V CORPS ENGINEERS MAKE A PLACE TO KICK BACK IN IRAQ
V Corps News Release
May 16, 2003
By Spc. Julie M. Nicolov 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
BAGHDAD, IRAQ -- There's nothing like kicking back with a cold one and a few friends after a hard day's work, but in a desert combat zone, cold ones and down time are few and far between.
For the "Vipers" of V Corps' B Company, 94th Engineer Battalion, the "'First To Strike' Compound" here offers the next best thing.
Built from a maintenance tent and scrap lumber, the FTS Compound is a club-like atmosphere where the Vilseck, Germany-based engineers can cut loose after a hard day at the war, performing skits, improvising song lyrics, and just generally having a good time.
The Compound comes complete with a stage that features off-stage entrances, a curtain, and the "Viper board" -- a wooden plaque at stage left bearing the Viper emblem. At stage right is the bar, where bartenders fix customers up with ice-cold water and sodas.
B Company 1st Sgt. S. Tony Atkins came up with the idea of a weekly "variety show," harkening back to his days as a drill sergeant.
"At the end of each (basic training) cycle, we had all the privates put on skits, pretending to be drill sergeants," Atkins said. "There were always privates who could really perform; make voices and such. I figured I'd try it here."
During the workday, the Vipers are helping Iraqis here rebuild their community by fixing electrical and water sources, clearing garbage dumps from residential areas and providing general repair to the city.
But on Saturday nights, work is forgotten, and the Vipers head for the FTS to turn it loose. They gather in the Compound after dark and settle into the homemade wooden benches lined up in front of the lighted stage. When all the seats are taken, they huddle around the open door and the lifted canvas wall of the tent. And they travel to another place, if only for a little while.
"People have been waiting all week for this," says Capt. Bret Martin, commander of B Company, 94th Engineer Battalion.
The Vipers erupt in applause as "King V," as the first sergeant is sometimes called, takes the stage to welcome his troops.
"Here are the ground rules: have a good time, rub the Viper board before you start, and there's no booing unless I start the booing first," Atkins announces, laughing.
The "king" then turns the microphone over to master of ceremonies Sgt. Anthony Tyler, a carpenter in the company's second platoon.
One by one, Tyler introduces the acts. One soldier reads poetry. Others rap. Three Vipers compete in a beat-box competition. A stylish few stage a fashion show, mixing and matching pieces of military-issue equipment in hilarious combinations. The Vipers have creative freedom in their performances - and they show it -- but all the acts are cleared by the first sergeant, so no one is offended.
For the hard-working engineers, it's all too soon that the bartenders give their last call, the stage lights go down, and the curtain closes. The Vipers stumble out into the hot desert night, reluctantly crossing that thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning as they head for their tents.
When the sun comes up on the Vipers again, the heavy equipment will roll and the rip of saws and the fall of hammers will bring their mission here thudding back to the forefront of their minds. But they'll work with their spirits a little brighter, their morale a little higher, for having had their night on the town.
As they settle down for the night, Martin says it again: "These guys have been looking forward to this all week, and I'm sure they'll be looking forward all week for the next one."
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