By Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Troth
jefferey.l.troth.mil@mail.mil
CAMP MOBILE, South Korea -- Monsters and zombies took up residence in the barracks outside Camp Casey's main gates to scare and delight the Area I community, Oct. 25-27.
Halloween came early for those living north of Seoul, with a week full of events leading up to All Hallows' Eve. A Trunk-or-Treat kicked off festivities at Camp Casey's Gateway club for costumed children, who, after filling their pumpkin-shaped baskets with candy, headed to Camp Mobile to visit the haunted barracks.
For three nights Soldiers with Area I's Better Opportunities for Single (and unaccompanied) Soldiers gave their time to giving blood-curdling screams and trying to scare the more than 150 people who visited the barracks.
"I think it was a great turnout," said Spc. Ashley Quarles, the BOSS representative from Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, U.S. Army Garrison Casey. "It was a lot scarier than I thought it would be. I even got scared the first time I went through it."
The "haunted house was pretty good," said Pfc. Adrienna Garvin, who is stationed at Camp Bonifas and wouldn't admit to being scared. "I think they did a good job setting up stuff."
Garvin and a busload of other Soldiers from the Joint Security Area made the one-hour trip to Camp Mobile to experience a little bit of Halloween in Korea.
Besides the electric chair, the barracks was filled with coffins, grave stones, a butcher shop, and lots of man-made cobwebs. The BOSS people's efforts were rewarded: many "brave" visitors wanted to turn around half-way through.
Some who made it all the way through could be seen cautiously checking the shadows as they made their way back to the safety of their cars or the bus.
One of those who had no problem admitting she was scared was 5-year-old Apiphani Smith, who chose to be a bloody nurse rather than a ninja for Halloween this year.
"I was scared," said Smith, who went through the haunted barracks holding her mom's hand. "There were zombies in there. They were not real zombies. They were fake ones and they were nice to me."
Smith, whose father is Pvt. Matthew Mayer of Battery B, 1st Battalion, 38th Field Artillery Regiment, visited a version of the haunted barracks dubbed "Casper Barracks,."
It was held during the first hour of the evening and designed to merely amuse youngsters, not traumatize them out of their wits.
In keeping with that aim, during that first hour -- while daylight lingered -- the monsters in Casper Barracks dialed back their performances for the sake of the children.
Related Links:
U.S. Army Garrison Red Cloud and Area I official Army Web site
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