CONTENGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – For Soldiers interested in increasing their physical, emotional, relational, mental and vocational capabilities, the Red Bull Goal Achievement Challenge is set to begin July 15.
One hundred volunteers are needed during the two month pilot program designed to help Soldiers strengthen their resiliency and achieve their goals during their deployment.
“If you are able to channel thought process to understand where negative thoughts come from, you can overcome them positively,” said Brooklyn Park, Minn. native Lt. Col. Angela Steward-Randle, plans officers, division surgeon.
Soldiers interested in participating in the challenge need to sign up by July 11. The challenge is individually based and requires Soldiers to set goals and strive to reach those goals, said Maj. Braden Hughs, lead planner for future operations.
Throughout the challenge, periodic reviews will be established to check the progress of Soldiers, Hughs added.
The St. Cloud, Minn. native feels Soldiers are motivated to reach for their goals and the reviews will demonstrate how the Soldiers feel they are progressing.
This initiative was originally an idea of the Multi-National Division – South chaplain, Chaplain (Lt. Col.) John Morris, Hughs said.
He recalls Morris saying the Army does a great job of conducting preventative maintenance checks and service of its equipment . . . resiliency, wellness and goal setting is a way to teach the Soldier to PMCS themselves.
“A resilient Soldier engaged in personal wellness activities will react better to stressful situations and recover more quickly after being exposed to stressors on the battlefield,” Hughs added.
Hughs describes resiliency as a type of emotional immune system. The human body is designed to correct itself physically, he said, and emotionally there is no difference.
“The emotional immune system is the part of the mind that has the ability to self right, or self heal, itself” Hughs said. “It is an innate capacity that exists in all individuals to self right their mental wellbeing much like a cut on the arm heals itself.”
“Learning how to tap into it will enable you to develop a capacity to handle the stressors that are handed to you whether it is on the battlefield here or the battlefield of life,” Hughs concluded.
For more information, contact Maj. Hughs at
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CONTENGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – For Soldiers interested in increasing their physical, emotional, relational, mental and vocational capabilities, the Red Bull Goal Achievement Challenge is set to begin July 15.
