Immersed in the Guard: Kentucky Army National Guard’s second outreach event from this past spring, Operation Immersion, also built upon the idea of fostering stronger relationships between Soldiers and their communities.
Held at the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Kentucky, the week-long event gave approximately 40 civilian professionals the opportunity to be immersed into the roles of National Guard Soldiers.
The event was presented by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities and the Kentucky National Guard.
With its participants all working in the fields of psychology, social work and counseling, the event focused on engagement with professionals who may have cause to encounter Soldiers and/or Veterans in the course of their work. The week began with classroom workshops taught by subject matter experts and then transitioned into hands-on military exercises taught by Kentucky Army National Guard leaders.
By spending the entire week sleeping in barracks, waking up early for physical training (PT) and eating MREs, the participants were able to gain a true understanding of what Soldiers experience on duty.
Attendees rode on UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and participated in mock combat situations including obstacle courses, room clearing with paintball guns, HMMWV rollover training and buddy rushes.
“After [the attendees finished] an experience or training time, we would pause for a moment and ask them how they could take what they learned and apply it to their practice with current service members,” said CPT Philip Majcher, chaplain for the Kentucky Army National Guard.
CPT Majcher explained to the attendees what his role as a chaplain entailed; he then created a mock environment where the attendees were his Soldiers and he was their chaplain.
“There was a point in the training towards the end where they assaulted a building with paintball guns,” CPT Majcher continued. “We went into the building, assaulted it and came out.”
