Watchung native starts Flag Football League at Army base in Basrah, Iraq, to raise morale and enjoy a taste of home.

On an isolated Command Operating Base (COB), on the outskirts of Basrah, Iraq, American soldiers are now enjoying a little piece of home and friendly competition during their down time, thanks to the efforts of a few of their own and the support of the Somerset Hills YMCA, Flagmag.com and teams from the National Football League (NFL).

In Iraq since March 2010, First Lieutenant Aaron Raymar was looking for something to improve the morale of the soldiers serving on his base and to give everyone something to which to look forward. Raymar came up with the idea of creating a Flag Football League. With football season in full swing in the United States, the soldiers have football on their minds, rooting for their home teams and keeping dibs on their favorite players when they return to base each night. Now, they are benefitting both physically and mentally from participating in a recreational athletic competition themselves.

On November 11, 2010, the first game of the COB Basrah Flag Football League was played, following the formation of sixteen teams and the arrangement of a league schedule that will take the players through early 2011. Thanks to the generosity of individual contributors, Flagmag.com, and teams from the NFL, equipment for each of the teams was secured and sent to the COB in Basrah.  This exciting initiative will exist for a long time to come with the USO already poised to take what Raymar has created and transport it to the next base, when the Basrah base closes, in order to support other soldiers in their deployment. 

"I cannot even begin to thank the Somerset Hills YMCA and the NFL teams participating in this endeavor for all the support you are giving to me and the soldiers with whom I serve”, said Raymar. “We spend hours upon hours at our duties, trying to revive this country and make it a better place not only now but for the future. Now, with your help and in a few weeks of dedicated effort, you have allowed us to create something that will bring people together, and make life better for all the soldiers stationed on this base."

Raymar, a native of Watchung, NJ, is a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and is stationed out of Fort Carson, Colorado Springs, Colorado. A past member of the Somerset Hills YMCA and the Y’s National Swim Team, he was Army ROTC at Lehigh University, where he graduated with a double BS degree from the Business School in Marketing and Finance. Upon graduating from Lehigh in spring 2008, he received his Commission as a Second Lieutenant and rose to the ranks of First Lieutenant 18 months later. 

"Creating this flag football league means more than just allowing people to come together to play sports and enjoy themselves for part of the day.  It means that people will have something to look forward to everyday for the rest of their deployment; it means for that brief period of time they can take their minds off what happens in downtown Basrah and be reminded that people care about them and are waiting for them to come home safely,” said Raymar. “The very values and morals that are taught by the YMCA are almost identical to the Army values that I live by today. People often quote Vince Lombardi in saying, “leaders are not born, they are made,” and I can tell you that the YMCA molded me into the leader I am right now and will continue to be in the future."

The Somerset Hills YMCA is accepting contributions in support of the COB Basrah Flag Football League. All monetary donations are needed and appreciated to ensure that this exciting endeavor can grow and thrive. To make a contribution, please visit www.somersethillsymca.org, click on the GIVE button and note FFL donation in the ‘Comments’ field. Contributions may also be mailed to Alison Buxton, V. P. of Development, Somerset Hills YMCA,

140 Mt. Airy Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

.  Please note FFL donation in the note portion of the check. For more information, please visit www.somersethillsymca.org to read the full story.