Haunted house raises spirits for troops in Afghanistan

Photo By Capt. Michael Greenberger | A "caged maniac" awaits his chance to terrify visitors in a home-made house of horrors set-up by Soldiers celebrating Halloween, Oct. 31.  

AFGHANISTAN

11.03.2009

Story by Capt. Michael Greenberger 

Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO

AFGHANISTAN - Troops on the second largest military base in Afghanistan pulled together Halloween night to transform a dining facility into a haunted house to help raise service member's spirits.

About 20 Soldiers helped make the haunted house to make it something people on the base wouldn't soon forget.

"We've been planning [the haunted house] for about a month and really pulled it together in the last five or six days," said Army Pfc. Jennifer Snedeker, food service specialist, Headquarters and Support Company, 563rd Aviation Support Battalion. "I think it worked out way better than people thought it was going to."

More than 600 people passed through the doors of the haunted house, which was open from 10:00 p.m. to midnight. Among the attractions was a bloody corpse being dissected by a twisted clown, a chainsaw wielding maniac, a pitch-black maze, and a smoky graveyard. Outside, a long line of people chatted about the blood-curdling screams heard inside and the reactions of those coming through the exit.

"They had very good props," said Air Force Senior Airman Shalina Burgan, security officer, 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, from Road River, Ore. "They also had very good make-up and costumes, which made it really, really scary."

A small group of dedicated soldiers began planning the house of horrors, which took hours to set-up, in mid-September.

While the group responsible for putting on the show did a great job doing so, they were fortunate enough to have a ringer arrive in the nick of time to help out. Army Spc. Robert Brummel, a CH-47 Chinook helicopter mechanic with Delta Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, from St. Louis, Mo., worked in a haunted house back home for eight seasons.

"I did about 18 make-up jobs tonight," said Brummel. "I saw an email for the haunted house a few days ago and decided to come down and help in any way I could because I believe this raises morale by 100 percent."

Morale activities are important to troops on the ground because they can provide the opportunity for them to blow off steam, remind them of home, or just give them the chance to relax and have a good time.

"This [haunted house] makes me feel closer to home because Halloween is one of our favorite holidays," said Air Force Senior Airman Darko Desancic, security escort, 455th ESFS, from Independence, Ky. "It's nice to have something out here to remind us of home."

With operations occurring non-stop in Afghanistan, many service members feel that morale-building activities are important to daily life overseas.

"I think this helped out morale because we have so few things to do out here and so little free time it helps you stay positive and stay grounded when you're out here," said Air Force Senior Airman Casey Brunner, security officer, 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, from South Bend, Ind. "You can forget about what's going on at home and helps you loosen up a little bit."

"This is the first time I have ever done anything like this," said Army Sgt. Sali Blackwell, food service specialist, HSC, 563rd ASB, a Nashville, Tenn., native, "So I will remember this forever."

• Date Taken: 11.03.2009
• Date Posted: 11.03.2009 07:10
• Story ID: 40999
• Location: AF