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DEL.ICIO.USMovie theater a popular hangout for soldiers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Curtis Compton/AJC
Sfc. Melvin Reese, 38, Thomson, Ga., enjoys a bowl of Baskin Robbins ice cream as he enters the Sustainer Theatre for the opening of the movie Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector.
Balad, Iraq — Sgt. 1st Class Melvin Reese sat on a red vinyl and chrome couch and dug into his pecan ice cream. He was waiting on his friend to show up for the premiere of “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector. ”
In the halls of the Sustainer Theater, people milled about before the show. Some stopped at the concession stands — ice-cream, soft drinks, candy, cookies and even Subway sandwiches. The green marble tiles in the theater were spotless; big heavy red drapes flowed from the ceilings to the floor and crystal chandeliers dangled from the balcony level.
“This is nicer than the theater we have in Thomson,” said Reese, 38, comparing the 750-seat movie theater at Camp Anaconda to the small one in his hometown in Georgia.
Reese, who serves in the 1st Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Brigade based at Fort Sill, Okla., said the theater is a popular hangout for soldiers.
“I’d probably be going to talk to someone in mental health if I sat in my trailer all day,” Reese said. “This kind of helps keeps spirits up.”
The movie theater at Anaconda is well known among soldiers in Iraq. It’s the only one on an American base that has the look and feel of a theater back home. It even has a real marquee outside.
Inside, it’s hard to tell you’re on a military base in the war zone.
Manager Angel Santana, who runs the facility for AAFES, said all the movies are free. There are four shows on Fridays and three on other days. Recently, soldiers packed the halls to see “King Kong.”
“Larry the Cable Guy” opened here the same day it opened in theaters in the United States. Usually, it takes a few weeks for movies to make it to the war zone, but it beats watching pirated DVDs on a small computer screen.
“Life can drag on here,” Reese said. “This definitely helps the time go by.”
Comments
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By Thank you American Military
March 26, 2006 03:19 PM | Link to this
It is nice to read that our soldiers DO have something over there. If, Lord forbid, they stay there as long as the president indicates AAFEES will have these facilities at ALL the posts, camps, stations that house even one US Military person. Thanks, Moni, for an article that shows this.
Thank you, all of the troops but, of course, being a Georgian, thanks 48th Warriors. All or you and the rest of our military are our heros. God bless you and keep you safe.
Soon, soon you will be on Georgia red dirt and I will be glad you are home.
By Angel Santana
March 28, 2006 05:40 AM | Link to this
Yes this is the Theater Manager of LSA Anaconda Sustainer Theater, and i was wondering what you folks did with the pic, taken of my self and if i would be able to get a copy of the pic?
Thank you Angel Santana
By Stacy L.
March 28, 2006 09:49 PM | Link to this
I enjoy reading posts like this…war is Hell, but it’s also cathartic to hear about the good things!
By dale
March 31, 2006 05:52 PM | Link to this
What a joke, I have been here for a year and seen nothing like this. I have been at three camps, the most I have had was a half stocked px in a small tent. One place we made our own px and the other place we had nothing. I am with the 48th and have been for a long time. Lets tell some stories of what most do not have. We are all not so lucky to be on the larger camps. We still burn our ** here.