Braza, Snyder, Arnold take part in Leadership Fort Carson Tour

Dean Mary Snyder, left, and Dean Peter Braza, right, learn first-hand about the life of a soldier. (Photo: Phillip Morris)

Two University of Colorado Colorado Springs deans and a university staff member joined 24 other community leaders in gaining an inside look at a soldier’s life during a Jan. 17 Leadership Fort Carson Tour.

Peter Braza, dean, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Mary Snyder, dean, College of Education; and Carrie Arnold, administrative support, Freshman Seminar and Honors program, were invited by Maj. Gen. Joseph Anderson, commanding general, 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, to experience a day at the post. They were accompanied by Phillip Morris, program director, Office of Veteran and Military Student Affairs.

The program’s goal was to help build relationships between the community and Fort Carson soldiers. The day included a speech by Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach as well as a moderated discussion on leadership and a question-and-answer session about Fort Carson and the Army.

Soldiers in full battle gear provided information about protective clothing and the group received hands-on training on the Equipment Skills Trainer 2000, M4 carbine simulator, improvised explosive device awareness training and observed the Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer. They also participated in basic classes on moving a casualty on the battlefield, manning an observation post, loading and clearing a weapon and firing the M240B machine gun.

The leaders visited Survivor Outreach Services where Braza was moved by the sacrifices that soldiers sometimes make for the love of their country.

“I found the Fallen Heroes Family Home to be very sobering; I just could not stop staring at the pictures of the soldiers with their wives and kids,” he said. “I am grateful for all of those people who have made that sacrifice in service to their country.”