Squad Recon
Warfighter Overwatch re-unites post 9/11 combat squad size elements who survived traumatic deployments and have been impacted by veteran suicide once returning home. Our SQUAD Recon programming utilizes peer-to-peer support, physical activity and social connectedness to rebuild the resiliency skills that were once innate to these warfighters.
About Squad Recon
The initial phase in our programming is known as Squad Recon (for ‘reconnection’), which involves bringing together a squad-sized unit to strengthen their bonds of camaraderie through outdoor activities and retreats. These excursions usually span over the course of a weekend and involve physical activities such as hiking or surfing. As we engage in these physical activities, we also address the trauma that the squad members may have experienced and remind them of their physical and mental strength. This stage is exclusively for squad members, while spouses and caretakers are invited to participate in the subsequent phase known as Battle Buddy for Life.
Warfighter Overwatch will provide a selection of activities for each squad to choose from, including options such as hiking, surfing, fishing, hunting, and more. The squad will coordinate their chosen activity based on the location and date that works best for the group, with the help of our board members.
Once the squad is accepted into the program, they will have a Zoom meeting with their guide(s) to discuss the necessary training and requirements. Warfighter Overwatch will provide customized t-shirts and other program-related items to all participants, and the squad will meet with their guide(s) at least twice a month via Zoom.
To prepare for the event, squads are required to assess their training beforehand, and train up for their chosen activity, as well as attend other sessions/calls. Some participants may be required to visit an outdoor/dive shop to obtain the appropriate measurements.
During your reunion, your food, lodging, and activities are paid for by Warfighter Overwatch. Typical Squad Recons need 6-12 participants.
1-32 CAV RSTA Reunion in Toccoa, GA
The 1-32 CAV deployed in September 2005 to Diyala Province, Iraq, and operated out of FOBs Caldwell, Cobra, and Normandy. Sadly, SSGT Thomas B. Turner Jr. from Cottonwood, California died on July 14, 2006 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries sustained on July 13 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Al Muqdadiyah, Iraq. By all accounts, it was a tough deployment.
This was the first time they’d seen each other in person in over 15 years. We spent the weekend in and around Atlanta, climbed Mt. Curahee, visited the Infantry Museum at Ft. Benning, GA, and much more!