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Soldiers have a new place to relax in Baumholder with the grand opening of the new Warrior Zone, March 22.
The new facility, located in Bldg. 8218, features four gaming stations with gaming chairs, a small movie theater with plush chairs and surround sound, a computer lab with four computers, several indoor and outdoor lounge areas, air hockey, foosball, ping pong and pool tables and free Wi-Fi throughout. The facility also offers several board games, card games and a 4K projector for popular TV shows and events, movie nights and other activities.
“This is your place,” said U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz Command Sgt. Maj. Brett Waterhouse to Soldiers attending the ribbon cutting. “We want our single Soldiers to come here and enjoy themselves. Although we don’t have something like this at all of our installations, it’s a shining example of what could be. This is a great day for our Baumholder community.”
After the Hilltop Theater closed in 2016, construction on the new Warrior Zone facility began two years later, but ran into some construction challenges. This pushed the completion date back, but “it was definitely worth the wait,” said Corey Mehler, a recreation assistant for Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers. “I’m really excited for the Soldiers, because they finally have a place where they can kick back and relax. They work so hard, and now they have a place to hang out and with their friends.”
For Private 1st Class Tyrone Brown, a biomedical technician with the 8th Medical Company (Logistics), this will be a great recreational outlet.
“This is really cool,” Brown said of the new Warrior Zone. “This space is nicely done, and I can see me and my friends coming down here to hang out this summer and for big events.”
Working in Baumholder since he was a young Soldier serving with the 40th Engineer Battalion several years ago, Eloy Campos now serves as the Warrior Zone manager, Baumholder BOSS adviser and special events coordinator.
“I can’t even describe how proud I am of this project,” said Campos, a former combat engineer. “I believe in what we are doing here, because we are making a difference in single Soldiers’ lives by providing opportunities, not only through the Warrior Zone, but through BOSS.”
Although it’s a small community, Campos said, sometimes people still don’t know about the recreational and social opportunities available in Baumholder.
“If I could have Soldiers go back to their unit and bring back one person to this facility – it will be a huge success. It’s my call to action for our single Soldiers,” Campos concluded. “They are here serving our country, and their quality of life matters to us. That’s why this facility is here for them to enjoy because they deserve it.”
The Baumholder Warrior Zone is available for single Soldiers and their guests 18 and older and is open from 1 to 9 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays; and 2 to 6 p.m., Saturdays. The facility is closed Sundays and federal holidays.
For more information, call DSN 531-2912 or commercial at 0611-143-531-2912.
