Oregon Guard Soldiers bring Army fitness, Veterans Day lesson to Salem middle school

Official Statements

• Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office, November 13: “SALEM, Ore. — Three Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers spent the day before Veterans Day at Crossler Middle School, leading students through Army-style physical training and talking with them about the veterans in their own families. 1st Sgt. Angel Payne, Capt. Rionna Brenes and Capt. Godwin Nwando, all with the Oregon Army National Guard Medical Command, ran the Nov. 10 visit in the school gym. It was the second year Soldiers have come to Crossler ahead of the holiday, and this time the school asked for them.”

• Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office, November 13: “Payne, who has two children and a step-grandson at the school, helped with last year's visit at the request of a Guard recruiter. This year, she said, teachers emailed her directly. "The kids really liked it. The staff really liked it, and it went well to honor Veterans Day," Payne said. "So I said, 'Sure, we'll figure out a team.'"

• Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office, November 13: “The Soldiers built the session around the Army Fitness Test. Each class of about 100 students split into three groups and rotated through a deadlift station run by Nwando, a sprint and weighted-sled drag run by Payne, and a push-up and plank station run by Brenes. Payne said the visit was not about recruiting. "It's just nice to be engaged in the community and have a presence," she said.”

• Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office, November 13: “Between exercises, the Soldiers asked students why they had the next day off from school, what a veteran is and whether anyone in their family had served. Brenes said more students answered yes than she expected. "A lot of grandpas, great-grandpas, or grandmas. There's a couple grandmas, moms," Brenes said. "So as a female Soldier, that's kind of cool." The Soldiers encouraged students to reach out to those relatives on Veterans Day and thank them.”

• Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office, November 13: “The workout raised questions of its own, Brenes said. The most common one was what Soldiers eat. "They look a little tortured sometimes, but a lot of them are having fun with it," she said. "I make it a game. I make it a challenge."

• Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office, November 13: “At the deadlift station, Nwando said one student handled the bar so easily that he added weight to it, and the student still lifted it five or six times. The student then coached his classmates on keeping their feet shoulder-width apart, their eyes up and their backs flat.”

• Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office, November 13: "You can absolutely see that they are very enthusiastic, and they're helping the rest of the kids out," Nwando said. The day ended with a school assembly, where students and teachers competed against each other in the same events in front of packed bleachers. Payne said the aim was to show students how Soldiers stay physically fit and to teach them about honoring the parents and family members who have served.”