Deployment to Kuwait, Mandatory MWR Trips

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 19:30:40 -0500

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</font><p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><font color="#000000" size="3">I'm on the fence on this topic. The BDE CO has put out that
every member that is deployed to Kuwait must attend an off post MWR trip to
Kuwait City. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get that its supposed to
boost morale, but to me personally, I didn’t deploy to Kuwait to go see their
malls or aquarium. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I deployed to do a
mission, when I complete my mission I will go home to my family. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we were authorized mid-tour leave then by
all means I would take advantage of that to be with my family. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not sure if past deployments affect my reasoning
on this topic of MWR trips, but we are here to do a job, not stroll around the
country where we are deployed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll
stroll around when I get home to my family and try to get back into everyday
life. </font></font></p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">

</font><p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the question being presented is,
should MWR trips be mandatory to attend (all money spent out of the Soldiers pocket)
or should the MWR Trips<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>be optional to
Soldiers if they wanted to go? Also since this is Mandatory, should the money come
out of the BDE funds to pay for their tickets, meals etc…?</font></font></font></p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">

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Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 5 at 2014 12:08 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:08:29 -0500

Eh, not sure if it should be mandatory, however, at least you do have the option to get out and see something you otherwise wouldn't.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 5 at 2014 12:13 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:13:07 -0500

I actually got off post with a contractor and the night life is pretty awesome... No alcohol but lots of shopping. Watch out for the little kids beggin for money. They will probably take you to the towers too and there are pictures of what happened to them during the iraq invasion. Get out and expirence the culture. Take pictures and send them to me. I lost my camera after my deployment in 2006.

Response by CW3 Ian Mains made Mar 5 at 2014 12:43 AM

CW3 Ian Mains — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:43:54 -0500

I'm sure you could probably fight it and not go if you wanted to play the right card. I don't have the reg in front of me, but it just doesn't sound right. However, I would recommend you go anyway as you will likely get cabin fever being on base all the time, seeing the same things and people day in and out. But I think you are right, if it is truly mandatory the unit should probably be footing the bill.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 5 at 2014 12:52 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:52:02 -0500

I like that the CO has the morale and welfare of his/her Soldiers in mind. I see nothing wrong with mandating some down-time so Soldiers don't get overworked. Now, as far as making you purchase tour tickets with your own personal money, I don't agree with that. Encouraging it is one thing, but leaders cannot tell you how to spend your money. They can go as far as saying your place of duty is at the MWR, provide transportation off-post, etc, but not actually make you buy anything.

That being said, how much is it? If the cost is minimal, it might be worth checking out. Is the only reason you are against going because you are deployed and mission focused?

Response by 1SG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 5 at 2014 1:02 AM

1SG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 01:02:19 -0500

I don't agree with COs mandating a soldier to spend cash on such things. However, if you don't go, you're probably going to miss out on something fun and regret it. As my Grandma would say, don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 5 at 2014 3:23 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 03:23:21 -0500

The military funds your plane ticket home for mid tour leave and that's it; you fund the rest i.e. meals, chargeable leave, entertainment, etc.  This MWR trip is funding transportation and giving you free time off.  They are basically the same.  You mentioned that you wouldn't complain if this was your "mandatory" mid tour leave and you had to spend your money on your own personal MWR.  However, I get the feeling from your posting that since this is someone else's version you don't really want to spend your own personal funds.<div><br></div><div>It comes down to attitude.  You can go on the MWR trip and do nothing, spend nothing and see nothing.  Or, you can go into the city and enjoy some time away from the FOB.  When I went (2003) the exchange rate was about 1 KD to 3 USD, horrible exchange rate, but went anyway.  I spent about $200 and enjoyed my time with three other Soldiers.</div><div><br></div><div>As someone else here mentioned "We are Ambassadors of the US."  See this as an opportunity to get out and meet folks and see things you wouldn't otherwise meet and see.  I remember meeting a young boy, about 10, named Salim.  The conversation went something like this:</div><div>S: Where are you from?</div><div>Me: Texas.</div><div>S: Texas, I know Texas.  "Who shot JR?"</div><div>Me: Thinking to myself, Wow, this kid knows the old TV show Dallas.</div><div>S: Do you speak Arabic?</div><div>Me: No, I only English and Spanish.</div><div>S: I speak Arabic, English and Spanish.</div><div>Me: You speak Spanish? Really? I don't believe it.</div><div>-- At this point we have a conversation in Spanish.  Turns out this kid's dad was a Mexican engineer who came over in the 80's to develop the oil production programs and married a Kuwaiti woman.  Never in a million years would I have thought I would be speaking Spanish to a 10 year old in Kuwait.</div>

Response by SSG Shawn M. made Mar 5 at 2014 5:05 AM

SSG Shawn M. — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 05:05:19 -0500

SSG Sheck, I'm here on Camp Arifjan as well, I'm assuming you are here. I think it all depends on your unit. When we had our in-brief COL Eubanks put out that everyone would go off post but our unit doesn't really seem to be enforcing it. My unit has been here 3 months and i have still yet to go on a "mandatory" off-post trip. That's not saying I wouldn't like to go. I'm dying to go this sat and get some Texas Roadhouse lol.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 16 at 2014 8:14 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 16 Mar 2014 08:14:49 -0400

To answer your question, NO. MWR trips should not be mandatory. If a commander wants to do a mandatory trip, that is more like a staff ride and should be funded by the unit. You cannot force a Soldier to expend funds, but if there is no cost involved, then you could require attendance.

Having answered the question, I believe everyone should take a trip off post at least once to experience the culture another country has to offer. You can take your own lunch to help defray costs, but be adventuresome and try the local cuisine.

You only get one life, make the most of it! Live with no regrets and try to stay positive about the experience.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 18 at 2014 10:38 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 22:38:09 -0400

Kuwait City is pretty cool to see. Being that you pay out of pocket, I don't think it should be mandatory. I got the chance to go out in town quite a bit. I enjoyed it. TGIFriday's is good. Maki Japanese Resturant at Marina Waves is awesome. Best Japanese food I have ever eaten.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 24 at 2015 11:45 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 24 May 2015 11:45:37 -0400

They shouldn't be mandatory, but if you have the chance I recommend them. Kuwait City is pretty cool to see. As soon as you put the word mandatory on it, the fun is gone.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 26 at 2015 4:37 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 26 May 2015 16:37:42 -0400

Very interesting topic. I can't believe that they're making it manditory. I just left a year ago and there where plently of folks that never left the compound. I see your point for sure. MWR could surely fund trips as it can be very pricey!

Response by CH (MAJ) William Beaver made May 26 at 2015 4:36 PM

CH (MAJ) William Beaver — Tue, 26 May 2015 16:36:07 -0400

Mandatory fun? On whose dime?

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 2 at 2015 4:31 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 16:31:00 -0400

Talk to your 1SG about the rule for the MWR trip. If the answer is not favorable go on the trip. Know when to choose your battles, and this is not one of them.

Response by SGT Hector Rojas, AIGA, SHA made Jun 16 at 2015 12:26 AM

SGT Hector Rojas, AIGA, SHA — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 00:26:51 -0400

That's another Army oxymoron...Mandatory Fun.

Response by PO3 Kevin Doucette made Jul 15 at 2015 7:34 PM

PO3 Kevin Doucette — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 19:34:37 -0400

What the hell, it gets you off the camp for a few hours. It's too bad they won't turn the troops loose in the Souq for a couple of hours. You're right though, Kuwait is pretty much an overflowing toilet of a country. I spent five years in SWA and I have to say the kuwaitis are NOT my favorite Arabs. The Emiratis, on the other hand.....

Response by SFC William Swartz Jr made Aug 10 at 2015 9:56 AM

SFC William Swartz Jr — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 09:56:07 -0400

In my opinion the MWR trips in Kuwait, and most others offered elsewhere, should be optional as the costs for attending almost always come out of the servicemembers' pockets. While they are a nice thing to break up the monotony of being deployed to Kuwait, they should never be made mandatory.

Response by SSG Ronald Colwell made Jan 31 at 2016 12:08 PM

SSG Ronald Colwell — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 12:08:08 -0500

Heck, seize the chance, when I was there in Jan 98, there was no camp Arifan, just stuck out in the desert in a kubal, modern Kuwait was awesome, and we also went down to the city area where the females were completely covered minus the eyes. We were told not to stare or look. Not sure what Arifan has to offer, we had camp Doha, which some were able to go,

Response by SFC Tom Michael made Aug 8 at 2018 11:22 AM

SFC Tom Michael — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 11:22:18 -0400

Always take any tour offered. Get off base and recharge your mind. Monotonous duty is a morale killer.
Even though Kuwait isn’t the best place to visit, you can still get a falafel or some other good treat.

Off topic, but I loved the MWR trips in other countries such as Italy, Spain and Turkey. All the wine tasting tours are wonderful, if you can ever get on one of those.

Response by SFC Kenneth Hunnell made Apr 23 at 2019 8:20 PM

SFC Kenneth Hunnell — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 20:20:39 -0400

You do not have to go on any MWR trip. But, in the event you wanted to go on any trip in Kuwait, you had to take a class on Kuwait. The transportation to Kuwait city is provided by the MWR. The rest the individual paid for

Response by SFC Kenneth Hunnell made Apr 23 at 2019 8:32 PM

SFC Kenneth Hunnell — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 20:32:21 -0400

It is very expensive in Kuwait, the exchange rate is $3 for each KD. I went to the mall in Kuwait city. For example a shirt that would cost $20 in the states would cost 20 KD

Response by Maj Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 23 at 2019 11:54 PM

Maj Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 23:54:57 -0400

For Christ’s sake, take in a good meal and pick up a few really unique souvenirs. Learn to exist in a totally different culture. Finally, be a good Ambassador for America. Some of the best meals I ever had were in the Mid East. Hit the Gold Souk, nothing like it in America.