Spartan Soldier creates CHU fit for a king

Photo By Master Sgt. Duff E. Mcfadden | A place for everything and everything in its place. Staff Sgt. Andrew Debastiani, 28, of Masontown, W.V., is a geospatial topographical engineer with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division. Along one wall, the enterprising Soldier has constructed a six-foot by six-foot desk with four shelves and two long, single, top shelves, for his television, laptop and personal stuff. He's also raised his bed, placing shelving underneath it, to save even more space.  

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ, IRAQ

03.18.2010

Story by Master Sgt. Duff E. Mcfadden 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ, Iraq — If a man's home is his castle, then a Soldier's containerized housing unit, must be his sanctuary, his personal oasis, within the hustle and bustle of military life in Iraq.

The CHU, basically a shipping container which may have carried anything from stereos to automobile parts during a previous life, now serves as living quarters for many Soldiers throughout Iraq.

At Forward Operation Base Marez, home to the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, these standardized, 9-by-20 foot CHU's come with a pair of beds, lockers and nightstands. However an individual Soldier decides to customize his or her CHU, within reason.

Staff Sergeant Andrew Debastiani, 28, of Masontown, W.Va., is a geospatial topographical engineer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd HBCT. He shares a two-man CHU with Angus.

With a little bit of Mountaineer ingenuity, Debastiani has fabricated a castle fit for a king complete with all the creature comforts.

"Along one wall, I made a six-by-six foot desk with four shelves and two long, single top shelves," he said. "I have my television, laptop and personal stuff on it. The other wall is covered with pictures drawn by my three-year old daughter."

Debastiani, who's been here with the brigade since November, sized up his CHU and immediately set to work to make it more "homey." He started his initial projects while he was undergoing left seat-right seat training, so he had time to improve his "area of operations" before his schedule was too full to spend time on his CHU.

"When I first saw my CHU, I figured I didn't have much room, so I would have to build up, rather than out," Debastiani said. "I made everything from scratch, but built it up. You can't do much with the bed, so I had to elevate it to put stuff underneath."

He used foot-long poles to elevate his bed so he could put some homemade storage shelves under it. He also found a shower curtain rod which he used, along with some material, to divide the room between himself and his roommate.

"You need to build up, instead of out, to maximize your space," he said. "You can build up to 10-feet tall in order to go up. You can go another 10-feet out to build out. You'll still need a walkway to get around though."

The project took him approximately six to seven hours to accomplish. Once he had the design down, with the help of fellow engineers, he measured, made straight edges and began cutting wood.

"The hardest part was putting together everything by myself, especially drilling everything together," Debastiani said. "I tried to pre-drill, but I was then trying to balance everything with my feet and legs while I put it all together."

The drills, saws and nails were brought to Iraq. The wood, from the Class Four yard, was obtained by "asking nicely."

"Once anyone sees my room, they think it's a big deal," he said. "They say, 'Hey, can you help me build this? Can you help me build that?' I get asked that a lot. I can show them how to build it and can help them, if I have the time."

"I like to be helpful. I don't like to turn people down. You never know; I may need help some day myself."

"He has since made a desk for Capt. Andrew Petrie and Chief Warrant Officer Merrill, as well as other stuff for some of his friends."

At home, he said he enjoys carpentry, but admits he's "just not the best at it."

"I see my CHU as a comfortable living space," he said. "Not that I'm that good at construction, compared to a lot of others. I have to make do with what I have available. I know I will be able to do a much better job, when I get home."

His wife has already established a "honey-do list," for when he returns home. Debastiani said he'll need to build more saddle racks for their horses, and, since they'll be moving into a new house, he'll need to make a new home entertainment center, as well as shelves for the garage and a workbench.

During the course of a normal day, from 1 p.m. until 1 a.m., he downloads project data to produce special maps catered to the needs of the battlefield. Once work is complete, he's up around 10 or 11 a.m. to work on stuff in his room, watch movies, or Skype his wife. When he's not in the office, you can usually find him in his CHU.

"You can always improve your room; I'd like to make it better," Debastiani said. "This all began when I added a nightstand, so I'd have a little more shelf space."

He joined the Army in 2001, after taking part in the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program at Preston High School in Kingwood, W.Va. He said he initially joined JROTC to be part of the shooting team, but enjoyed how it was structured and discovered he was good at it. Before long, he was teaching land navigation and map reading.

After listening to his grandfather's World War II Navy stories, and hearing his first sergeant's tales of duty in Vietnam, he decided to join the Army. In November 2000, he enlisted in the infantry.

Debastiani previously deployed to Iraq in 2003-04, with the 82nd Airborne Division, where he at the Abu Ghraib Prison. Prior to that, the unit was deployed to Afghanistan, serving in Kandahar, Organ-E and Salerno, in 2002-03. They lived out of GP Medium tents and personalized their living quarters with homemade tables and shelves.

• Date Taken: 03.18.2010
• Date Posted: 03.18.2010 04:26
• Story ID: 46834
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ, IQ