By Spc. Andrea Merritt
1st Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office
CAMP TAJI, Iraq — Almost a year ago, two chaplains from different units had a dream to turn a little abandoned building on Taji into a haven for Soldiers as well as others who stay on the base.
The haven came in the form of a coffee house called the Mud House. After months of hard work from volunteers to build and keep the facility running, the dream was realized.
The Mud House was founded by Capt. Brandon Moore, the battalion chaplain for the 407th BSB, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, and Capt. Troy Morken, chaplain for the Brigade Troops Battalion, 15th Sustainment Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, in June 2007.
"I've had a blast creating and watching it grow from the ground up. I'm looking forward to getting home, but this was definitely a highlight of my deployment, being able to run this place and watch Soldiers have fun," said Moore.
Before the coffee house officially opened, the little white building was hardly noticeable. It was nothing more than a shack that blended in with the drab scenery surrounding it.
Soldiers from all different units volunteered their time and worked to renovate the building. They painted it, built a deck on one side of the Mud House as well as a roof-top deck with stairs leading to it.
Churches in the states donated supplies to the Mud House. They sent different flavors of coffee, a coffee machine, cups, and cigars.
Soldiers towed a truck from a junkyard to put in front of the Mud House and welded a stage onto it so that people with musical talent would have a place to perform on open mic night.
Staff Sgt. Sam Negus, a Gainesville, Texas, native and mortuary affairs sergeant with the 407th BSB, 2nd BCT, 82nd Airborne Division, was first to ever perform at the Mud House.
"When I first performed there was no stage, only a seat in the dark," Negus recalled. "I only knew one song and the chaplain said, 'Play it again. More people will start showing up,' and they did."
Attendance at the coffee shop grew from about 15 people on open mic nights to about 100.
"The music has been a big thing that's drawn people. It's a way to forget you're in Iraq for a little while," Moore said.
The 15th SB redeployed to Fort Hood, Texas, in October 2007 and the 407th BSB will be returning to Fort Bragg, N.C., later this month.
Since Moore will be returning home, he has chosen Capt. Larry Vanhook, a Temple, Texas, native and the chaplain of the Special Troops Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, to continue the dream. Moore handed the keys to the Mud House over to Vanhook on March 1.
"Basically, we want to preserve and enhance the vision of Chaplain Moore and Chaplain Morken, and that is to provide Soldiers a place of community, connection and coffee," said Vanhook.
"More than that is to provide a place where we as chaplains can have visibility and access to Soldiers that we wouldn't otherwise have ... because we want to be an influence, and we want to be a good influence for Soldiers," Vanhook continued.
The Mud House has been a place where not only Soldiers, but civilians, third-country nationals, local nationals and members of other coalition forces often stop by to enjoy a cup of coffee, music or a game of cards.
"That's what makes this unique out of any other place on Taji. Everyone can come," said Moore, who ran a coffee shop back in Fort Bragg before he deployed.
It has simply been a place where different types off people on Taji could relax and enjoy each others company.
"The thing I will take away from here most of all is fellowship," said Negus. "Through this deployment, it's been really hard; especially dealing with my fallen comrades and being away from loved ones. Coming together as a whole with all the Soldiers, it was a lot easier to get by with the deployment."
"It's been hard times, but when you have somebody beside you to cheer you up, it helps," Negus added.