Unique event earns top Army prize for K-town BOSS

Knocking out 50 sit-ups between eating cookies, bananas and
pickles and drinking juice and milk, highlights the U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern’s Better Opportunities for Single Servicemembers’ win for best event for large-sized installation at the Department of Army BOSS forum in Washington in August.

Sit-ups were one of seven events at the Kaiserslautern BOSS and Commissary Appreciation Day in May. This was the third year that the Kaiserslautern BOSS program and the Vogelweh Commissary have sponsored this event.

“We do it for Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Marines,” said Connie Tallon, the Vogelweh Commissary store manager, who with the Kaiserslautern BOSS president at the time initiated this event.

Out of about 20 other garrisons, the Kaiserslautern BOSS also took home second place for best program in its category.

“Our program is literally run by the Soldiers,” said Spec. Joshua Crawford, the Kaiserslautern BOSS president, on why he feels that the program garnered these honors.

Explaining further, Specialist Crawford said it’s the Soldiers who bring the ideas for community service or recreation to their BOSS representatives who in turn take it to the BOSS council for a vote.

Kaiserslautern’s BOSS represents several thousand Soldiers, Airmen and Sailors here, and its more than 100 volunteers earned about 4,000 community-service hours this year, said Specialist Crawford.

Founded in 1989, BOSS helps single and unaccompanied Soldiers with
recreation and leisure, community service and well-being issues. The BOSS program in most Army communities stands for Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers, but because of the unique KMC demographics, the name was changed locally to servicemembers in 1997 to encourage members from other military branches here to take advantage of the same opportunities afforded to Soldiers.