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Until recently, Pfc. Patrick Stone, a personnel clerk at 212th Combat Support Hospital, had nowhere to go for a little fun.
Then, the local junior enlisted council transformed Miesau Ammo Depot’s empty library into the ultimate hang out spot — now dubbed the “Ammo Shack.” Dozens of
troops attended the opening Monday.
“We had absolutely nothing before this,” Stone said. “Now, we actually have a place to relax, watch movies, play games, play pool, and meet up with other Soldiers.”
Earlier this year, 212th CSH leaders formed the council to brainstorm a morale project for Soldiers on the post, roughly eight miles west of the nearest Army post in Landstuhl. Other than a gym and a shoppette, there isn’t much else for Soldiers at the depot other than worksites and storage buildings.
In May 2012, U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern closed the library, shifting resources to Landstuhl’s Wilson Barracks and Kaiserslautern’s Kleber Kaserne. Miesau’s books were donated to students in Rwanda’s capital, Kigali. Since then, little was done with the former library, adjacent to the depot’s education center.
This February, Soldiers set to work, renovating the space into something akin to a “Warrior Zone,” the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation centers seen at Rhine Ordnance Barracks and Sembach
Kaserne.
Junior Soldiers from the 212th CSH offered ideas and did much of the work themselves. Some FMWR volunteers, working in their spare time, helped paint and decorate. The garrison’s FMWR program donated furniture and other items, bringing life to the project, said Spc. Jonathan Wright, the council president. Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers also contributed time and resources.
“I used to be a single Soldier,” Wright said. “I hope it gives them what I wanted when I was single: a place to feel comfortable and relax.”
