JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Soldiers serving in Iraq have built a regulation bocce court “smack dab in the center of the most dangerous square mile on earth.”

So says Capt. Steve Jaksec, a former Johnstown, Pa., resident who now lives in Tampa, Fla.

Jaksec came up with the idea in an effort to increase morale.

A communications officer, Jaksec serves with the Army’s 110th Infantry Battalion near Habbaniyah, a camp northwest of Baghdad and in the heart of the Sunni Triangle.

He grew up in Southmont, Pa., graduating in 1978 from Bishop McCort and in 1982 from University of Pittsburgh. Jaksec worked for IBM until he was recalled to active duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

When Jaksec reported for duty in Iraq, he was greeted by a Pittsburgh Steelers flag and knew he would get along well in his new unit.

“I was surrounded by soldiers from the Pittsburgh area, and I’m the same task force with the 876th Engineers and 103rd Armor, both from Johnstown,” Jaksec said in a telephone interview from Iraq. “It was like old-home week.”

The noncommissioned officer who serves as Jaksec’s right-hand man is Sgt. 1st Class Robert Foster of Richland Township.

In civilian life, Foster works at the National Drug Intelligence Center in Johnstown.

“We are between Ramadi and Fallujah, two places that I’m sure most Americans are familiar with,” Jaksec said. “We hear gunfire every day, and a rocket recently exploded nearby.”

Bocce, a game that closely resembles bowling, requires skill, strategy and a little luck.

But building a flat, level playing surface in the middle of a war zone took more than luck. It required determination and a lot of help from folks back home.

Bocce is an ancient game that was spread by conquering armies.

“It dates back to the Greeks and Romans,” Jaksec said, “so we thought it only appropriate that we form the world’s first Combat Bocce Club.”

Jaksec and Foster pursued the project by sending an e-mail in September to the United States Bocce Federation, asking for details on bocce court construction.

They also wanted to know how feasible it would be to ship crushed oyster shells – the traditional bocce-court material – to Iraq to make a court.

“I get a note back from Tom McNutt, a true patriot who owns Boccemon in Bellingham, Wash.” Jaksec said. “He wanted to do the job right, so he arranged to have 12,000 pounds of custom-blended oyster shells sent to us so we could use it as our surface on the court.”

Boccemon is a family-owned corporation that specializes in supplying bocce-court surfaces for players nationwide.

Shipping more than 6 tons of oyster shells to Iraq was no small feat.

“When I heard this, I thought it would be a wonderful way to give something back to show support for our troops,” McNutt said.

He came up with a way to avoid taxes and red tape and to let bocce fans stateside help.

McNutt enlisted the assistance of bocce clubs and players from around the country and began shipping the company’s blend of crushed Pacific oyster shells for the court, plus balls, flags, banners, shirts and other supplies. All of the materials were donated.

Dennis Franz, who played Andy Sipowitz on television show “NYPD Blue,” and his wife, Joanie, built one of McNutt’s courts and sponsored some boxes, as did various folks associated with the federation.

McNutt discovered that the U.S. Postal Service’s flat rate for small boxes is $7.70 for less than 25 pounds. Shells are usually shipped in 2,400-pound bulk bags, but the cost to ship them to Iraq was far too expensive.

McNutt enlisted his own army of donors to pay the shipping fee for each package and sent the court to Iraq one small box at a time. About a dozen volunteers helped pack each box.

The packages trickled into Iraq until all 525 boxes had arrived in November.

A regulation bocce court is 76 feet long and 10 feet wide.

Oyster shell, fine stone and clay surfaces all are used in national qualifying tournaments.

McNutt said a good court should play fast, have minimal bounce and be easy to maintain. A bed of oyster shells produces the perfect surface.

“The surface at Camp Habbaniyah is the consistency of talcum powder, so we dug down until we hit clay,” Jaksec said.

“The shells make a great playing surface.”

The Habbaniyah Combat Bocce Club is an officially sanctioned and recognized member of the United States Bocce Federation.

Prior to its official grand opening today, some of the troops tested the court out after dark. They used night-vision goggles to see the balls.

“The guys are excited and we have big plans for the grand opening,” Jaksec said. “We’re going to name the court for a fallen comrade who we recently lost. It’s also dedicated it to all the soldiers of our task force who have paid the ultimate price.”



Tom Lavis writes for The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown, Pa.