CAMP ARIFJAN, KUWAIT- Back home in Alabama, Auburn University fans sadly celebrated a time-honored tradition for the last time Saturday when they rolled the oaks at Toomer’s Corner.
It was also a sad time in Kuwait for the Auburn fans stationed here with the Alabama Army National Guard’s 135th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, stationed in Birmingham.
“I was feeling homesick,” said Lt. Col. Steven Shepherd, of Homewood, Ala. “All of my friends and family were talking about going to Toomer’s Corner on Facebook. I wanted to be there.”
Shepherd and Maj. Erick Murphy, Auburn University class of 1999, started talking about how they were sorry to miss the event and joked about celebrating it here.
“The original idea was to roll a 3-star general’s MRAP,” laughed Murphy. “But that didn’t happen.”
Tiger fans have a tradition of using rolls of toilet paper to decorate the oaks at Toomer’s Corner in downtown Auburn after a victory or any other fitting occasion. The oaks are dying and will be cut down on Tuesday.
“Once I had the idea, we were going to find a place to do it,” said Shepherd.
The creative Auburn minds found a prominent place to start their own tradition. They chose to roll a T-55 tank, a relic of Saddam Hussein’s forces during the first Gulf War, which sits by a major intersection on Camp Arifjan.
“I put out the word to a couple of friends to show up and bring the TP,” said Shepherd.
Twenty-five Soldiers showed up with plenty of toilet paper.
“War Eagle!” they cried as the toilet paper arced over the tank.
After a few pictures were taken, the Auburn fans cleaned up the paper and went back to work.
The only unanswered question was, “Where do Auburn fans get so much toilet paper in the middle of a desert?”
“I would like to apologize to anyone who attempted to use the port-o-johns in the vicinity,” answered Shepherd. “War Eagle!”