Fort Carson wins Secretary of War Community Drug Awareness Award
Anthony McCollin, prevention branch chief of Fort Carson ASAP, accepted the award on behalf of the installation from Anthony J. Tata, under secretary of war for personnel and readiness, during a ceremony at the Pentagon Oct. 15, 2026.
McCollin immediately thought about his team and the community when he found out about the award..
“I was very excited and could not wait to tell the team,” McCollin said. “The yearlong effort, hard work and dedication paid off. A great prevention program takes the entire community to forge. This is an award the entire community has achieved.”
Installation leadership shared that pride in the eight-member team.
“My initial reaction was immense pride and validation of their work,” said Dr. Kimberly Henry, Fort Carson director of human resources. “The team doesn't seek recognition, but they are dedicated daily to working with Soldiers, Family members, Department of Army civilians and retirees.”
Serving as a critical force multiplier, ASAP’s mission focuses on sustaining operational readiness. To achieve that, the team intentionally moved away from traditional, slide-heavy lectures in favor of conversational experiential learning.
“Respect for the units and their operational tempo drove the pivot to more creative and interactive campaigns,” McCollin explained. “Soldiers do not want to sit through another PowerPoint brief. We try to talk with Soldiers and generate conversation, explaining the impact of their choices. We also leveraged social media to reach audiences with short and entertaining videos. We asked ourselves, ‘Are we speaking the Soldiers’ language?’”
Henry echoed the necessity of that cultural shift from her own experience in uniform.
“I always talk about being innovative because I was a Soldier once, sitting in a classroom looking at a slideshow,” Henry said. “Yawn. Boring, right? I think it’s key to meet Soldiers where they are, both digitally and culturally.”
That philosophy guided several campaigns throughout the year. Beginning with Red Ribbon Week in December 2025, the team built a campaign called, “Life is a Puzzle, Solve it Drug Free.” They engaged nearly 5,000 visitors at the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s (DFMWR) seasonal holiday festival with educational puzzles, comic books and suicide prevention resources. Staff also partnered with Centennial Elementary School, leading reading sessions on drug prevention for 65 students.
Then, they created interactive experiences meant to resonate. In April 2026, the team promoted sober alternatives through interactive challenges such as a “Row Your Way to a Sober Lifestyle” 2K competition for Soldiers and an escape room challenge completed by Soldiers and DA civilians.
ASAP staged a DUI crash display at the entrance to the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) complex and produced two “Buzz Kill” videos about driving under the influence that garnered over 22,000 views on social media.
Additionally, they integrated year-round messaging by operating under the banner “Strength Starts with You, You Don’t Have to Face Life’s Challenges Alone,” alongside the unit’s “ASAPasaurus” mascot, seamlessly unifying substance deterrence with suicide prevention.
Throughout the year, ASAP specialists tracked data and seasonal trends to tailor 135 briefs to over 7,000 personnel, focusing on operational readiness and personal accountability.
“Any misuse of a substance degrades cognitive decision making and slows down reaction times,” Henry said. “These campaigns engage the Soldiers and drive real behavior change and responsibility.”
To stay ahead of risk, ASAP conducts unit risk inventories to help commanders identify emerging patterns and implement tailored prevention plans. McCollin urged personnel facing substance abuse issues to seek support early through Substance Use Disorder Clinical Care (SUDCC) for Soldiers or the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for Family members, civilians and retirees.
With the national award now in hand, McCollin and his team are already thinking of how to evolve the substance prevention program’s outreach.
“They’ve set a very high standard for themselves,” Henry said. “It’s going to take a little more innovation and thinking to win next year. And I think they're very capable and ready to do that.”
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