“Getting Soldiers off post and meeting new Soldiers from different units every weekend is a really exciting thing,” Kribs said. “I think it’s really important for Soldiers to be out and engaged rather than just sitting in their barracks room staring at a wall or playing video games.”
Providing safe, reliable transportation for Soldiers who are constantly on mission due to the demanding work schedule of the National Training Center at Fort Irwin is something Agnew and his team at BOSS are happy to provide, he said.
“That’s why I believe BOSS is so important, because we are always on mission and [in] those little breaks we get, a lot of Soldiers just end up not having the motivation to go out and do anything because it’s an hour just to get off post,” Agnew said. “We take people out who just want to get out for the weekend and then they experience these amazing opportunities, and it enriches their experience here at Fort Irwin which increases morale and really upholds those three pillars of the BOSS program that helps the single Soldiers.”
Agnew, a Huntington Beach, Calif. native, said he uses his experience growing up in southern California to provide an insight into events.
“We’re pulling on the information and knowledge of the people who grew up here to get those unique experiences in and we’re also constantly hunting across the Internet for events coming up within our radius,” Agnew said.
Finding events isn’t hard, according to Kribs.
“A lot of Soldiers have the mindset that we are in the middle of nowhere, but in my opinion, we are in the middle of everywhere,” Kribs said. “There are so many things and experiences for us to have out here and as long as people give me the ideas and they tell me what they want to do, I can almost always make it happen.”
The BOSS team also takes recommendations for events on their Discord page, which has grown since Kribs took over as BOSS president, she said.
Through Discord, Soldiers can also find out about events and sign up for volunteer opportunities.
Both Kribs and Agnew said they were proud of the haunted house that the BOSS team built and ran in October.
The event helped raise money for the program and brought together Soldiers who earned volunteer hours for their work.
“When you get to go out and do these projects and you get to help the community, it gives you a sense of purpose and drive and it’s really good for things like mental health,” Agnew said. “Not only that, you get the camaraderie of working with those likeminded people that want to help the community and drive a better Fort Irwin for everybody.”
Kribs said her goal for the program is to continue to grow it.
“I want every Soldier to know about [the BOSS program] and I want every Soldier to be informed,” she said.
Kribs said she also wants to reach out to the single parent population and any unaccompanied Soldier to let them know they can participate in BOSS events, too.
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This piece is written by Kimberly Hackbarth from the National Training Center and Fort Irwin. Want to feature your story? Send your draft here today.
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