Icebox offers Airmen home away from home Published Feb. 9, 2015 By Staff Sgt. Kirsten Wicker 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Airmen living in the dormitory have the option to make use of the Icebox, a multi-purpose room located in building 2266, for a variety of different activities such as reading or studying, watching television, playing video games or enjoying a cup of coffee. The 354th Fighter Wing chapel staff teamed with the 354th Force Support Squadron dorm management leaders to make the Icebox a reality for single, unaccompanied Airmen E-4 and below, living in a dormitory. It offers couches and chairs, tables, a room for studying, and a kitchenette complete with an espresso machine. "This room used to be just for storage, but we renovated it to its current condition because we wanted to give Airmen a place they can go to that is like a living room in a house," said Chaplain (Capt.) Angeles De Leon, a 354th FW chaplain. "We supplied it with books, movies, video games, board games, an X-Box console, a couple of sofas, tables, chairs, a coffee machine and wireless internet." The room also serves as a recreational room, complete with a pool table, a shuffle board, a ping pong table and a foosball table. "It can be tough here, especially in the winter, to live in a dorm room and not really have any place to go that feels like home," De Leon said. "The idea behind the Icebox is to provide Airmen with a cozy place they can go to when it's dark and cold outside and unwind from their busy day at work or enjoy themselves on the weekend and watch a late-night movie." The Icebox is opened and closed by Airmen volunteers. Currently, the hours of operation are Monday through Thursday, 6 to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. "We do need more Airmen to volunteer to man the Icebox to ensure it's available for everyone to use when they need it," said Airman 1st Class Lakeye Scott, a 354th Civil Engineer Squadron construction management technician and Icebox volunteer. "If we can keep it open more often I think it would be easier for everyone to enjoy using it when they can. "I enjoy using the Icebox mainly because there is free WI-FI, I like to use the office for studying and there are a ton of board games you can choose from to play," Scott said. "The TV is an 80-inch flat screen so it's awesome for movies or video games." In addition to the Icebox serving up a small slice of home, the chapel staff also coordinates and plans Airmen's Dinners, held at the Icebox every month. "The dining facility is closed Feb. 9, so we will hold Airmen's Dinners every week during the closure for Airmen to come get a warm, hearty dinner they don't have to pay for," said De Leon. "Various groups and organizations volunteer to plan the dinner and provide the food, so it's a great opportunity to use the Icebox to hold the dinners." The Airmen's Dinner schedule during the dining facility closure is: Feb. 10, 5 to 7 p.m. - 354th Operations Group. Contact Master Sgt. Sean Kurdziolek. Feb. 17, 5 to 7 p.m. - Commanders and Officers Spouses Club. Contact Hannah Lasher. Feb. 24, 5 to 7 p.m. - First Sergeants and Det. 460 Spouses. Contact Master Sgt. Nathan Schmidt. March 3, 5 to 7 p.m. - Air Force Sergeants Association. Contact Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Parker. March 6, 5 to 7 p.m. - 168th Air Refueling Wing. Contact Shannon Geese. March 10, 5 to 7 p.m. - 354th Maintenance Group. Contact Staff Sgt. Alejandro Cortez.