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Pfc. Shaun Kirby of the 502nd Engineers competes in the Best Guitar competition before the panel of judges, led by Brig. Gen. Gregory E. Couch (far left), at the Escape to Paradise - Hawaiian Luau Oct. 28. Kirby finished second in the competition. (photo by Spc. Thomas Keeler)
LSA ANACONDA, Iraq - Hosting the ‘Escape to Paradise - Hawaiian Luau Party' at the east side outdoor pool Oct. 28, the United Services Organization (USO) has effectively announced its arrival here.
Although the USO is currently operating centers in Kuwait and Afghanistan and has previously helped arrange and sponsor entertainment in Iraq, the USO center here will be the first in the Iraqi theater since the start of the war.
"Hopefully by the first or second week of December we'll have our center up and going," said Angela Durko, who will direct the new USO center when it opens.
Durko, along with Linda Robinson, are the only two USO staffers currently on the ground here. The two of them are working around the clock to build awareness and stage events while construction teams complete work on the center.
"We have a mobile office right now: it's the car," said Durko.
But the Hawaiian luau was a success. For several hours, servicemembers and civilians spent a relaxing Sunday afternoon by the pool, enjoying soft drinks and listening to music. The signature event of the luau was a "best guitar" competition, which included a dozen or so participants and went on for more than an hour.
The five-judge panel was led by Brig. Gen. Gregory E. Couch, commanding general, 316th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). The best guitar winner was Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ronnson Norris, garrison chaplain assistant from the Provider Chapel.
The USO has put on other events here, most notably the 5K run on Halloween morning. Nearly 500 runners showed up, some in costume, and Amazon gifts cards and magazine subscriptions were awarded to the top finishers. And in the trick-or-treat spirit, Durko and Robinson distributed Halloween candy at two dining facilities that evening.
Robinson has also brought the USO's United Through Reading program here, which she operates Friday afternoons from the hospital.
"We doing events right now to get the USO name out there," said Durko. "And once the center is up and going, we'll have center activities as well as the sponsoring events."
The center will have televisions, refreshments and computers, including a game room where guests can compete against each other.
"We'll have a head-to-head Xbox competition so that people can come in and play each other, and we're hoping to have a game room for a Wii system too," said Durko, adding that the interactivity of the Wii will require a little bit more room than normal. Game systems and electronics are scheduled to arrive over the next few weeks.
When the center opens, one or two more workers will arrive to help keep it running.
The USO Center is scheduled to be located in Building 4131, near the east side MWR. Durko and Robinson are working with the MWR to coordinate an activity over Thanksgiving.
The USO, founded in 1941, is a private, non-profit organization whose stated mission is to extend "a touch of home" to military members serving stateside and around the world, providing MWR-type services to servicemembers and their families.
"It was cool to be here and to escape everything," said Durko after the Escape to Paradise - Hawaiian Luau. "Once you're in there, you forget what goes on out here for a little while. Everyone was telling us that."
Tech. Sgt Norris on Best Guitar
"I was under the impression that this was the last day the pool was open, so we just went over there to hang out, get some food.
"And then they said there was a guitar contest, and I said, ‘oh, that's cool', and Padre was telling me, ‘go get your guitar, go get your guitar'."
Norris left and came back, and while waiting his turn in the audience, he said he kept hearing calls for Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughn, so he figured he'd go "straight for the heart" once he got on stage.
"I started it out with two classical compositions... I wanted to show my skills and show that I was more than just a rock ‘n' roller. And then I went ahead and said, ‘just rock the place,' and basically I just did riffs from Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix - the three big ones - and then I broke into "The Star-Spangled Banner," Jimmy Hendrix style, and threw in a little bit of Eddie Van Halen flash with it. The big thing was stage presence - playing to the crowd."
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
Angela Durko (left) and Linda Robinson of the soon-to-be opened USO here. (photo by Sgt. Jasmine Chopra)
Tech. Sgt. Ronnson Norris, a chaplain's assistant from Amarillo, Texas, the day after winning the Best Guitar competition at the USO's Escape to Paradise - Hawaiian Luau Oct. 28. (photo by Spc. Thomas Keeler)
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Rusty Raygor
24 Jun 2008, 18:37
Hi, I was so glad to read about the USO opening in Iraq. Being a widow of a
Marine/Navy makes me so happy. USO was in many places for my husband when
he was away from home. I live in the area of Nellis Air Force Base in NV. I
live with my daughter and son-in-law. We have a military mission at our
church. We send boxes to soldiers we have addresses for. They are sons,
daughters, fathers,uncles, mothers, and we have also sent to friends of
family. Our church pays for the boxes, and the they also buy things to fill
the boxes. The just the past week we send 19 boxes, ans also get well, and
thank you cards were sent to hospitals that we had adresses for. Please
keep up the work that the USO does. We pray for all of you and the people
you help. THANK YOU Rusty.
