| KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 17, 2006 — Year-long deployments can often seem a lot longer than a year, especially for paratroopers in the 173rd Airborne brigade who have been deployed two out of the last three years to Iraq, and now Afghanistan. The mental and physical hardship of the tour forces soldiers to find ways to cope, and for some soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 173rd Airborne Brigade, they cope by following one of their main passions -- sports.
“When we first got here in April 2005, we figured it would be a good idea to start painting in all of the different schools that either we went to or supported or were just huge fans of.”
U.S. Army Capt. Adam Cubbage |
In April 2005, some company soldiers decided to draw a map of the U.S. on the wall of their command post orderly room and paint in some of their favorite college sports teams. “When we first got here in April 2005, we figured it would be a good idea to start painting in all of the different schools that either we went to or supported or were just huge fans of,” said U.S. Army Capt. Adam Cubbage, a Penn State fan and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 173rd Airborne Brigade commander. “After we started it grew until we decided to get all 50 states,” said Cubbage, of Philadelphia, Pa. “The better part of 40 weeks was put into this. About the last three weeks we gave it a good concerted effort, right before the [bowl championship series] bowl week,” said Cubbage. But can something this simple really be a morale booster? Cubbage thinks so. “You know, you would be surprised, at first it was just for us in the shop, but as more people started coming in, they would point to one and say, ‘Oh, I went there,' or, 'I know someone that went there.’ People got excited about it,” said Cubbage. U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Laferrel Evans, of Mobile, Ala. and an Auburn Tigers fan, agrees. “The best part about it was getting away,” said Evans, 173rd Airborne Brigade S1 noncommissioned officer in charge. “You’re here doing this for a year, you come here to just get away, to get your mind off of things and talk with buddies and have fun.” “It’s one of those key things,” said Cubbage, “Give a man something to do to take his mind off of things.” “It was more than getting some paint markers and getting up there. It was researching schools, arguing, and arm wrestling over which school to put up,” said Cubbage, “Some states we put up three or four, others just got one, and some got four or five in it. So it was a battle royal over what school got put in what state.” |
