
A rustic lounge aboard Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan. (Photos by Dan Lamothe)
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — This forward operating base might have a chow hall and shower trailers, but no one will confuse it with Beverly Hills anytime soon.
With some Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen all spending entire deployments here, however, it should come as no surprise that they’d do whatever they can to make things more comfortable.

A makeshift recliner.
Take their furniture, for example. Camp Leatherneck has a mixture of cots and rickety old bunk beds to sleep on, but they didn’t exactly put lounge furniture on the list of needs when they started building this base from scratch in 2008. So, like service members at many other bases, the Marines here improvised, using discarded wooden pallets, sand bags and other items hanging around to build the closest thing to a La-Z Boy that you’ll find in a war zone.
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Dan: Been offline because of stateside developments. First, as I am sure you are aware, we lost a Ludlow Marine. Turnout and tributes were tremendous from the community and the Marine Corps. Then, we lost out Massachusetts Dept. , Marine Corps League, Commandant, Joe Summers of South Dennis suddenly on May 28.. He will be waked tomorrow, June 2, and buried on Thurday, June 3, with full military honors. I have followed your reports and the detail you have given them. There is no doubt that you writing and reporting skills have been well honed. Please keep your head down and continue to give us you great files. Let us, MCL, know if the Marines need anything that we can provide…By the way your are eligibile for membership in U.S Marine Combat Correspondents Association.