USO2GO now available to Kirkuk service members

Photo By Staff Sgt. Tabitha Kuykendall | Master Sgt. Thomas Siegel, 506th Air Expeditionary Group first sergeant, and Army Sgt. Mike Lucas, 72nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, play a video game at the passenger terminal Dec. 27. The United Service Organizations USO2GO program was put in place at the passenger terminal as a morale booster for personnel coming through the area of responsibility.  

KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, IRAQ

12.27.2009

Story by Senior Airman Mindy Bloem 

506th Air Expeditionary Group

KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq -- Thanks to a couple of first sergeants partnering with the United Service Organizations, personnel coming through the Kirkuk Regional Air Base Passenger Terminal now have access to some pleasantries to ease their traveling woes.

The USO program USO2GO, created for troops who are deployed to a war zone environment, went into effect after a ribbon cutting ceremony here Dec. 27.

Since the USO can't build facilities everywhere the military is, the USO2GO program provides certain comfort items to established theater locations in order to enhance morale for deployed servicemembers.

KRAB's new USO2GO is the only one in Northern Iraq's area of operations.

Army 1st Sgt. James Quentin, 72nd Signal Battalion, lauded the USO for its input and impact on the lives of those who will be traveling through Kirkuk in the future.

"Something like this is so important because when you're in this type of environment while deployed, it's the little things that make it better," he said. "And as you're traveling and you get somewhere and you have to stop for any amount of time - two, three hours, sometimes a day - not having anything there to support you and not having the support you usually have on your FOB [Forward Operating Base], it can be really hard. So having this here - being able to have access to things to shower with, having food and entertainment--this is love."

Quentin, who has been a first sergeant for the past three and a half years, came up with the idea to contact the USO after talking with his command sergeant major about the facilities here. He then went through the steps of filling out the paperwork, interviewing and finding a prime location on the FOB. The passenger terminal here was deemed the best place to set up the new USO.

"It's not about us or what we have here now," he said before the ribbon cutting ceremony. "It's about those coming behind us. It's about taking care of Soldiers and Airmen. That's what first sergeants do."

Tech. Sgt. Agustin Jaramillo, 506th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, deployed from Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind., made good use of some of the available items while waiting for his return trip after his six-month deployment here.

"It helps a lot considering you can't really leave the pax terminal," he said. "You have something that is easily accessible, which makes a difference during your time waiting for three to four hours at a time. All of the sudden, you can get a craving for something but you can't leave or there's nothing available close to you, so it's great to have something available that you can get to quickly."

Service members waiting for their flights now have a host of activities and comforts to enjoy, including three new plasma televisions with gaming systems attached to each, 15 new games for the systems, more than 100 new DVDs and three portable DVD players for viewing the movies, audio books, various food and toiletry items for convenience.

Quentin estimates the value of the items and equipment to be at least $10,000. The quality of life in here just went through the roof, he said.

• Date Taken: 12.27.2009
• Date Posted: 01.10.2010 09:28
• Story ID: 43627
• Location: KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, IQ