Camp Samek's New Theater

Brig. Gen. Thomas Deale, 451st Air Expeditionary Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Vallely, 451st Air Expeditionary Wing command chief, accompany (from left) Staff Sgt. Bryan Bleish, Airman 1st Class Andrea Falkenburg and Senior Airman Marcus Carpenter, 777th Expeditionary Prime BEEF Squadron structures flight members, cut the ribbon to signify the opening of the new theater inside Camp Samek's Recreation Center at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan Aug. 13, 2011. Bleish, Falkenburg and Carpenter, who are all assigned to Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., worked together to build the new theater. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Corey Hook)

Camp Samek's New Theater

(From front left) Airman 1st Class Andrea Falkenburg, 777th Expeditionary Prime BEEF Squadron structures journeyman, Master Sgt. Brian Feldhouse, 451st Expeditionary Force Support Flight manpower analyst and acting services superintendent, Staff Sgt. Bryan Bleish, 777th Expeditionary Prime BEEF Squadron structures craftsman, and Senior Master Sgt. Robert Castor, 451st Expeditionary Force Support Flight services superintendent, play "Rock Band" in the new theater inside Camp Samek's Recreation Center at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Aug. 13, 2011. The recreation center hosts many events including dinner and a movie every Saturday night. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Corey Hook)

EFSF opens new theater at Camp Samek

Published Aug. 15, 2011
By Senior Airman David Carbajal
451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Several senior leaders from the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing opened the newly established multi-purpose theater at Camp Samek's recreation center Aug. 13.

With the help of the 777th Expeditionary Prime BEEF Squadron, the 451st Expeditionary Force Support Flight planned and built the 18-seat theater to give Airmen more recreational options, said Master Sgt. Brian Feldhouse, the flight's manpower analyst and acting services superintendent.

The theater is equipped with surround sound speakers and "theater-like" chairs in a stadium-seating configuration.

"Our hope is to give our Airmen a little taste of home - somewhere they can relax and watch movies," said Capt. Christina Kreps, 451st EFSF commander.

To maintain the theater's solitude, electronic equipment such as computers, cell phones, hand-held video game devices, will not be allowed in the theater. This rule was created to ensure Airmen can watch movies in a peaceful, uninterrupted environment, said Feldhouse, who is deployed from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. and a native of Warren, Ohio.

The theater isn't only for movies - it is also equipped with a video-game system for Airmen to use during their off-duty time.

In the near future, the unit hopes to schedule tournaments for games like Halo, Rock Band or Call of Duty, said Kreps, who is deployed from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.

"The reason Force Support is here is to help Airmen take their minds off the mission for awhile, re-energize, and just have fun with their friends," said Kreps, who is a native Ashtabula, Ohio. "When morale is high, production is high and that's what we hope to accomplish."

This quality-of-life project is the first of many on the flight's horizon.

"We have several plans to provide more for our Airmen," said Kreps. "Everything from more fitness options to more sports venues."