Operation recreation: Army Morale, welfare and recreation professionals go where the troops are

Parks & Recreation, May, 2003 by Douglas Ide

Editor's note: The U.S. military has long recognized the crucial role that recreation plays in the quality of life of service members and their families. In a time when some policymakers say that public recreation is an unaffordable luxury, it's important for NRPA members to remind themselves and others that people in some of the most dangerous places in the world know otherwise. Although the following article mostly details military recreation in Afghanistan, U.S. soldiers currently in the Middle East can be sure that they'll soon enjoy similar service.

When U.S. Army soldiers began deploying to Southwest Asia for Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001, Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) professionals were close behind.

The Army sends these recreation specialists to forward areas to organize sports competitions, fun runs, card tournaments and other recreation programs; coordinate touring entertainment, shows and celebrity visits; and operate a recreation center using equipment in the recreation kits and other resources at hand.

Five civilian MWR professionals are currently stationed in Southwest Asia. These "emergency essential civilians" deploy for 179 days, generally working 12-hour days, seven days a week, says Kathleen Cole, MWR contingency operations program analyst at the U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center (CFSC) in Alexandria, Va. She notes that it's important to send MWR specialists along with the recreation equipment and supplies.

"Their expertise on the ground ensures that soldiers get a well-rounded, balanced recreation program, including sports and fitness, recreation, holiday programming and entertainment," says Cole.

Army leaders have long known that providing recreation to deployed soldiers supports commanders' missions by sustaining morale and fostering unit cohesion, says Marcy Stennes, director of community recreation at CFSC. "Recreation is for rest, relaxation and regeneration," she says. "Recreational activities divert soldiers' attention from boredom, homesickness and anxiety, and help soldiers manage stress."

There are other benefits, of course. Some activities, such as sports and fitness, keep soldiers physically fit. Entertainment, such as movies and live shows, allows soldiers to relax, and provides a mental escape and an emotional release.

Military Gear

Service-level and small unit-level recreation modules and kits are an important part of this support. The service-level modules include sports and fitness equipment, board games, playing cards, TV/VCR, CD/cassette player, folding chairs, magazine and book racks, and a ping-pong table with paddles and balls.

Small unit-level kits contain shorter baseball bats, softballs, exercise bands, a football, a volleyball, a pump, cards, board games, drawing sketch pad/colored pencils, game rule books, flag football supplies and Frisbees. Individual units are responsible for bringing these kits with them and for MWR programming in the early stages of deployment.

"We looked at the things soldiers use every day and what's been popular at installations, and then looked for things that would be portable," says Stennes, in explaining how the kits' contents were chosen. "We wanted to offer deployed soldiers some of the same opportunities that they'd have at their home stations."

As of late March, 34 service-level kits had been issued to units deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. CFSC recreation staff also put together 97 small-unit recreation kits for units that couldn't deploy with the kits themselves. Seventy-one of these kits have been sent to overseas deployed units, while another 12 are in pre-positioned storage locations.

CFSC library staff ensures that deployed soldiers have plenty to read--a favorite pastime during down time. As of late March, the staff had sent 113 book kits monthly to 11 locations in the U.S. Army Central Command area of operations. This number increases as additional units deploy. Each book kit contains 25 books, 80 percent of which are fiction.

Additional Ground Support

CFSC staff have provided support to deployed units and their soldiers in other ways:

* An MWR technical assistance team helped the Coalition Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC) implement an "in-theater" pass program for Operation Enduring Freedom soldiers. The program allows soldiers some rest and recreation in a safe location away from their normal duties, but still within the theater of operations. Internet access is available at all theater pass sites. The team also toured all Army sites and provided guidance to CFLCC staff on future MWR support requirements. (CFLCC is the Army component of U.S. Central Command, a combined-services military command in charge of operations in Southwest and Central Asia.)

* MWR contractors provide the following support in leased facilities at Camp Doha, Kuwait: Camp Doha Gym, video checkout and theater, Uncle Frosty's, the self-help store and the Marble Palace. Facilities at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait include a gymnasium with a full line of aerobic and weight equipment, a recreation tent with ping-pong, big-screen TV with a DVD player, paperback books, numerous games, sports equipment and a popcorn machine. A computer cafe with 20 computers and printers is available.