Fostering relationships was the theme for the Orange on Tuesday when the team spent its first full day at Fort Drum, with Syracuse meeting new faces of the 2nd Brigade Combat team – the team's host this year – and looking forward to rekindling relationships with troops from previous visits.
Syracuse had its first interactions with members of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team during a morning workout and lunch prior to the team's first practice on post.
Col. David Doyle -- the unit's commander -- formally welcomed head coach Scott Shafer and the Orange to Fort Drum following practice.
"On behalf of Major General Townsend and the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum, it's my honor to welcome the Syracuse football team here to our installation as they prepare for their upcoming season," Doyle said. "We've had a long relationship with the Syracuse football team thanks to coach's efforts and the unit that previously handled this responsibility just came back from Afghanistan and we're very fortunate to have accepted this role on their behalf.
"Our unit is working in close conjunction with them as they prepare for their season that's coming up. Our soldiers are interacting with them, we've got some outstanding leader development opportunities ahead of us, where the coaching staff is going to speak with our leaders and I think at the end of the day this relationship will continue to strengthen and we'll see more opportunities for the soldiers, student-athletes and the Syracuse coaching staff to continue to work with the North Country community."
With a large portion of the week dedicated to the Orange developing relationships with the troops, Shafer expressed his excitement that some of the soldiers that the team had previously interacted with coming back to post.
"I just want to say thanks so much to the Colonel and to General Townsend for having us back. It's exciting to hear that the troops are coming back. I know we had a big deployment after we were here last year so it's great to hear that they're coming back and hopefully we can rekindle some of those relationships. I can't even begin to tell you how much we appreciate not only being here, but the comradery between the troops. This morning we had a great opportunity with some of your men and women and it was a great opportunity for us to mingle."
Shafer reiterated the importance of the Orange's trip to Fort Drum and the lessons that the student-athletes learn from their time on post.
"It's easy to feel sorry for yourself when you're in two-a-days, and I'd imagine the troops have those moments of weakness when they're in boot camp," Shafer said. "But for our guys to sit across from the troops and realize 'hey, he's 21, I'm 21. He's up in the mountains of Afghanistan so I can go out and play football."
The Orange will continue their preseason camp at Fort Drum on Wednesday, with another joint activity with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team in the morning.
