Military

DATE=4/4/03

TYPE=English Feature

NUMBER=7-37341

TITLE=U.S. ARMY COMMUNITY AND FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER-Q&A

BYLINE=ROBIN RUPLI

TELEPHONE=401-7430

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

EDITOR=vicki swaney

CONTENT=

INTRO: "Soldiers are entitled to the same quality of life as is afforded the society they are pledged to defend." That is the philosophy of the U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center in Alexandria, Virginia, a civilian organization that provides entertainment, sports and recreational activities to American troops in a deployed situation. More than a million troops and their families are currently serving in approximately 120 Army posts around the world, including peace-keeping missions, such as in Bosnia and Kosovo. Robin Rupli spoke with U.S. Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) program manager Kathleen Cole, who talked about the gratification she gets from helping soldiers get a feeling of "home away from home" under the most adverse circumstances.

TAPE: RUPLI/COLE INTERVIEW (7:07)

KC: "We send over a variety of equipment and supplies for soldiers. We've got three different items that we send on a regular basis. They are large service level, M-W-R kits that means morale, welfare and recreation everything from basketball hoops to ping-pong tables, to TV and VCR, to folding chairs which are hard to come by when you're out in the desert. It's sports and fitness and recreation equipment for a large group of soldiers. We also have a small unit kit for units of 100 soldiers or less, and it carries baseball bats, board games, cards, that sort of thing for small units. Also, fitness is a big part of this. We have a light-weight stretchy bands for folks to do muscular type work jump ropes so they can do cardiovascular exercise as well. We also send paperback book kits this has been going on for years and it's very popular. (OPT) Twenty-five paperback books, everything from classics to current best sellers, they're sent out on a monthly basis. And these are sent around the world. (END OPT) Right now we're sending close to 200 kits a month into the Operation Enduring Freedom area in the Middle East.

RR: HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON? DID WORLD WAR TWO SOLDIERS HAVE SUCH A SERVICE?

KC: "In WWII, they had 'donut dollies,' I think they were called. But it was still a special services type organization. In Vietnam, yes, the Army had support from civilians, but they still had military personnel who were trained to do this as well. What happened after Vietnam, though, they got rid of the military specialty for sports and fitness so there was no military person to do it. So civilians had to take up that role. And especially in Desert Storm, the first Gulf war, we sent over about 150 civilians during the whole duration of that war to support troops. Right now we've sent over 150, close to 200 into the Balkans. We've been there for almost eight years now and I was deployed down there for 2 ½ years altogether. Great experience, most satisfying experience I've ever had in my life. People really thank you for what you bring to them in that environment."

RR: I READ AN INTERVIEW YOU DID AND ONE THING THAT STRUCK ME WAS THE NEED FOR YOU TO ALWAYS BE POSITIVE, ALWAYS HAVE A BRAVE FACE WHEN OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING A PRETTY TOUGH TIME.

KC: "It was a unique experience. I was on the first team that went into the Balkans in January of 1996. And we didn't have any facilities, we were sleeping in tents just like soldiers, eating M-R-E's meals ready to eat it was the same environment, but we were M-W-R. So we were the ones bringing in the equipment and supplies, setting it up and once we got it going, we were the ones providing the morale, recreation and fitness support for these folks. And so living just like they were and seeing the same things outside the gate, the destruction and a war-torn environment, it does get to your morale. But we were the ones that had to keep the morale up for them. So, yes, I talked about walking around and looking like the (Bosnian village) Tuzla village idiot because I always had a smile on my face, no matter what was going on with me personally, it didn't matter. The morale and the well-being of the soldiers was what we were there to provide. And all of our folks were like that. It was easy to do because people really thanked you on a regular basis, they appreciated the touch of America that we brought to them in that environment. We were also not just providing them recreation and sports and fitness, we were their friends, we were somebody they could talk to that wasn't in their chain of command. And if they had issues, it made you feel needed and wanted and it was the most satisfying work I've ever done."

RR: WAS IT LIFE-THREATENING AT ANY TIME?

KC: "Well, we did have a couple of times. I escorted a couple of magicians and other performers around the Balkans because we would have groups come in, other entertainers and we did have an incident landing in a field in a helicopter. And there was a mine right on the edge of the field that we had walked past and luckily we didn't step on. But mines are a big, big issue in the Balkans and just about every place we go to support, mines are a problem. So that was the biggest thing. You just never stepped off paved roads. As far as anybody shooting at us in the Balkans, that wasn't an issue, it was just a very dangerous environment.

RR: WHAT ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST, TODAY. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR SPECIALISTS ENCOUNTERING?

KC: "We've got six specialists deployed currently. Two in Afghanistan, one in Uzbekistan, one in Djibouti and two in Kuwait. Again, it's a dangerous environment, mines are a problem, Afghanistan is fairly settled but there is still issues of snipers and mortar attacks on the bases. They are sent over there with all the equipment that a soldier has. They have a helmet and flak vest, gas masks and all the gear that any soldier would have. They also go through training before they're deployed. So they know how to use it, they know the commands in case there's a gas attack or anything else going on. So they are trained just like the soldiers. But again, we are definitely non-combatants.

RR: HAS THERE BEEN ANYTHING UNIQUE ABOUT THE CURRENT SITUATION AS FAR AS THE SPECIALISTS GOING OVER THERE OR THE REACTION FROM THE SOLDIERS?

KC: The reaction is the same with any deployment. They appreciate us being there and that's the main thing. This one was a little different. It took about nine months before they were ready for us to put our specialists in there because they really wanted the environment to be as safe as possible, so not many civilians were allowed into Afghanistan for a while. I've been working with Central Command and with the Army component of Central Command in Kuwait for about 2 years now, since just after 9/1l. and letting them wait for the time to be right for us to go in. And that's a balancing act. We want to go in and offer our support as soon as possible but we're also well aware that there is a certain time when they're ready to have it. The same thing is going on now with Operation Iraqi Freedom. We're working with the Army command with future plans, but until the environment is safe, until they're ready, we don't try to push anything on them, until they're ready to support it."

RR: KATHLEEN COLE THANK YOU SO MUCH.

KC: My pleasure, thank you.

RR: I'VE BEEN SPEAKING WITH KATHLEEN COLE, M-W-R DEPLOYMENT SPECIALIST WITH THE U.S. ARMY.