Freedom Rest R&R site opens for business
Story and photos by Sgt. Christopher Stanis, 1 AD Public Affairs 

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The ribbon was cut for the grand opening of Task Force 1st Armored Division’s Freedom Rest recreational center during a ceremony Oct. 17 in Baghdad, Iraq.

Capt. Daniel Lowther and Sgt. 1st. Class Steven McCormick, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1AD Logistics Section (G4), try out the Freedom Rest buffet during grand opening celebrations Oct. 19.

Thousands of Soldiers have spent the last six months or more in Iraq and many have at least as long to go.

Many are at the point of receiving two weeks of leave to go home, Stateside or Germany. Others are getting the opportunity to go for a week of rest and relaxation in Qatar.

While there are options for R&R, not every Soldier in TF 1AD will have an opportunity to take advantage of these options. 

That was the motive behind Freedom Rest, a project passed down to the division from Coalition Joint Task Force-7.

“It’s our commanding general’s desire that everybody have the opportunity to do something,” said Lt. Col. Dennis Slagter, 1AD G-1 (Personnel) officer. “And we know that we can’t get all of our Soldiers on R&R leave, or all of our Soldiers to Qatar, so this recreation center bridges that gap.”

The former Republican Guard Officers’ Club offers Soldiers three days and two nights to get away from the action with facilities that include a fitness center, swimming pool, game room; Internet café, TV and movie room, indoor and outdoor movie theaters, outdoor basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts and a flag football and soccer field.

Additionally, Slagter said commercial-grade linens and wall lockers were purchased to give Soldiers as close to a real hotel experience as possible in the bunk bedded six-to-eight-person rooms.

“I think it’s a great place,” said Pfc. Lydia Flores, a supply specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment. “It’s a lot nicer than we expected it to be.”

Flores was among the first group of Soldiers to check in to hotel.
She said as great as Freedom Rest is, a few more days off and a “Class Six” (alcoholic beverage) favorite would make it perfect.

A Soldier leaps into the Freedom Rest pool during grand opening celebrations Oct. 19. The R&R site allows Soldiers to take an in-country break from their day-to-day duties.

Because these Soldiers remain in country, their absence from their units does not count against the total force required to sustain operations - 90 percent strength, Slagter said. That means more Soldiers can be sent at a time.

The facility can currently house 90 Soldiers every three days, approximately 1,100 a month. But that’s just the beginning.

“We hope to grow that to about 150 per stay in the next 30 days,” Slagter said.
Slagter said the assets used to get Freedom Rest up and running is representative of the whole task force.

“We used Iraqi vendors, Iraqi construction workers, National Guard construction workers, U.S. Army Soldiers, and even contracted civilians to bring this facility and its programs together,” he said. “And we did it in record time - 45 days from start to finish.”