CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – Po Valley Hall, a special events and VIP center located in the Executive Life Sustainment Area of Contingency Operating Base Basra, opens following official dedication ceremony Sept. 5.
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) John Morris, command chaplain, 34th Red Bull Infantry Division, opened the ceremony with an invocation, followed by brief remarks from Maj. Gen. Rick Nash, commanding general, Multi-National Division - South and Col. Ronald Albrecht, deputy chief of staff, 34th Inf. Div.
Albrecht, who hails from Cedar Falls, Iowa, said the facility was originally an abandoned building which served as a contractor’s building when the LSA was being built earlier this year.
“It’s what we call a ‘Morton’ building,” said Albrecht. “It was basically a tin shed; a cavity. We decided to fix it up and make a special events trailer out of it after I married up with my counterpart with 10th Mountain Division, at Camp Victory.”
Albrecht said 10th Mtn. Div. had a similar facility at Camp Victory in Baghdad when they were headquartered there, which they used for movie nights, accommodating VIPS and other functions.
“When 10th Mountain was reassigned to Basra, they were given the choice to either have their trailer moved here or leave it,” Albrecht said. “They decided it would be just as much trouble to move it and have to rebuild it here anyway as it would be to just find another when they got here.”
The new facility was named ‘Po Valley’ after an offensive during World War II in 1945 in Italy involving both 34th Inf. Div. and 10th Mtn. Div, according to Albrecht.
“I came up with the idea to name the trailer ‘Po Valley’ to commemorate the shared battle space between our two divisions, both in World War II and in Operation Iraqi Freedom,” said Albrecht. “The 10th Mountain Division relieved the 34th Infantry Division in World War II, and this time we came to relieve them.”
Albrecht said the interior of the facility will feature a 10th Mtn. Div. sign, a 34th Inf. Div. sign and a framed history of the relationship between the two divisions.
The facility itself will be used for events hosted by 34th Inf. Div.’s three general officers, which also include Brig. Gen. David J. Elicerio, deputy commanding general for operations, and Brig. Gen. Gerald Lang, deputy commanding general for support, as well as those hosted by the chief of staff, Col. Neal G. Loidolt and Command Sgt. Maj. Doug Julin, senior enlisted leader of MND-S.
Albrecht said Po Valley Hall is well-appointed for business and social functions. He gave credit to the U.S. Air Force’s 557th Expeditionary Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operation Repair Squadron Engineers for the interior and exterior carpentry to make the facility ready to host VIPS and important functions.
“They not only made the interior both comfortable and functional, they also built a deck throughout the exterior area and a gazebo out there too,” he said. “They did a tremendous job and deserve a lot of credit for making this whole thing possible. The RED HORSE guys really did a good job for us.”
The facility has also been wired for television, internet and phone capabilities, according to Albrecht. The information section of 34th Inf. Div. was responsible for making this happen, and Albrecht said he wanted to thank them for their hard work as well.
“There were a lot of people who pitched in to make this thing happen,” Albrecht said. “When we leave here at the end of our tour, we will be proud to hand this facility over to the next division for their use as well.”
