Camp Eggers section gathers for 'SPOoktacular' Halloween team building

Photo By Capt. Monika Comeaux | The Deputy Command of Support Operations, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan conducted a "Halloween SPOoktacular" team-building event Oct. 28 at Camp Eggers. One of the events teams received points for was pumpkin carving. Each team got to pick up their pumpkins 24 hours before the event, and they carved away into the night, using all the artistic skills, teaspoons and Swiss Army knives they can find amongst themselves.  

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

10.28.2012

Story by Capt. Monika Comeaux 

13th Armored Corps Sustainment Command (13th ESC)

KABUL, Afghanistan – Members of the Deputy Command of Support Operations working at Camp Eggers, many of them deployed from Fort Hood’s 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, came together for a Halloween "SPOoktacular" Oct. 28.

This month’s team building competition focused on Halloween-themed events likes pumpkin carving, a two-minute toilet paper mummy making contests and a "Horror Movie Jeopardy."

The six teams organized from the various staff sections received their pumpkins 24 hours before the actual judging of their masterpieces. Each section had the opportunity to present two pumpkins that were judged based on overall appearance, originality, technical difficulty of executing the design and popular vote. The "Ciphers," an impromptu band made up of some musically talented members of DCOM-SPO and two volunteer British soldiers provided entertainment between events.

"I think this event was a brilliant success. Everybody seemed very happy to share these good times. The decoration was really amazing," said French army Maj. Guillaume Allaire, DCOM-SPO Future Operations (J5) policy officer.

"When you are deployed for a long time, you need to create some opportunities to enforce the way the members of the unit stick together, both in combatant units and support units," continued Allaire.

We are all in Afghanistan to conduct the same mission, he said.

“A team-building event like (this) affords all of us to strengthen our cohesion; helps us carry out our mission with a better spirit,” Allaire said.

The event was fun and memorable, said U.S. Army Master Sgt. Lenita F. Cornett, the operational contract support non-commissioned officer in charge, who is one of the 13th ESC Soldiers deployed from Fort Hood. She was also one of the vocalists in the band. She thinks events like this bring everyone together to socialize, allow people to take a break and also provide them the opportunity to meet new people.

Allaire said his unit back home in France also has team-building events, usually including a sporting event, some sort of a ceremony and a good French dinner where they sing a lot of military songs. Some of these team building events are centered on significant military or historic dates.

“For example, as a paratrooper, I celebrate the St. Michael's Day (Sept.29) because he's our protector. And as former cadet of Military Academy of Saint-Cyr, I celebrate the victory of Austerlitz (Dec.2) because it's the first battle during which Saint Cyr's cadets were fallen,” said Allaire.

Allaire also said that Halloween itself is not widely celebrated in France. The experience was somewhat new to him. He was amazed by the pumpkins the teams carved.

“I truly enjoyed the tremendous performance of the ‘well-known’ ‘Ciphers.’ But I also think that many guys of DCOM SPO have hidden talents; some of the carved pumpkins deserve to be exhibited in the Louvre or the Smithsonian museums, among other works of art,” Allaire said.

Cornett, would like to see the teams express themselves in other forms of art. As far as future team building events, Cornett would like to see a “Dancing with the Stars” dance off. If she could go back and change some things around, she said she would make the participants wear costumes and maybe have a costume contest.

• Date Taken: 10.28.2012
• Date Posted: 11.01.2012 00:20
• Story ID: 97098
• Location: KABUL, AF