BASRA, Iraq - Beer, schnitzel, music... a lot of things come to mind at the mention of Oktoberfest. A 5K run isn't typically one of them.
That's exactly what Staff Sgt. Brooke Schiebel, an aid station noncommissioned officer-in-charge with the 1st Infantry Division, thought of while organizing a run in Basra, Iraq.
"I wanted to do a run, and I knew that on leave I was going to Oktoberfest," the Auburn, Calif., native said. "It just kind of hit me one day, 'I should do an Oktoberfest theme.'"
So the Oktober Runfest 5K was born at Basra when 11 four-person teams took to the streets of the base Oct. 9.
Sgt. Maj. Bill Sutton, a Hardtner, Kan., native serving as the protection sergeant major for 1st Inf. Div., helped Schiebel organize the event using his experience from planning the Basra Running Series, an eight-run series that has been going throughout the 1st Inf. Div.'s current deployment, culminating with the Army 10-Miler Oct. 16.
"It was her concept. I just provided the route for her and some general guidance," Sutton said. "I kind of gave her the script to follow, and just made general suggestions."
Part of the script Schiebel wrote on her own was the additional message of responsible drinking.
Schiebel's unit, Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, is within the 90-day window of redeploying to Fort Riley, Kan., and she coordinated with a friend who works for Budweiser to provide gear for the first-place winners in the individual male and female categories.
"Budweiser has a theme of drinking responsibly. (They are) kind of sponsoring it, and because I'm giving away a Budweiser prize, I wanted to advocate drinking responsibly when we get back from the deployment," Schiebel said.
"It's a good message to get out there to our folks," Sutton added. "We've got a lot of first-time deployers over here, and there's always historically been a problem when we get back where Soldiers make that mistake of drinking and driving or do something against their better judgment.
"Anything we can do to promote that message to think before you drink and have a plan is something (noncommissioned officers) will always preach and try to get the message into their heads. Any way that we can do it, it's a good message and a good cause."
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