Photo By Luke Allen | Pvt. William Babineau, of the 1/10th Mountain Division's Headquarters and Headquarters...... read more read more
By Pfc. Luke Allen
1st BCT PAO, 10th Mtn. Div.
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq - Combat stress is something most Soldiers encounter on a deployment and 10th Mountain Soldiers are no exception.
"Open Mic Night" gives Soldiers a chance to unwind each Thursday at the Scorpion Morale, Welfare and Recreation Center here.
"There's other things that we do to relax, like playing pool and video games, but this is definitely the most fun," said Pvt. William Babineau, Fires Support Element, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mtn. Division.
"We're just enjoying the music and festivities, having a good laugh and getting the stress off our shoulders," said Babineau, who performed Feb. 16.
Some of the songs available for the amateur singers to perform include John Mayer's "Your body is a wonderland;" "When I'm gone" by 3 Doors Down; and of course, no night would be complete without someone belting out Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American." There is no limit to the style of music on hand, with a selection ranging from rock, country, pop and rap to 80's new wave.
Although not everyone performing is a singer in the true sense of the word, the Soldiers seem to enjoy the live entertainment. "Everybody's watching you, so if you mess up, people are going to know, but you've got to go up there and have a good time (and) keep a smile on your face while doing it," said Babineau.
Damien Bland, events coordinator for the Scorpion MWR, said that karaoke night always has a good turnout. "Open Mic Night is the craziest event because of the Soldiers. They like to come up here and do all kinds of dances and get big groups singing and dancing on stage. We just leave it open for whatever they want. They seem to enjoy it, and I enjoy watching them," said Bland.
The MWR center provides other entertainment for Soldiers, including an Internet café, TV rooms, phone centers and movie nights. Events like karaoke night provide Soldiers an opportunity to "live out their dreams while in a combat zone," said Bland. Tournaments are also a big attraction at the center and include chess matches, card games, ping pong matches and billiards.
"This is just a small part of the freedom we're actually here to protect. You have to give up a lot to be here and serve our country back home, but the MWR facilities really present a way that Soldiers can get a small piece of that freedom back," said Pfc. Michael Parris, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. "You can kind of get away from the military a little, calm down and be yourself."
| Date Taken: | 02.23.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 02.23.2006 11:25 |
| Story ID: | 5477 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 167 |
| Downloads: | 26 |
This work, Soldiers sing stress away in Iraq, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
