Photo By Senior Chief Petty Officer Ryan Wilber | Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Marks (left), utilitiesman, from Beaumont, Texas,...... read more read more
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - On Saturday, Feb. 13, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 presented a singing competition to the battalion's Main Body fashioned after the popular American television program "American Idol," and it was a resounding success.
The morale, welfare and recreation event came just after the six month mark of the battalion's Afghanistan deployment supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. According to NMCB 74's Executive Officer Lt. Cmdr. Tom Lyons, the competition was planned to offer the battalion some entertainment and relaxing camaraderie after six months of daily hard work.
"It has been a long and arduous deployment. We work long hours out here day in and day out and there isn't a lot of down time where you can just sit back, laugh, forget where you are at and have a good time. Although there was a lot of work and coordination involved with setting up the event, all the pieces fell perfectly into place. The audition skits were hilarious, the judges played the part perfectly, and the contestants' talent was memorable," said Lyons.
Nine contestants participated in the competition. Most sang to a supplied track or used the MWR karaoke machine, while a multi-talented few sang original songs and played their own instruments. Not every contestant was a serious competitor however. A few were out solely for comedic relief. A video presentation of parody auditions, which elicited much laughter from the audience, was shown before the competition began.
Vote ballots from the audience were collected and counted directly after the last performance, and Construction Mechanic Constructionman Steven Lewis from Boise, Idaho, was named the winner. His prize was one full day off work.
"It was a good experience. If someone asked me to do it again even without a prize, I'd be like 'yeah.' The reward of playing in front of people was good enough. Afterwards it felt good enough that I was satisfied, and even if I didn't get the day off then forget it. It was still fun to play," said Lewis. "It kind of turned into a bigger experience. It was cool. I liked it. It was awesome, and it cheered me up a little bit seeing everybody getting into it."
Victorious or not, fun was had by participants and spectators alike. Many Seabees said that "Afghanistan Idol" was the best MWR event they had ever witnessed.
"I can honestly say that in my entire naval career for the past four years, this is the most fun MWR event I've ever been a part of or even witnessed. This was the best, definitely," said Utilitiesman 3rd Class Josh Ledestich, "Afghanistan Idol" participant. "It came at a perfect time. After the extension everyone was feeling a little down. I just think it was great timing on the command's part, it was a great idea on the command's part, and I think everyone responded really well to it. I know I did."
"I thought it was a lot of fun and put together really well. I had a good time. It was one of the best MWR events I've been to. It was fun and what the command needed," said Utilitiesman Constructionman Apprentice Jackie Bartz.
"It raised [the morale] a lot. A lot of people were laughing and had a good time there," said Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Anthony Szymanski.
The event was coordinated by NMCB 74's MWR Officer Chief Culinary Specialist Billy Hill, who worked with numerous people over a month's time to get the stage set and the participants lined up, while Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Lindsey ran the competition's audio visuals. A pre-show barbecue provided by the Supply Department, cooked and served by battalion volunteers, offered the Seabees a chance to socialize comfortably before the competition began.
"Food is always an attention grabber. Especially with the extension, anything that brings the troops together for relaxation and prelude to a nice event; it works. People love food. People love to eat, and they could be relaxed in their PT gear," said Construction Electrician 2nd Class Kelton Mortis.
A fun and entertaining evening was had by all in attendance of the event. Spirits were raised through laughter and camaraderie, while members of the battalion got a chance to showcase their various talents and even when a couple prizes.
Based upon its success, it is very probable that NMCB 74 will host a similar event in the future, and Lyons plans to recommend events similar to "Afghanistan Idol" to other deployed Naval Construction Force battalions.
"I would definitely do it again, and I'm actually planning to discuss this event with my fellow executive officers in the other Seabee battalions. It is hard to measure the impact that an event like this has on the battalion, but from my perspective, it is exactly what the battalion needed at this point in deployment. And in five or 10 years when the Seabees think about their tour in Afghanistan, along with all the great construction they accomplished this deployment, I believe they will also remember Afghanistan Idol and the fun we had last Saturday night," said Lyons.
| Date Taken: | 02.13.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2010 18:33 |
| Story ID: | 45652 |
| Location: | CAMP KRUTKE, AF |
| Web Views: | 592 |
| Downloads: | 495 |
This work, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 Presents Afghanistan Idol, by SCPO Ryan Wilber, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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