Guantanamo Troopers Case Study
More than 60 Joint Task Force Guantanamo Troopers participate in the Back to Football Colts 5K satellite event on U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Aug. 20.
This is the fourth year the Indianapolis Colts kicked off the return of football season with a 5K run starting in the downtown area and finishing on the 50-yard line of the Lucas Oil Stadium.
U.S. Army Capt. Clinton Stucker, the JTF GTMO deputy commander’s aide de camp, said the motivation behind the shadow event was due to the number of Soldiers from the 38th Infantry Division deployed to JTF GTMO.
“We’re based in Indianapolis, so we have a lot of Colts fans here,” said Stucker. “We wanted to represent a little bit of home, so we coordinated with people in Indianapolis and they sent us …show more content…
the shirts to do a satellite 5K run.”
According to Stucker, the run segues into a large tailgate party before the evening football game against the Baltimore Ravens.
“It’s pretty much an all-day event and it’s a big deal,” said Stucker. “I think the event organizers said they had more than 5,000 runners enter the event in Indianapolis, so it has turned into a large event.”
U.S.
Army Spc. Zackery Johnson, a JTF GTMO Trooper, came in first place overall and said he enjoyed the event so much that he would participate in it again if the opportunity arose.
“I didn’t know about the run until yesterday,” said Johnson. “The turnout was smaller than I expected, but I had a great time.”
Johnson said events like the run are an important part of keeping junior Troopers out of trouble and provides them with an alternative to staying in their room.
“It’s easy to get bored once you’ve been here for a little while and that’s when people start doing foolish stuff, so you need to get out and do something with different people,” said Johnson. “There is more to this island than just working and getting into trouble.”
For others, like U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ross Prater, a JTF GTMO Trooper, it was an opportunity to bond with family participating in the event back in the U.S.
“My wife will be running the 5K in Indianapolis in about an hour, and she’ll be pushing my 18 month old daughter in a stroller,” said Prater. “It’s a fun opportunity for us to bond while being 3,000 miles apart.”
Prater said that the event was a great morale booster and it is important for JTF GTMO to continue supporting events like the
5K.
“It’s great to do something outside of work that involves your coworkers in a recreational setting,” said Prater. “Sometimes you are under a lot of stress to get things done and this is a great opportunity to get to see your coworkers in a different light.”
This is the fourth year the Indianapolis Colts kicked off the return of football season with a 5K run starting in the downtown area and finishing on the 50-yard line of the Lucas Oil Stadium.
U.S. Army Capt. Clinton Stucker, the JTF GTMO deputy commander’s aide de camp, said the motivation behind the shadow event was due to the number of Soldiers from the 38th Infantry Division deployed to JTF GTMO.
“We’re based in Indianapolis, so we have a lot of Colts fans here,” said Stucker. “We wanted to represent a little bit of home, so we coordinated with people in Indianapolis and they sent us …show more content…
the shirts to do a satellite 5K run.”
According to Stucker, the run segues into a large tailgate party before the evening football game against the Baltimore Ravens.
“It’s pretty much an all-day event and it’s a big deal,” said Stucker. “I think the event organizers said they had more than 5,000 runners enter the event in Indianapolis, so it has turned into a large event.”
U.S.
Army Spc. Zackery Johnson, a JTF GTMO Trooper, came in first place overall and said he enjoyed the event so much that he would participate in it again if the opportunity arose.
“I didn’t know about the run until yesterday,” said Johnson. “The turnout was smaller than I expected, but I had a great time.”
Johnson said events like the run are an important part of keeping junior Troopers out of trouble and provides them with an alternative to staying in their room.
“It’s easy to get bored once you’ve been here for a little while and that’s when people start doing foolish stuff, so you need to get out and do something with different people,” said Johnson. “There is more to this island than just working and getting into trouble.”
For others, like U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ross Prater, a JTF GTMO Trooper, it was an opportunity to bond with family participating in the event back in the U.S.
“My wife will be running the 5K in Indianapolis in about an hour, and she’ll be pushing my 18 month old daughter in a stroller,” said Prater. “It’s a fun opportunity for us to bond while being 3,000 miles apart.”
Prater said that the event was a great morale booster and it is important for JTF GTMO to continue supporting events like the
5K.
“It’s great to do something outside of work that involves your coworkers in a recreational setting,” said Prater. “Sometimes you are under a lot of stress to get things done and this is a great opportunity to get to see your coworkers in a different light.”