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BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - A service member from Bagram Air Field suits up for a day of driving his Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle around Parwan province. His gear is heavy and his mind is focused on the mission at hand as he leaves out the front gate. His team drives all day to complete their mission. After it’s finished they drive back to Bagram and park the vehicle. For the service member, the day is difficult but the mission is a success and he is tired.
The service member cleans out his vehicle and moves his equipment inside. After returning to his company building, the strong smell of coffee wafts past his nose and he wanders toward the simple shed where Spc. Joseph Lalibrerte and Staff Sgt. Jason Gartsu, both of the Parwan Provincial Reconstruction Team Security forces, are serving free cups of coffee at Bunker Brew Coffee.
“We are basically a morale organization,” said Lalibrete.
People who are deployed often sit inside their barracks and don’t interact with other service members. So to promote morale and interaction between them, coffee is free.
The Caribou Coffee Company donated more than 470 pounds of coffee to the Bunker Brew Coffee shop for the morale of the servicemembers on Bagram. Nearly 150 pounds of coffee are brewed per week. The coffee comes in from different sources to support the service members operation.
“I found this French coffee press idea back in Arizona. A coffee shop introduced me to it,” said Gartsu. “At Camp Addle Berry I decided to make coffee before training. So as a joke before missions we would make French press. Lalibrerte heard of what was done and he started to set up the coffee shop.”
People from all over Bagram know about the coffee shop and visit often. Travelers have layovers in Bagram on their way to other places around and out of Afghanistan. Sometimes they stop by Bunker Brew to get a cup before they head out.
“If someone from Uruzgan wanted coffee, we will send them coffee,” Lalibrete said. “Everybody deserves something for free.”
The store runs off the honor system when Lalibrete and Gartsu are not in the shop. However, the shop opens up Thursday nights, allowing service members to get together, interact and watch movies after a long week, all while offering them morale in a cup.
| Date Taken: | 01.09.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 01.11.2011 04:22 |
| Story ID: | 63343 |
| Location: | BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF |
| Web Views: | 221 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Bunker Coffee, by SSG Michael Reinsch, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
