Slowly but surely building-up Bagram

By SPC Nicolas Hurt


BAGRAM AIRFIELD, AFGHANISTAN – They are tight, low to the ground, squeaky, stiff and if you’re vertically gifted, you don’t fit. I’m speaking of those dark green, one size doesn’t fit all, cots of course. Some soldiers from the 82nd Sustainment Brigade (SBDE) may have been fortunate enough to avoid the cots but many were not. Since boots on the ground in Afghanistan, there have been many unseen changes going on with the living areas. Since most of us don’t like sleeping on the cots, hard at work to make it a little more comfortable and roomy in the b-huts, has been Pvt. 1st Class Michael T. Wood II.

Wood is responsible for building bunk beds for all the soldiers who are not already on one. “I want to bring up the morale of my fellow soldier by enhancing their living areas,” said Wood. He is one of the 82nd SBDE Repair and Utility team members. The section also includes Sgt. Ellsworth Cupid, Sgt. Lloyd Kagle, Sgt. Christopher Broadway, Spc. Xavier Halliburton, Spc. Manuel Pena, and Spc. Carlos Gonzalez. All of which have their own specialty.

Alarm clocks are going off, cots are squeaking, reading lamps are clicking on and off and Wood’s day begins as he wakes up, attends sectional physical training or “goes out on a good old fashioned snot slinger” Wood exclaims, about running in the cold dusty Bagram air. At work-call, Wood receives his directions from 1st Sgt. Lewis Stanley and immediately begins to execute the work day.

His work day, consisting of a lot of carpentry, work orders and building not only the bunks but shelves, door stops, door frames and anything within his capabilities to better the conditions for his fellow bunk-mates and soldiers. The gears of the drill winding down are nearly drowned out by the squeak of the brake pads on Disney as yet another bunk bed is completed. Wood finds time for a quick lunch in his day and jumps right back into his efforts “I’m out here till the sun goes down,” Woods says. As the daylight draws to an end the tally is now at 11 full sets for the day, tonight 22 troopers will be off the cots and on a bed.