Bagram RC Club's Next Project: the Lighthouse Coffee Shop
Remember Laine Stahr, the guy on the ground (and air) in Bagram who helped his buddies at the Bagram Air Base get started in RC? Here's another of his projects, and this one is pretty cool too. Laine and the guys have literally built a coffee shop to serve the troops on the base. He writes, "There probably isn't another place in Afghanistan that a U.S. soldier can go to get a free cup of ANYTHING, hang out for a few minutes, and just relax and get away from what they do on a daily basis." There are always people in that place talking, playing a video game, or watching AFN on TV. There are Army, Air Force, Navy guys/gals, DOD civilians, and contractors stopping in daily. A few one and two star generals also stopped in just to see it and grab a cup of coffee. There have also been some VIPs, such as country singer Trace Adkins.
The Lighthouse Coffee Shop
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The crew that made it happen
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Laine tells us that every single thing in the shop, named the Lighthouse, comes from donations. Some from home, some from the military personnel at the base, and some from churches.
"At the lighthouse, there are about 20 different kinds of coffee... Starbucks, Boca, Ranger Coffee, expresso, cappucino, many kinds of hot tea, hot cocoa, and soon, hot cider! Not only that, the Lighthouse is located right where we all work... on the flightline next to the offices, hangars etc... So, no walking to get anything, it's all right there. It is manned by volunteers 24 hours a day, they make sure the pots are full all the time. The pilots, staff, crew chiefs, door gunners and mechanics work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the Lighthouse is there for them anytime", said Laine.
"So, in short, is it a necessity for us? Nope, sure isnt. We could do fine without it. However, it is a great place, like I said before, for people to just relax and get away from "daily business" anytime they want. I have never seen anyone come out of there mad!"
For more Lighthouse photos, please check out Laine's blog.
We think this is another example of good old American ingenuity. We'd like to help these men and women by bringing their story to you and by helping collect donations for the project. If you'd like to make a $5.00 or $10.00 donation to buy supplies for The Lighthouse, Castle Creations will collect the money and forward it to Afghanistan.
Please use the shopping cart buttons on this page to send a few bucks to the Lighthouse to buy these guys a cup of coffee. Odds are you'll get to meet them at the RC field once they get back to the States!