POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA — Service members now have an area to sit down, call their families and play video games when not training following Friday’s opening of the United Service Organizations’ new rest area.
POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA — Service members now have an area to sit down, call their families and play video games when not training following Friday’s opening of the United Service Organizations’ new rest area.
“This is important to us that you have a place to relax and take care of yourselves,” said Paul Pisano, director of operations for the USO’s Pacific section, speaking to the assembled service members and volunteers.
The wind blowing between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa was strong enough to knock over the podium and drown out speakers, so the event moved indoors. After a ceremony by pastor James “Kimo” Hoopia, the maile lei was removed and the guests moved inside.
The USO rest area is the first of its kind on the Big Island, joining two others on Oahu. The organization has been around for 75 years providing support, entertainment and other services to military members and their families.
The room has numerous armchairs, tables, computers and televisions. In many ways, it looked and felt like a well-stocked living room with a kitchen. There’s also necessities for being in the military training area, such as eye drops and lip balm.
The differences were also apparent — a sign for brown bag counseling for combat vets, photographs of training events and a small memorial to Marine Christopher L. Camero, a Kailua-Kona man killed in 2011 in Afghanistan.
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Campbell said that in his experience, including five combat tours, the USO was a critical part of his time. It was a place to call home, take a nap in a recliner and get shaving equipment, he said.
He worked to bring a USO facility to his previous base at Eustace, Virginia, which made a major difference.
“When they’re not out there on the range, there’s not much to do. They sit in the Quonset huts and stare at each other,” Campbell said the previous command sergeant major had warned him.
Capt. Alan Villanueve said the facility would be a great improvement for his soldiers. Before the USO opened, the only place they had to go out of their barracks was the basketball court and the on-base store.
The rest area’s WiFi and computers offer more ways to connect with family and friends back home, keeping their relationships strong.
The online communications is an important alternate for service members whose cellphones have poor reception PTA, said Specialist Ernie Perez. It also allows him to talk with his wife over video.
Pfc. Robert Valadez and Perez were wearing their physical training outfits, sitting in the recliners and eating the meal provided by the USO.
The two said it was a nice space to get away from the normal arrangement of military life, and while it is possible to have a good time in the barracks with other soldiers, that can wear thin over time.
“It beats sitting on an MRE box,” Valadez said.
Info: www.volunteers.uso.org.