Entertainment was very important to the morale of the soldiers. Motion pictures and programs were shown at such places as the Liberty Theater, also known as "The Tribly." When the Liberty Theater opened at Camp Dodge on December 2, 1917, the Camp Dodger noted that it was the largest motion picture house in Iowa, seating three thousand people. Service organizations such as YMCA and Knights of Columbus also held events for soldiers, all of which were thoroughly reported about in the Camp Dodger newspaper. Stories were written about virtually every performer or program appearing in Des Moines and Camp Dodge area with motion pictures advertised in every issue.

Dances were offered and popular among the enlisted men. The Girls Volunteer Aid, a group of young ladies from Des Moines organized for the constructive work and entertaining the solders, provided partners. These dances were strictly monitored in conjunction with strict posted rules that cautioned such things as: "all unnecessary shoulder or body movement shall be forbidden," and "No undue familiarity or suggestive forms of dancing will be tolerated." (Grover 1987)

Sports activities were a very important social aspect of the soldier's lives. Many of them played football and participated in the most popular sporting activity during that time, boxing. Famous stories of heavy weight champs boxing at Camp Dodge derived from these down times. The following link shares the story of sports in the army. The Evolution of and Ever Evolving Army Sports Program.

Image of Bradley's baseball team at West Point. Bradley is second from the left. http://www.odedodea.edu/k-12/D-Day/GVPT_stuff/Omar/Omar1.html