Face of Defense: Afghanistan-Deployed Airman Uses Carpentry Skills to Improve Base

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joseph Swafford 455th Air Expeditionary Wing

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, August 25, 2015 — In his spare time, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Dallan Livingston employs his carpentry skills to improve the installation here.

Livingston serves with the 451st Expeditionary Support Central Command Material Recovery Element as an air transport specialist who loads and unloads aircraft and processes cargo and passengers.

“We deal with anything before it hits the aircraft or after it gets off the aircraft,” said Livingston, a native of Roseville, California.

As that part of his job has slowed recently, he uses his off-duty time to better the base by building much needed projects.

“I’ve built six sets of stairs for defensive fighting positions around base. A lot of them were just old ladders and rickety structures that were not safe,” Livingston said. “Now with the new structures they can go up and down safely with their weapons and gear and it’s no longer a safety issue.”

Livingston is an Air Force reservist assigned to the 45th Aerial Port Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, California. Having a full time job outside of his military career allowed him to take up a hobby and learn carpentry skills, which he has used while deployed.

“Woodworking is a big hobby of mine,” Livingston said. “I’ve spent a lot of my spare time doing wood-working and learning how to do it on my own. I did a couple of projects here and the word spread and I started getting more taskings after I got more of a reputation.”

Livingston’s carpentry skills are not only good for the base but are also a stress reliever.

“I have a lot of fun and it’s a great opportunity to do some problem solving and think outside of the box,” Livingston said. “I’ve gotten a lot of good response and feedback so far. It’s good in two parts; it de-stresses me and it also helps the base.”