Fort Carson "Soldier can saunter to the post at 8 am"

New Winter Hours Start for Fort Carson Soldiers 
The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo.
by Tom Roeder
Jan 06, 2015

There also are considerations beyond military necessity. Most Fort Carson soldiers have been to war at least once since 2001 and many of them have headed to combat zones overseas several times. The war years took a toll on military families. The new hours are a step toward healing. Borrelli said the schedule will allow soldiers to spend more time with their children, including that compressed time before they head off to school.

An early December Tuesday was like any other winter morning at Fort Carson.

Thousands of soldiers shuffled into the pre-dawn darkness, shivering in their gray-and-black sweatsuits. Light calisthenics came at 6:30 a.m. before a frigid jaunt down McGrath Avenue.

Platoons of troops resembled locomotives rolling down the street, emitting the steam of respiration against the 23-degree air. But the old Army slogan, "We do more before 9 a.m. than most people do all day," won't apply after Jan. 5.

For the balance of the winter, Fort Carson is going on banker's hours. "It's a cultural change," said Sgt. Maj. Michael Borrelli, one of the leaders who came up with the new schedule. Soldiers can saunter to the post at 8 a.m. and will practice their craft until 3:30 p.m., when they'll do afternoon physical training. What happens next is nearly unmilitary.
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9 months in Afghanistan
Soldiers with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), march through the mountains at Fort Carson, Colo., on March 31 during pre-deployment training. The Department of Defense announced Friday that the brigade will be shipping out to Afghanistan for a nine-month deployment this winter.