The familiar refrain of “There’s nothing to do around here after work” will hopefully be a thing of the past with the opening of a new center for rest and relaxation.

The local United Service Organizations (USO) office and the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) coordinator for 34th Red Bull Infantry Division are teaming up to create an oasis in the middle of the Basrah desert for servicemembers and civilians to escape the pressure of operations.

Sarah McConnell, USO director here, said the center, housed in a former dining hall, already has undergone a “soft opening,” meaning there are some services already available.

“We have 13 Internet stations set up already, along with 18 phone lines for people to call home,” McConnell said. “Both services are free of charge to anyone who uses them.

“We wanted to get something started for the troops here right away,” she continued. “We’re not fully functional yet, but we got the computers and phones set up so we could at least offer some services.”

The USO center is designed from the same template as a similar facility that opened recently at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, according to Army Col. Ronald Albrecht, deputy chief of staff for the 34th Infantry Division.

The USO will share the space with MWR, Albrecht said.

The fitness center is under construction now and has a target opening of July 1, said Army Sgt. 1st Class Deborah Allen, MWR and event coordinator for the 34th Infantry Division.

In addition to cardiovascular machines already in place, the fitness center will feature Nautilus equipment, free weights and ample space for aerobic training and various self-defense classes, including Modern Army Combatives, she added.

“We will be putting padding on the floors and walls in one of the large rooms for combatives training,” Allen said. “We will still have a large amount of space on the other side of the room for additional fitness machines.”

Albrecht said the fitness center will be an important part of the division’s emphasis on physical fitness.

“We wanted to create a clean environment for Soldiers to work out,” Albrecht said. “We’ll have all new machines in place for them to train.”

Though the USO and MWR areas will be separated by a wall, extensive cooperation between the two has marked a positive beginning for the cohabitants.

“Cooperation with [the USO] has been splendid,” Allen said. “I really look forward to working with them in this building.”

McConnell added that she is appreciative of the help she has received from the military in making the USO presence a possibility here.

“I am very grateful to the military leadership here for the generous space allotted to the USO,” she said. “Thanks to them, their Soldiers will have a place to escape when they are able.”

Soldiers who are interested in volunteering with the USO may sign up at the center, McConnell said.

“The USO thrives on volunteers,” she said. “They are the backbone of everything we do.”

MNF-I
By Army Sgt. Frank Vaughn
Multi-National Division – South

As part of the events and communications team here, I am called upon to be part of base Morale, Welfare and Recreation events. Sometimes these missions are a chore, sometimes they are exciting, but they are always a learning experience.

The road crews (or roadies) are the technicians who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert except for actually performing the music with the musician. Sgt. Nollette recounts his experience as a roadie during a performance of the rock band Quietdrive at Q-West Feb. 23.

I have escorted Indy racecar drivers to the PX (post exchange), watched over Comedy Central comedians as they slept, set up garbage cans and fire extinguishers at a flea market, and provided warming beverages at an early morning fun run. None of these prepared me for my latest mission as a roadie for the rock band “Quietdrive.”

Quietdrive is a pop rock and punk band based out of Minneapolis, Minn. They have been together since 2002 and have toured in the U.S., Europe, Japan and now Iraq. They have had their music in the “American Top 40,” and their song “Time After Time,” a cover of a Cyndi Lauper song, is featured on the soundtrack of the 2006 feature film, “John Tucker Must Die.”

My night as a roadie started with picking the band up at the airport. They came with 900 pounds of drums, guitars, speakers and other equipment.

I and four other Soldiers, Sgt. 1st Class Shawna Snodgrass, Morale, Welfare and Recreation non-commissioned officer in charge, Staff Sgt. Martin Chen, helpdesk non-commissioned officer in charge, Department of Public Works, Sgt. Christian Gabriel, projects non-commissioned officer in charge, DPW, and Spc. Phillip Stosser, cable technician, were assigned to move their equipment from the airport to the MWR indoor theater where they would be performing.

The entire band and everyone else involved pitched in and helped load equipment. In very short order the gear was stowed safely on the truck and the band members were on the VIP bus. When we arrived at the theater, again everyone pitched in to help unload the equipment.

Then the real activity started. Speaker covers were pulled off and then the speakers were mounted on their stands. Microphone stands were telescoped into position at various points around the stage.

“Do you think I can get a rug for my drums?” asked the drummer, Brandon Lanier.

At the time I was wondering why he needed a rug. As the flurry of activity continued, I went in search of a rug. The staff at the MWR quickly found a rug and it was brought to the stage. Brandon directed where it should be placed. I finally had to ask what the rug was for. He told me that it keeps the drums from scooting across the floor and out of reach as he plays. Like I said, you learn something new with every mission.

Another learning point was the hundreds of feet of cable that a band needs for all their

equipment. The cable was housed in several large black duffle bags. We opened the bags and Robert Conner, the band’s sound engineer, directed us in stringing cables from every microphone, drum — there were five just for the drums! — guitar, speaker, mixer, and power outlet.

They had obviously done this before, because each cord had a place and a path to follow and the band walked amongst these trip hazards as if they were not there.

After all the equipment was set up, our job as roadies was done until after the concert. They started their sound check and for about 20 minutes we were serenaded by guitar riffs, drum solos, and the words “check, check, one, two, check,” sung in a variety of notes.

At one point, Droo Hastings, Quietdrive’s bass guitarist, was trying to fix some “tinny” sound he was hearing when he played. I, of course, couldn’t hear anything tinny. The sound crew must have been able to hear it, because in short order they had a smiling Droo bumping his way through the rest of his sound checks. And then the music began.

They played well. Some songs I recognized and others were new to me. I enjoyed it all. As I looked around the theater, I could see heads bobbing and knees pumping in time to the music.

Quietdrive played for just under an hour. Once they were done, they signed pictures and greeted Soldiers. We call this part the “meet and greet.”

After everyone left, we assisted the band in tearing down the equipment. This time all the cables needed to be coiled and stowed into the duffle bags, guitars nestled into their cases and microphones put back into their boxes.

Everyone again lent a hand and all the chores were done quickly. We drove the band and their equipment back to the airport. We only had to wait about 20 minutes before the helicopters showed up. Loading the equipment onto the helicopters was done in the same manner as everything else to this point, as a team effort. Then at 10 p.m. we waved goodbye to the band members of Quietdrive and my night as a rock band roadie came to an end.

The total time the band was here at Q-West was 3.5 hours, but the memory of meeting a rock band and being part of their roadie crew will last a lifetime.

DVIDS
By Sgt. Paul Nollette
181st Brigade Support Battalion