Golf course in Baghdad's Green Zone by Zuzana Zelenakova

Soldiers in Iraq do not have many possibilities to have some fun and truly relax at least for a while. Who was not there cannot very well imagine what is it like to live in the midst of everyday bomb explosions and mortar alarm blares. But about a year ago U.S. Naval Commander Steven Labows began a project that many servicemen and women in Iraq are now infinitely grateful for. In cooperation with his uncle Bruce Riddle, who is a great golf fan as well, he built a golf course in Baghdad's Green Zone. For that purpose he used an empty piece of land next to Camp Victory, formerly a location of one of Saddam Hussein's palaces. The problem was that the unbearable heat made it difficult for players to hold a club for very long. Then Labows called his uncle to Rockville and said that golf gloves are needed. And not only did Bruce Riddle sent 600 gloves, but also 150 clubs and 18 plastic hitting mats. In addition, through his various contacts in golf as well as business area managed to raise approximately $3,500 for the course. “I just took a passion for the thing,” said Riddle. “I just thought I could do something in some small way for these people.” And people serving in Iraq could not be more grateful for it gives them an opportunity to forget about the war for a while. “It is used by the lowest enlisted to generals... This range takes you out of the war for the time that you are hitting,” wrote Army Sergeant Clinton Merritte, who helped to clear and level the land, in an e-mail from Iraq. Most people pay $2 for a round and by now about $800 has been raised. The money will go to the foundation that helps families of fallen American soldiers.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080506/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_green_zone_golf;_ylt=AnyuXy2eMbJa3HaNpoVbOmus0NUE

by Zuzana Zelenakova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.<br><br><font size=2>These news are brought to you by CantellTV, its technology partner SigEx Telecom and its founder Chris Cantell. CantellTV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with enhanced communications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface. CantellTV has relationships with a growing network of international clients delivering millions of videos per day with more than 50,000 new videos uploaded and 200 hours of new TV shows broadcasted daily to a wide range of viewers, from 5 to 7 year olds of LiveCartoons; to 16 to 24 year old active social users of MyJumps; to fortune 50 corporate clients utilizing enhanced broadcasting services. CantellTV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world of entertainment at the tip of your fingers. Chris Cantell retains consulting arrangements with several pre-IPO companies.</font><br>

Edited by: Katarina Zerzanova