1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Company B Mandatory Fun Day

1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

Company B Mandatory Fun Day

February 15, 2008

‘Regulars’ Soldiers break the grind with paintball, barbeque and fun

1-22 Infantry Regiment

1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div.

FORT HOOD, Texas – The Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team,
4th Infantry Division, gave new meaning to a mandatory fun day, taking the opportunity to relax
and enjoy each other’s company before their upcoming deployment.

The “Bears” of Company B, 1-22 Inf. Regt., came together to play paintball, Feb. 15, and to put the focus not on training
but having fun at a barbeque at Mandatory Fun, located off Veterans Memorial Boulevard, in Killeen, Texas,

Owned and operated by a former Co. B Soldier, Mandatory Fun, offers its guests a wide array of fast-paced games
for teams up to 30 players, said 2nd Lt. Anthony Calabro, platoon leader, Co. B.

The owner also provided excellent group rates, which included all weapons, paint, and protective equipment for the Soldiers.

“It was no surprise that Soldiers were willing to spend a few hard earned bucks for such a valuable experience,” Calabro said.

From the traditional team-on-team play to the more strategic offense/defense drill, each variation ensures no player,
regardless of skill, gets left out of the action and untouched by the paint, he said.

FORT HOOD, Texas -- Company B Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment,
barbeque hamburgers, Feb. 15, outside Mandatory Fun, an indoor sports center where patrons can play paintball
and a wide array of fast-paced games for teams up to 30 players, located in Killeen, Texas.

(U.S. Army photo courtesy of 1-22 Inf. Regt., 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div.)

“With walls literally dripping in paint, nobody comes out unscathed,” Calabro said.
“But the bruises were a small price to pay for the excitement gained from the intense games of paintball.

The best tactic to survive a game of paintball was simply to “shoot as much paint at the opponent as fast as possible,”
said Pvt. Lucas Haefele, infantryman, Co. B, 1-22 Inf. Regt.

This approach became apparent to the Soldiers as they first crossed the threshold of the paint covered site, said Calabro.

The Bears of Co. B completed the day-long event with a barbeque and enough food to feed the battalion.

“They say in the Army, you get out what you put in,” said 1st Lt. John Magri, a platoon leader, assigned to Company B, 1-22 Inf. Regt.
“I think in this case we got a whole lot more than paintball and some hamburgers. We got a chance to forget about work for a few hours
and just have some fun; you can’t put a price on that.”

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