Story by Sgt. William
Howard
PIÑON
CANYON, Colo. — An air horn blared sporadically while Girl Scouts swarmed all
over a Stryker Medical Evacuation Vehicle, up-armored Humvee and Buffalo
Mine-Protected Clearance Vehicle at the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, May 30.
Four local Girl Scout troops from the
Trinidad, La Junta and Rocky Ford areas visited with Soldiers of the 299th
Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry
Division, to learn about the vehicles, deliver about 800 boxes of Girl Scout
Cookie donations and earn their hometown hero merit badge.
“They came
out, brought us an abundance of cookies and checked out the vehicles,” said
Sgt. Yexson Amaya, health care specialist, Headquarters and Headquarters
Company, 299th BEB, 1st SBCT, 4th Infantry Division. “They really loved it; I
feel like their favorite part was that they could talk to someone from the
different parts of the vehicle.”
After
showing the Girl Scouts how to talk to each other using the helmets inside of a
Stryker, Yexson decided to give a brief combat lifesaver class and found
himself surrounded in a matter of moments.
“It felt
pretty cool to open my aid bag and tell them about what I do for a living and
how much I really enjoy it,” said Amaya, a native of San Bernardino,
California. “The biggest thing I could see was that they were surprised to see
how much stuff we carry. I feel like it was an eye opener for them and all of
the adults that came with them.”
The Girl
Scout’s curiosity quickly transitioned from the vehicles to the Improved Outer
Tactical Vest and Kevlar helmet that Soldiers wear. They patiently waited as
Soldiers helped them done more than 40 pounds of combat gear.
“I would
tell my friends that the first one is very light and they should try it and it
won’t be that heavy so don’t be scared,” said Rebecca, a Girl Scout who danced
around in the gear.
The Girl Scouts also met with a UH-60 Black
Hawk helicopter crew of the 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Combat
Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division and firefighters from Fort Carson. They
pretended to fly the helicopter and eagerly lined up for a turn with a fire
hose.
“It’s
probably awe inspiring for them to see the military out here,” said Lt. Col.
David Fielder, commander, 299th BEB, 1st SBCT, 4th Infantry Division. “As they
grow older they’ll have more appreciation on what we can do and how we provide
support to the community.”
Girl Scouts from the Trinidad, La Junta and
Rocky Ford patiently wait to explore a fire truck with firefighters from Fort
Carson Fire Department Station 35 at the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, May 30,
2015. The youth visited to learn about the vehicles, deliver about 800 boxes of
Girl Scout Cookie donations and earn their hometown hero merit badge.
