of camps and special programs for Team RWB, explained the goal of the
camp.
“There are three things we really want them to leave with:
knowledge, inspiration and empowerment,” he said. “On the knowledge side, we
want them not only to learn a new sport, but also to learn some leadership.”
The goal, Hutchinson said, was for people to come to the
camp and leave with the skills necessary to continue to rock climb on their
own.
“They’ll have the knowledge to be able to find a rock gym
and become a part of that,” he said. –Obviously, he added, the vveterans
wouldn’t learn everything about rock climbing at the camp.
“But you hope that you can give them some tools --some
things to think about -- so they can communicate more effectively,” he said.
“We hope that this camp inspires the individuals to go back, and hopefully,
pass what they’ve learned onto others.”
Hutchinson said he believes the camps inspire veterans and
Team RWB members, helping them to realize they’re a part of “something good
that they were kind of missing before.”
“Usually at these camps, immediately they find someone that
was deployed to the same area when they were there, or in the same unit,” he
said. “You see that kind of bonding occur right away.”
Another aim, he said, is for the camp participants to feel
empowered to take control of their lives, their health and their reintegration.
Hutchinson lauded the USO for its partnership and support in the Team RWB camps
program.
“Last year, the USO was very generous,” he said. “Once they
found out about Team Red, White and Blue and the different programs we have,
they wanted to support us. They wanted to give us support for the camps
program, so last year, they helped fund our trail-running camp and our yoga
camp. They liked what they saw and how we were using the money. The camps were
benefitting veterans and active duty members and civilians of Team RWB.”
This year, he said, the USO expressed interest in supporting
the entire camps program, not just one or two.
“They’ve been generous and funded a large part of all seven
of our camps this year,” Hutchinson said. “As we continue to grow, I think
we’ll work more and more with the USO. They’ve been very supportive of our
camps.”
Hutchinson said he expects the camp program to continue its
growth.
“I think the camp program is one that’s going to continue to
grow, and I think the camps kind of embody us as an organization,” he said,
adding that he hopes to have 12 camps next year and more in years to come.
These community-based activities help to re-awaken some
people who may no longer be in leadership positions in their everyday jobs,
Hutchinson said.
“It gets you out of your comfort zone,” he added. “I think
sometimes the most growth happens when you are outside of your comfort zone.
Maybe not right in that moment, but when you conquer that fear, … I think it
makes you a stronger person down the road, for sure.”
The rock-climbing camp’s participants were equally appreciative
of the USO and Team RWB’s efforts to inspire, empower and teach them.
“It was a really awesome event -- something I wouldn’t have
probably ventured out to do on my own necessarily,” said Jill Glasenapp, a
13-year Army veteran. “Something that now I’ve been exposed to, I’d totally do.
So I think the purpose of the camp was met.”
Glasenapp said she felt “totally confident” after stepping
outside the limits of her normal comfort zone.
“It makes you think out of the box, … especially when you
talk about physical activities,” she said. “I had no idea how strenuous
rock-climbing really is. And maybe it’s not supposed to be, but it is. I think
it totally takes you outside of the box and gives you a lot of confidence to be
able to some stuff you might not normally do on your own.”
The Manhattan, Kansas, native also shared her perspective on
the USO-Team RWB partnership.
“I think it was the most amazing collaboration when you
think about their mission statements,” Glasenapp said. “The USO is there to
support our service members and their families. And then Team Red, White and
Blue is there to support the veterans, so why not marry the two up to put on
something that supports all those different realms?”
Team Red, White and Blue is not just for veterans, she
added, but also is for family members and community members, so it’s a perfect
relationship, especially for this kind of camp.
Kristyn Conner, one of those Team RWB members, said she felt
“re-energized” by the camp and the opportunity to learn more about military
culture.
“I don’t understand the military culture very much,” she
said, “and that’s what RWB kind of brings to the table for me. It allows me to
interact with people and understand where they’re coming from.”
As captain of Team RWB’s Tucson, Arizona, chapter, Conner
said, she viewed the rock-climbing camp as an opportunity to “completely
immerse” herself in learning.
“I hope to take all the leadership knowledge and skills that
I learned back to my chapter and get everyone else back in Tucson amped up,”
she said.
Conner faced her own adversity as she overcame her fear of
heights to climb towering rock faces and even to undertake a Tyrolean traverse
-- a method of crossing between two high points on a rope.
“I was up on that wall and my fear of heights took over,”
she said. “But I think my belayer, J.J. Pinter, who’s the director of
operations, said something that really rings true for me this weekend,” she
said. “It’s ‘You can’t be brave until you’re afraid.’ So stepping out of your
comfort zone -- if you don’t do it, you’re not going to develop, grow and
progress as an individual.”
Speaking about the opportunity provided by the USO-Team RWB
partnership, Conner expressed her gratitude for the union.
“I know I speak for everyone when I say how grateful we are
for this partnership,” she said. “Stuff like this would probably not be
happening at all, or [certainly] not on a regular basis, and this is what RWB
is about. We are primarily a voluntary organization. They invest in people. And
this is an investment in the people who are going to carry the organization
forward, and it’s invaluable.”
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