Whats next?
Army Base Opens Own Nightclub
Associated Press | February 15, 2007
FORT STEWART, Ga. - On weekends, Army Pfc. Keith Smith used to drive 45 miles to Savannah to find a nightclub with hip-hop music, single women and a bar open well past midnight.
The 24-year-old Soldier would often have too much fun to make it back to the barracks. "There's been times I went to Savannah and had to sleep in the car because I didn't want to get a DUI," the New Yorker said.
But now he can do his drinking, dancing and lookin' for love just blocks from his Fort Stewart billet, without even leaving the Army post.
Deciding too many Soldiers were dying behind the wheel after partying out of town, Fort Stewart commanders spent $300,000 turning a defunct sports bar on the Army post into Rocky's, a bar and nightclub that aims to mimic the after-hours party scene of Savannah's hippest spots.
Knowing booze and dance tunes wouldn't be enough, commanders also eased security restrictions at the post's front gate to encourage civilians - namely women, who get free admission between 10 p.m. and midnight Fridays and Saturdays - to party at Rocky's, which opened in November.
"We never want to glamorize alcohol, but we've got to be realistic about this," said Col. Todd Buchs, garrison commander. "If we know they're going to drink, let's provide a safe place for them to drink so we know they're going to be alive the next morning."
Traffic deaths among Soldiers have alarmed the Army since Soldiers began returning home from Iraq in the 2003-04 fiscal year, when the number of Soldiers killed in car crashes jumped 28 percent over the previous year. A total of 434 Army Soldiers have died in wrecks outside combat zones since October 2003.
Alcohol was a factor in the deaths of at least seven of the 13 Fort Stewart Soldiers killed on the roads in fiscal year 2006, Buchs said.
Fort Stewart has gone more than 140 days without a traffic death. Buchs said Rocky's has helped extend that streak.
"It's an innovative step in recognizing where their risk is," said Lt. Col. Laura Loftus, chief of the Army's Driving Task Force at Fort Rucker, Ala., which monitors Soldier traffic accidents.
From bowling alley beer taps to cocktails at the officers' club, the serving of alcohol on Army posts is nothing new. But with Rocky's, Fort Stewart is trying to stay on top of trends to draw in troops.
Commanders at Fort Stewart, home of the 19,000-Soldier 3rd Infantry Division, noticed troops had little nightlife nearby. Fort Stewart had one sports bar that shut down after the war began, and its bingo nights and Western-theme dance club, decorated with John Wayne posters, did not exactly appeal to troops raised on video games and hip-hop.
Neighboring Hinesville has a few bars and clubs, but they closed at midnight on weekends. The real party was in Savannah, often described as a mini-New Orleans for the promenade of bars and clubs open until 3 a.m. on its cobblestone riverfront.
At Rocky's lights above the dance floor flash to the beat of a sound system loud enough to vibrate the candlelit tabletops. The main bar area has 18 flat-screen TVs and 10 video-game kiosks that are networked so troops can play head-to-head in shootouts. There is also a mini-theater where troops can watch DVDs on a 120-inch screen with surround-sound speakers.
"I was thinking, it's a bar on post, it's got to be run-down or something. But when I got here, I was surprised," said Pvt. Rodney Webster, 21, of Dodge City, Kan., who is a repeat customer.
One of the greatest challenges Fort Stewart faced with Rocky's: Only 9 percent of Soldiers here are women.
"You've got to have the ladies," said Staff Sgt. Tim Brinson, 28, of Thomasville, Ga., an Army truck driver who moonlights as the club's DJ. "If the ladies don't come, there's no reason for the guys to come."
Post commanders realized this and decided to give Rocky's civilian customers, male or female, easier access through the gates. Instead of having to park their cars at the gate to register for a pass, civilians can request a special pass to Rocky's from a gate guard, show a driver's license and drive on through.
Fort Stewart has issued at least 1,000 Rocky's passes since the club opened.
"We had to weigh the force-protection risk vs. the risk to our Soldiers of drinking and driving," Buchs said. "Is it a risk we're willing to accept? Yes."
On a recent Friday night, women accounted for about 40 percent of the nightclub's customers.
Jessica Kunkle, 19, of neighboring Ludowici checked out Rocky's with her friend Veni Thelin, the wife of a Fort Stewart Soldier. (Rocky's allows patrons 18 and up, but only those 21 and older get a wristband allowing them to buy alcohol.)
"I'm looking to meet people and have a good time," Kunkle said. "I don't think it feels like you're on an Army post."
Associated Press | February 15, 2007
FORT STEWART, Ga. - On weekends, Army Pfc. Keith Smith used to drive 45 miles to Savannah to find a nightclub with hip-hop music, single women and a bar open well past midnight.
The 24-year-old Soldier would often have too much fun to make it back to the barracks. "There's been times I went to Savannah and had to sleep in the car because I didn't want to get a DUI," the New Yorker said.
But now he can do his drinking, dancing and lookin' for love just blocks from his Fort Stewart billet, without even leaving the Army post.
Deciding too many Soldiers were dying behind the wheel after partying out of town, Fort Stewart commanders spent $300,000 turning a defunct sports bar on the Army post into Rocky's, a bar and nightclub that aims to mimic the after-hours party scene of Savannah's hippest spots.
Knowing booze and dance tunes wouldn't be enough, commanders also eased security restrictions at the post's front gate to encourage civilians - namely women, who get free admission between 10 p.m. and midnight Fridays and Saturdays - to party at Rocky's, which opened in November.
"We never want to glamorize alcohol, but we've got to be realistic about this," said Col. Todd Buchs, garrison commander. "If we know they're going to drink, let's provide a safe place for them to drink so we know they're going to be alive the next morning."
Traffic deaths among Soldiers have alarmed the Army since Soldiers began returning home from Iraq in the 2003-04 fiscal year, when the number of Soldiers killed in car crashes jumped 28 percent over the previous year. A total of 434 Army Soldiers have died in wrecks outside combat zones since October 2003.
Alcohol was a factor in the deaths of at least seven of the 13 Fort Stewart Soldiers killed on the roads in fiscal year 2006, Buchs said.
Fort Stewart has gone more than 140 days without a traffic death. Buchs said Rocky's has helped extend that streak.
"It's an innovative step in recognizing where their risk is," said Lt. Col. Laura Loftus, chief of the Army's Driving Task Force at Fort Rucker, Ala., which monitors Soldier traffic accidents.
From bowling alley beer taps to cocktails at the officers' club, the serving of alcohol on Army posts is nothing new. But with Rocky's, Fort Stewart is trying to stay on top of trends to draw in troops.
Commanders at Fort Stewart, home of the 19,000-Soldier 3rd Infantry Division, noticed troops had little nightlife nearby. Fort Stewart had one sports bar that shut down after the war began, and its bingo nights and Western-theme dance club, decorated with John Wayne posters, did not exactly appeal to troops raised on video games and hip-hop.
Neighboring Hinesville has a few bars and clubs, but they closed at midnight on weekends. The real party was in Savannah, often described as a mini-New Orleans for the promenade of bars and clubs open until 3 a.m. on its cobblestone riverfront.
At Rocky's lights above the dance floor flash to the beat of a sound system loud enough to vibrate the candlelit tabletops. The main bar area has 18 flat-screen TVs and 10 video-game kiosks that are networked so troops can play head-to-head in shootouts. There is also a mini-theater where troops can watch DVDs on a 120-inch screen with surround-sound speakers.
"I was thinking, it's a bar on post, it's got to be run-down or something. But when I got here, I was surprised," said Pvt. Rodney Webster, 21, of Dodge City, Kan., who is a repeat customer.
One of the greatest challenges Fort Stewart faced with Rocky's: Only 9 percent of Soldiers here are women.
"You've got to have the ladies," said Staff Sgt. Tim Brinson, 28, of Thomasville, Ga., an Army truck driver who moonlights as the club's DJ. "If the ladies don't come, there's no reason for the guys to come."
Post commanders realized this and decided to give Rocky's civilian customers, male or female, easier access through the gates. Instead of having to park their cars at the gate to register for a pass, civilians can request a special pass to Rocky's from a gate guard, show a driver's license and drive on through.
Fort Stewart has issued at least 1,000 Rocky's passes since the club opened.
"We had to weigh the force-protection risk vs. the risk to our Soldiers of drinking and driving," Buchs said. "Is it a risk we're willing to accept? Yes."
On a recent Friday night, women accounted for about 40 percent of the nightclub's customers.
Jessica Kunkle, 19, of neighboring Ludowici checked out Rocky's with her friend Veni Thelin, the wife of a Fort Stewart Soldier. (Rocky's allows patrons 18 and up, but only those 21 and older get a wristband allowing them to buy alcohol.)
"I'm looking to meet people and have a good time," Kunkle said. "I don't think it feels like you're on an Army post."
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What will the libtards think of next?
They have a bus in San Fransisco that is a rolling shower facility for the homeless now. They also have the "Hook up" truck for couples wanting to have sex but cannot make it to their home or a hotel.
This country is in the toilet[V][V]
C&P
In May, San Francisco introduced the "Hook-up Truck," providing intimate space for couples on the go. Now, the city is welcoming the "Lava Mae," a public shower on a bus, aimed at the city's large homeless population.
San Francisco has been fighting a losing battle with homelessness for decades. City officials concede that they have made little progress over the years despite massive spending, amounting to $34 per homeless person per day. The founders of Lava Mae, which launched late last week, aim to provide direct relief--and dignity--to the homeless, providing showers installed inside converted municipal buses that will travel around the city.
Site:
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-California/2014/06/30/Homeless-People-Shower-on-New-Bus-in-San-Francisco0 -
I was watching the local news a couple minutes ago, and what I heard almost had me falling off my chair,
Tampa Mayor Declared today to be African American Dollar Day, trying to encourage African Americans to spend their money in their neighbor hood businesses, and that the 3rd of every month from now on would be an African American Dollar day.
Can I have a day designated for my Dollar Day? I feel so left out[:D][}:)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)]
"I dont care how thin you make a pancake, it still has two sides"
"A wise man is a man that realizes just how little he knows"0 -
Nothing new, the base club in lemoore, Ca. has been doing this for decades. You accomplish a few things.
1. The military increases positive relations with the community it is supported by.
2. You keep your people where you can keep track of them and keep them safe from themselves, and others.
If I recall our front gate was "open" Wednesdays, Friday nights, and occassionally Saturday nights for the base club. Lemoore is laid out pretty uniquely in the fact that going in the front gate didn't get you anywhere except to more gates and the base club. Local radio stations would come, live local bands, all the normal "club" stuff they would find out in Fresno (1 hour away) without having to drive.
I was never a regular there, I think I was only in there once or twice, but there were lots of people who really liked it. And it did bring a ton of girls onto the base every weekend.0 -
Sounds like a good idea. Now when are the "comfort women" due?
Many armies around the world provide for the troops in this manner.0 -
The bases all used to have clubs on them. I think funding and general's wives cut that out though.
It's good to see they're trying to bring it back.0 -
My National Guard Armory had a bar with a pool table, darts and TV's in it. I think that it may have been taken out since I got out. We could have a beer or two after drill if we wanted. It was nice to relax in. 0 -
This is NOT new. Ft Drum has two clubs just like that. Complete with all the trouble that accompanies them. It used to be that ALL military installations has EM, NCO and Officer clubs. Alot of places closed because they were operating in the red. Seems the soldiers preferred NOT being on base.
The MPs could arrest at least half of the soldiers that leave the clubs, on any given night, for DUI. The fact is : the DUIs are just ignored. I had to get a soldier from the MP stationone night. He had been arrested for DUI. His barracks were about 200 yards from the club. He was pissed off about it. I laughed at him for being stupid.
Not slamming soldiers. I've been there and done that. Opening this club is NOT the solution to their problem.0 -
Yes, guntech...the Armed Services should do there best to bring the troops to the Lord and having them forego the evils of sex, drugs, alcohol and rock 'n roll, so that our great country can take the high road with our Troops committing to abstention from those terrible things.
I would be so much a better person if our federal government had had such a program in place, when I was in.
D.0 -
"There is nothing new under the sun" including this. 0 -
When I was in the service we had an enlisted club, an NCO club and an Officers club. Women could only attend if they were with an escort, not just let in the gate. Overseas was a bit different especially in Korea (They let the locals in to ply their trade), Gernmany however didnt let women in without someone signing for them at the gate.
Ah to be in the new modern army, everything at arms reach.
But , But, people in the military dont get drunk. NAH!!!!!!!!!!!![:o)][:o)][:o)]0 -
That seemed like the biggest problem with the clubs when I was in. The MP's targeted them and would either get you for DUI or public intox. Soldiers were scared to use them. It's no wonder they went into the red. 0 -
Dave W.
I was stationed in Leemoore Ca.That place was the pitts back in 1962. We were on tropical hours, I think we went to work at two am, we got off around ten am.There was nothing else to do after work. That base is still opened?0 -
Whats next you ask..........free bag of weed at the door, can't have them buying the stuff off the streets.[xx(] 0
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