PHOTOS: Maintainers Take Ping Pong Break

By Sgt. Brandon Little

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Spc. Steven Joyner (right) and Spc. Nicholas Croka, UH-60 Black Hawk maintainers in Troop T, 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, take a quick break from fixing aircraft to play a game of ping pong. The table was built by a fellow Soldier in the unit to help keep their morale high and allow the Soldiers an opportunity to take a break from ongoing maintenance.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Spc. Nicholas Croka (left), a native of Columbia, Mo., takes a short break from a busy maintenance schedule to focus on a ping pong ball served by Spc. Steven Joyner. The regulation-size table was created by a fellow Soldier in the unit sits just outside an aviation maintenance hangar. Croka serves as a UH-60 Black Hawk maintainer in Troop T, 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Multi-National Division - Baghdad.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Spc. Steven Joyner (left) and Spc. Nicholas Croka, aircraft maintainers in Troop T, 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, enjoy a game of ping pong during their lunch break on the flight line. The home-made table allows the UH-60 Black Hawk maintainers an opportunity to enjoy their breaks from a busy maintenance schedule without leaving the flight line.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Spc. Nicholas Croka, a UH-60 Black Hawk maintainer in Troop T, 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, stretches to hit a ping pong ball served by Spc. Steven Joyner. The Soldiers say the home-made table, built from scraps of plywood, is much more feasible than a walk to the nearest Morale, Welfare and Recreation facility. The only downside, they added, is the wind.

judythpiazza@newsblaze.com

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