Tony Siragusa, second from right, former National Football League player and co-host of DIY Network TV’s “Man Caves,” bonds with members of an Ohio National Guard unit during a taping of the show’s one-hour special, “Man Caves: USO Troop Edition.”
DIY courtesy photo
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2009 – “Kuwait” and “all the comforts of home” are phrases rarely uttered in the same sentence, but a “Man Caves” makeover at Camp Virginia, Kuwait, will show that sometimes the improbable can happen.
The DIY Network TV show regularly turns
basements and dens into guy-friendly hang-outs, but a 2,000-square-foot
overseas USO lounge was another matter entirely.
“This is by
far our biggest undertaking,” Tony “Goose” Siragusa, a former National
Football League defensive lineman and co-host on “Man Caves,” said. “It
was extremely special to work with the soldiers in Kuwait, not to
mention the selfless men and women we met while working on ‘Troop
Cave.’
“[We] hope they’re enjoying the space we created,” he added.
The
DIY Network and the USO worked together on the “Troop Cave,” which
offers an environment as close to the comforts of home the
servicemembers will find until they’re back in the United States. It
has a state-of-the-art movie theater with stadium seating and a new
projector; a game area with custom-made consoles, flat screen TVs and
new gaming equipment; a lounge and snack area; and a soundproof music
room with high-tech recording equipment and new instruments.
It
also offers a “United Through Reading” room as part of a USO program
that enables deployed parents to read a child’s favorite book aloud on
videotape or DVD, and then send the taped reading back home. The idea
is to keep parents and children connected through long deployments.
“We
are so proud to have partnered with the USO on this project,” Jason
Cameron, the show’s other co-host and licensed contractor, said. “Not
only did we have an opportunity to give a little back to the troops
serving our country overseas, but we also did what DIY Network does
best: share home-improvement tips and unique experiences with our
viewers.”
The project began with the shipment of 20 containers
of donated building supplies and furnishing, each weighing more than
two tons, 7,000 miles.
Once there, the “Man Caves” crew had plenty
of help. More than 100 volunteers participated in “Man Caves: USO Troop
Edition,” including members of the Michigan, New Jersey and Ohio
National Guards.
In fair trade, the show’s hosts got a crash
course in military life. Siragusa struggled to learn military lingo
while ordering lunch and participated in combat simulation exercises.
Cameron worked with members of the Ohio National Guard’s 237th Brigade
Support Battalion, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
The hour-long, previously recorded special is set to air on the DIY Network on Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. EST.
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