Soldiers and family members from Headquarters Support, D and C companies of the 204th Military Intelligence Battalion enjoy a tug of war during their Organizational Day Friday. Photo by Kelley English.
204th MI Bn. gets it together
An aura of appreciation and happiness was the basis for 204th Military Intelligence Battalion’s Organizational Day Friday.
This unit is anything but ordinary, with its Soldiers in up to “three areas of operation continuously,” said 2nd Lt. Jody Mixon.
“For our unit, it’s very important because there’s only a small time frame each year that we’re able to get (everyone) together at the same time as a unit, because we are deployed in three different areas of operation,” Mixon said.
All three companies showed their competitive sides throughout the day. Each company that won an activity earned points toward a total score they tallied up at end of the day to determine a winner. A trophy and bragging rights went to the winning company of the day.
“You try to mix personalities with the different events because some people know more about the spades and dominos events versus tug-of-war,” Mixon said, referring to how the companies were delegated to organize each activity. “We try to match up the events like that.”
Camaraderie was evident through the conversations, laughter and the memories Soldiers brought up as they played poker or ate their potluck-style lunches.
“This is probably the most people you see together any time,” said 1st Lt. Marvin Polk. “It’s good to get together so we can see faces who aren’t new, but they’re new to us.”
A Soldier with the 204th Military Intelligence Battalion takes a pie in the face during the unit's Organizational Day Friday. Photo by Kelley English.
Soldiers’ families also joined in on the fun as they cheered on their loved ones and soaked in some family fun.
Whether it was calling fouls in the basketball games or calling bluffs in the poker matches, the activities escalated. Crowds gathered to see which teams and Soldiers would come out on top. Cash was essential toward the end of the day as the battalion had its annual pie-in-the-face auction.
Well-known Soldiers from the unit were put up for auction, and whoever dished out the most cash won. For every $5 above the minimum of $10, there was an extra topping added to the “pie.” These were no ordinary pies; bidders were allowed to add anything from mustard and pickle juice to country-style beans and cottage cheese.
Two or three Soldiers at a time put together money to pie the person of their choice, yet some family members tried to outbid even the highest bidders just to save their loved ones’ dignity.
Whatever they chose to do, the entire day was set up for Soldiers to have fun, sit back and enjoy each other’s company.
“This really is the first time that we’ve all been together,” said 2nd Lt. Veronica Finch, assistant personnel officer for the battalion. “And not only that, but we’re out of the office, we’re all in country, we’re all back at Fort Bliss and our families are out (here with us). It’s just time to relax.”
The 204th MI Bn. left with laughter, bragging rights, pied faces and memories they’ll be sure to keep talking about – that is, until they have it all again next year.