Posted on 10/21/2003 2:40:01 AM PDT by LaDivaLoca
#150 for you, Tom! Lurking, are we?
A soldier leaps into the Freedom Rest pool during grand opening celebrations Oct. 19. The R&R site allows solders to take an in-country break from their day-to-day duties. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christopher Stanis
'Freedom Rest' R&R Site Opens for Business
By U.S. Army Sgt. Christopher Stanis / 1st Armored Division
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 19, 2003 — The ribbon was cut for the grand opening of Task Force 1st Armored Division’s Freedom Rest recreational center during a ceremony Oct. 17 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Thousands of soldiers have spent the last six months or more in Iraq and many have at least as long to go.
Many are at the point of receiving two weeks of leave to go home, stateside or Germany. Others are getting the opportunity to go for a week of rest and relaxation in Qatar.
While there are options for R&R, not every soldier in Task Force 1st Armored Division will have an opportunity to take advantage of these options.
That was the motive behind Freedom Rest, a project passed down to the division from Coalition Joint Task Force-7.
“It’s our commanding general’s desire that everybody have the opportunity to do something,” said Lt. Col. Dennis Slagter, 1st Armored Division personnel officer. “And we know that we can’t get all of our soldiers on R&R leave, or all of our soldiers to Qatar, so this recreation center bridges that gap.”
The former Republican Guard Officers’ Club offers soldiers three days and two nights to get away from the action with facilities that include a fitness center, swimming pool, game room; Internet café, TV and movie room, indoor and outdoor movie theaters, outdoor basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts and a flag football and soccer field.
Additionally, Slagter said commercial-grade linens and wall lockers were purchased to give soldiers as close to a real hotel experience as possible in the bunk bedded six-to-eight-person rooms.
“I think it’s a great place,” said Pfc. Lydia Flores, a supply specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment. “It’s a lot nicer than we expected it to be.”
Six-year-old Lizzie Drash, middle, and her 4-year-old twin sisters, Vicky and Allie, wait at Camp Upshur for their 'Uncle Stu:' Lance Cpl. Stuart Drash. Photo by: Sgt. Jason Anderson
Marines return to loved ones after seven-month deployment
Submitted by: MCB Quantico
Story Identification Number: 20031017162556
Story by Sgt. Jason Anderson
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.(Oct. 16, 2003) -- More than 300 family members and friends gathered at Camp Upshur here Oct. 4 to greet the 123 Delta Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Marines who returned from their deployment in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Loved ones spent hours anticipating the return of the five buses that held the Marines they had not seen in almost seven months.
"We've been excited all day and for several days before today," said Layne Drash, who waited excitedly for the return of his son. "It has been a long wait."
After the buses pulled up, the Marines piled out to greet their families, some of them immediately started running as their families called out to them.
"It feels great to be home," said Lance Cpl. Stuart Drash, who has been deployed for the last seven months. "It has been a long time and, I am just so happy."
"I am a former Marine, myself, and I came back from Vietnam in 1965," said Layne Drash. "I can sort of identify what he is going through."
"It's a thrill to have a son that served as he did," he added.
"This is wonderful," said Rosina Burke, mother of Lance Cpl. Ryan Burke who returned with 4th LAR Bn. "We are very proud of him and we have been through a lot."
Naaaayyy! Alpena Magic balks at the possibility of being mounted by Manute Bol, ex-NBA center and current tallest jockey (7-foot-7) ever licensed by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission. Easy fella, Bol's racing career was just a publicity stunt to raise money for refugees of his native Sudan. Had he actually ridden any races, his feet would have dragged.
Beelzebaby: Pleased to meet you, 11-month-old Kylier Koons of Alliance, Ohio. But what's puzzling us is the nature of your game.
Ever hear of 'catch and release,' kid? A floppy catfish whispers something to Diontre Robinson at the Kidfish contest in Killeen, Texas.
Senior Airman Matt Read (left) plays Nintendo Play Station soccer with15-year-old Ahmed (right) and his brother Kaffar during a visit to French Village, Iraq. Ahmed beat Read, 7-0. Read readily agreed to a rematch the next time the medics come to the village. The airman is a medical technician with the 447th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Keith Reed
U.S. Air Force Capt. (Dr.) Jeff Skinner examines a patient on the street outside the new clinic at French Village, Iraq. Skinner and others plan to care for local Iraqis in the not-for-profit clinic three to four days per week. He is deployed from the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Va. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Keith Reed
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