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Dining facility works to make meals special

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Ericka Engblom
  • 455 Air Expeditionary Wing/Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  Opening the sticker-covered door one sees hanging snowflakes, elaborate signs, an enormous castle, and even Santa and his elves. It may sound like the Christmas section at a department store, but it's actually the Dragon Dining Facility at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Personnel at Fluor work hard every day to create decorations to make holidays special.

Fluor a service and construction engineering company is in charge of the displays at the Dragon. It works with management at several different dining facilities to decorate the facilities on Arbor Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, and widely celebrated holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter.

Two Fluor employees, Euigang Jung and Halder Biswajit, are the creative minds behind the Dragon's festive interior. They found an eco-friendly and cost-efficient way to keep the Dragon superbly decorated all year long. They are able to brighten troops' dining experience without breaking the bank by recycling the packaging styrofoam that comes through the Dragon and creating the base for all the signs, figurines and ornaments they create.

"It makes me feel like I'm back in the states," said Alex Gonzales, customs agent with the 215th Military Police Detachment.

That was the goal in mind when Fluor first took over the Dragon in 2010. They wanted dining at the Dragon to be something that service member could look forward to experiencing.

"Dining facilities are sometimes the only escape a service member has in the day," said Joe Yoswa, Fluor director of public affairs. "Seeing these guys put up different decorations that can make a meal special, or provide an escape for the service members; it puts a smile on your face."

A lot of work is done by Jung and Biswajit before this environment can be created. First, the necessary styrofoam is collected. Then the pieces must be glued together. After the glue has dried, the styrofoam hunks are carved into recognizable shapes and detail is added. Finally, the figures, signs and ornaments are painted before being displayed in the Dragon.

The end result is a product that not only brightens the Dragon's atmosphere, but also brings joy to its patrons.

"The fact that there is something in here besides a plain room is nice," said Master Sgt. Merel Georgi , 455th Aerial Port Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of day shift ramp services. "Somebody took the time to make us feel more at home. That means a lot."