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Fort Drum conference empowers Soldiers to lead, shape future of BOSS
Mike Strasser
Fort Drum Garrison Public Affairs
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Sept. 16, 2025) - Soldiers from across the 10th Mountain Division (LI) attended a two-day Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS) conference at Fort Drum, Sept. 11-12, to address quality of life issues, discuss installation support services, and exchange ideas on how to improve the program.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jeremiah Larson, Fort Drum garrison senior enlisted adviser, opened the conference by challenging attendees to be productive, creative, and collaborative in their efforts, but to also enjoy the experience.
“This is your program, and your conference,” he said. “It’s really what you put it into. This is a great environment to learn, get some outputs we can use, and have some fun.”
He said that Fort Drum BOSS, in recent years, has succeeded in diversifying the program and creating new opportunities for life skills training that reflects the interests and needs of Soldiers.
The life skills requirement for an Army BOSS program is a minimum of three activities per quarter, or every three months. Larson said Fort Drum BOSS averages four every month. Additionally, he said they have tripled the number of volunteers over the past two years by providing meaningful opportunities for Soldiers to participate in community service.
“Continue to diversify the program,” Larson said. “Look for those diverse opportunities that Soldiers want. Some of the best activities are really easy to make happen, especially outdoor activities. Don’t make the planning effort complicated.”
Richard Cadet has been active in the BOSS program for about three years, and he just recently became vice president on the council.
“From my point of view, our biggest strength is definitely our team,” he said. “We have a diverse, well-rounded team that tries to do as much as we can at Fort Drum.”
Cadet said he knows firsthand how isolated some Soldiers feel when they are away from family and friends, and the BOSS program aims at providing them a social network.
“I know my first six months in the military I spent all my free time in the barracks doing absolutely nothing,” he said. “Then I went on my first BOSS trip, hiking in Colorado, and I saw all of their flyers and calendar of events, and I just kept showing up.”
Cadet was active in BOSS at Fort Carson, Colorado, and then Fort Bragg, North Carolina, before moving to Fort Drum. All three installations have a BOSS center, which isn’t the case for every Army post.
“Personally, I feel that they should,” Cadet said. It’s a place where you can feel like you’re not alone. BOSS gives you the opportunity to meet other people and just be yourself.”
During the conference, a Soldier shared how difficult it was for him transitioning back to the barracks after a divorce.
“I would say the first six or seven months I didn’t go outside and stayed in my room all day,” he said. “It was a lot of stupid, self-destructive stuff; I didn’t want to be around people.”
His brigade BOSS representative steered him toward the program where he began volunteering, reconnecting with people, and engaging in outdoor activities.
“Just being a part of this community – being with all of you guys – has really helped me,” he said.
Andrew Dial said he knows Soldiers who regularly visit the BOSS center aren’t familiar at all with the program. That is something he wants to help fix when he becomes a BOSS representative.
“A lot of the younger Soldiers think it’s just a place to get on their computers, but they don’t actually know what BOSS does,” he said. “I’ve pulled every new Soldier aside who got to our company while we were on deployment and told them about the events we do.”
He is also informing Soldiers about the new on-post transit service, the Alpine Express, which begins operations Sept. 22. The free shuttle service generated enthusiasm during the BOSS conference, as transportation has long been a quality-of-life issue for single Soldiers without personal vehicles.
Dial, a self-described gamer, said he became active in BOSS to avoid secluding himself in the barracks.
“To make sure I’m still getting out and doing things, I go to the BOSS center,” he said. “I don’t want to be a hermit that stays inside all the time, so BOSS gives me a reason not to do that. And it keeps me connected with the community.”
One of the challenges attendees discussed during a SWOT analysis session involved unit leadership support. Soldiers said that they need commander’s approval to attend some BOSS events – to include the two-day conference – and this becomes contentious if it conflicts with unit activities.
Members of the Fort Drum BOSS Council said it is also difficult to increase Soldier attendance if unit leaders are not actively promoting the BOSS program. This is why having battalion and company BOSS representatives who can communicate effectively with their chain of command is vital to the program’s success.
“We received some really good feedback from the SWOT analysis, and it kind of opened up our eyes a bit to see how much leadership affects the program,” Cadet said. “It will take a while – everything takes time – but we need to bring more light to the BOSS program and show how we are here for the single Soldiers.”
The Army BOSS program is marketed as “the voice of the single Soldier,” and Cadet said that the BOSS Council takes that to heart.
“We don’t keep ideas to ourselves,” he said. “When we are at the BOSS center, everybody shares ideas for activities we can do, and we don’t bring anybody down for speaking up. I talk to the single Soldiers in my formation within my unit, and I ask what activities they are interested in.”
Joshua Silva, Fort Drum BOSS president, said the discussions and ideas formulated during the conference will set the agenda for the coming year.
“Basically, we’re setting the standard for this fiscal year that is ending and going into the next quarter with fresh ideas,” he said. “The purpose of this conference is to plan ahead and give people the time to identify the needs of the Soldiers in their units.”
The conference included guest speakers who addressed topics like food service, barrack renovations, suicide prevention and garrison support services. Silva said it was important for Soldiers to learn about these programs and meet the people behind them, as BOSS often works with garrison agencies and departments for event planning.
With the renewed focus on lethality and warfighting, Silva said the BOSS program remains as relevant as ever.
“The Army mission and the BOSS mission goes hand in hand,” he said. “The Army’s mission is to deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars. The BOSS mission is to enhance the morale and welfare of single Soldiers, increase retention, and sustain combat readiness. By providing these activities and events, it gives Soldiers a chance to recharge and step away from any of those stressors at work.”
Elizabeth Olson became the 10th Mountain Sustainment Brigade BOSS representative a few days before the conference. She previously served as a battalion representative here and at her last duty station in Germany. While overseas, she learned how BOSS could impact Soldiers’ quality of life.
“It is so much more expensive to travel home when you are overseas, so a lot of Soldiers didn’t, and the BOSS program meant a lot to them,” Olson said. “There was a lot of involvement, and we were always capping out attendance at events, so we never had anything canceled unless it was due to weather.”
Olson said getting Soldiers informed and involved in BOSS activities takes more effort here, which they can achieve by increasing the number of BOSS representatives and improving how they communicate BOSS events.
“We’re working to ensure that everybody knows what’s happening with BOSS, and I can’t wait for that to happen,” she said.
This was Olson’s first time attending a BOSS conference, in which she also helped with planning and facilitating duties.
“I really like the interaction everybody is having with one another,” she said. “I was worried about that at first, that it was going to be quiet and no one would want to talk. Then I saw how people were open to learning new things, asking questions and sharing ideas. It’s been amazing.”
To learn more about Fort Drum BOSS, visit https://drum.armymwr.com/boss or www.facebook.com/bossfortdrum.