FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Jan. 19, 2018) – The following Fort Leonard Wood announcements are for the week of Jan. 22 through 26.

Feb. 1

Bruce C. Clarke Library staff members are bringing a new kind of book club to the installation in 2018. The Book Brigade is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 1 in the library community room. According to event sponsors, the club will hold meetings on the first Thursday of each month. What makes this book club different from all the others is that patrons can choose the titles for the group discussion. All that is required is readers must pick a book from the designated theme and bring the title to the meeting. The theme for the first meeting is: “a book that never fails to make you smile.” The theme for March 1 is: “a book set in your home state,” and for April it is: “a book from an author you love but have never read.” All ages are welcome to attend, but patrons younger than 12 must be accompanied by a supervising adult. For more information, contact the library at 573.563.4113.

Feb. 10

2018 Father Daughter Sweetheart Dance

The 2018 Father Daughter Sweetheart Dance has been scheduled from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 at Nutter Field House. Doors will open at 4 p.m. for pictures. Tickets are $20 per person, ages 2 and under are free. Tickets are available at the Leisure Travel Office through Feb. 2. For more information, please call 573.329.4513.

Feb. 15

S.T.E.A.M. Lab comes to the Bruce C. Clarke Library

Former FLW Soldier Emily Sweeney will compete in 2018 Olympics

When Emily Sweeney dons the USA colors at PyeongChang next month, she knows she will represent more than herself. She will also represent the World Class Athletes Program, the National Guard and the U.S. Army. Sweeney, who currently ranks eighth in the International Luge Federation women’s singles, will join fellow WCAP athletes Matt Mortensen in men’s doubles and singles competitor Taylor Morris. At 24, the Olympics will wrap Sweeney’s 14th year in the sport, and she plans to bring home a medal for her team. “Going to the Olympics isn’t enough for me,” Sweeney said “I want to go to the Olympics and do something. So it’s not over — the work isn’t over.” Emily said her grandfather instilled in her a sense of pride for her country and also inspired her to join the Army National Guard. Joining the military sparked a change in Emily. She often took a leadership role during basic combat training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. She did the same during her advanced individual training there, where she learned to be a military policeman. She even graduated with honors from the Army’s military police school. Once in the Army, Emily also opted to join the World Class Athlete Program. “I thought it was a great avenue of opportunity,” Emily said of her decision to join the Army. “I knew I wanted to continue being an athlete, but I didn’t want to only be an athlete. I wanted something else to pursue beyond my athletic career.” Read the full story at https://www.army.mil/article/198916/luge_athlete_sgt_emily_sweeney_perseveres_through_heartache_injury_to_compete_in_2018_Olympics.

Meet Your Army

Meet Your Army is an outreach initiative that sends Army leaders to American communities where the Army has little or no presence. Every year, more and more Americans lose connection with their Army. For this reason, the Army must do more to explain to the American public who the Army is, what the Army does, and what the Army stands for. The Meet Your Army initiative brings the Army and Soldiers to communities throughout the United States, where both civilians and local press can interact with them and learn more about who defends their nation. Over the last 40 years, as the Army has transitioned to an all-volunteer force, the percentage of Americans who personally know a Soldier has dwindled. Focus groups reveal that Americans generally respect the military without really understanding their Army or feeling a deep emotional connection to it. The goals for Meet Your Army are to educate, excite, and inspire the American public about their Army. Meet Your Army engagements lay a foundation to build and strengthen relationships with Americans, leading to greater understanding and public support for the Army and the Soldiers who serve. To learn more about the Meet Your Army initiative visit https://www.army.mil/standto/2017-01-19.

Seven Soldiers will compete in bobsled, luge in 2018 Winter Olympics

Seven Soldiers will be among the other athletes representing the United States Feb. 9-25, in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Returning in bobsled will be 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist Sgt. Justin Olsen from San Antonio, Texas; 2014 Olympic Bronze Medalist Cpt. Chris Fogt from Alpine, Utah; and 2010 and 2014 Olympic team member Sgt. Nick Cunningham from Monterey, California, who are all part of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command’s World Class Athlete Program. Olsen and Cunningham are members of the New York National Guard. They will be joined by Sgt. First Class Nathan Weber, who is not part of WCAP. Sgt. Emily Sweeney from Suffield, Connecticut, and Sgt. Taylor Morris from South Jordan, Utah, will complete in singles luge, along with Sgt. Matthew Mortensen from Huntington Station, New York, who is competing in the doubles luge event. They are also Soldier-athletes in WCAP who have made the U.S. Olympic Team. The Soldiers’ participation in the Olympics is a testament to their enduring resilience and the Army’s commitment to teamwork, determination and perseverance, and the nation encourages the world to follow and share their progress in social media using #SoldierOlympians. Opening Ceremonies for these Winter Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 9, and luge events run Feb. 10-15. Bobsled competitions are scheduled to run Feb. 18-24, all to be broadcast by the National Broadcasting Company through NBC News and NBC Sports.

For more information, contact the Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office at 573.563.4145.