GHAZNI, Afghanistan - When the Vermont National Guard's 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain) took over at a little known Forward Operating Base here called Vulcan, they did not know what they would find.
Tucked in the back of the compound in a forgotten storage bunker, one Soldier found just the type of challenge he needed to help pass the time and deal with the thought of being so far from home.
Behind all the surplus parts was an early 1970s motorcycle, which would soon become Spc. Skyler W. Genest's mission to fix and ride.
"We gathered everything up and brought it back to our room and started to look at it to see if we could get it to run," he said. "I know a little bit about motorcycles, so on our down time we started to take it apart to see if we could get it back together."
A long-time motorcycle enthusiast, Genest is stationed here as a military policeman with Detachment One, attached to the 1/172nd Cavalry Squadron out of Northfield, Vt.
When he is not working for the Army, he is employed by the University of Vermont police department, and in the summer is part of their motorcycle patrol unit.
So when he saw the project bike in front of him, he saw the potential for fun and could not wait to start on it.
"It was in decent shape, the frame was all there," Genest said. "It was not real pretty but everything we needed to run it was there, so we started working on it."
Getting it running has not been without its challenges. Many parts were unusable due to the age of the bike, but its neglect did not stop Genest. He compiled a list of parts that he needed and went looking for the replacements while on local missions.
"Some of the things we found were a throttle cable and some fuel line on our first mission out," he said. "That is the goal, mission by mission we would find pieces and parts and what we needed to keep it running. We would enlist the help of the interpreters when we went out, and they would find the parts we needed from the local bike shop owners, and they would hook us up with the parts we needed."
With one quick look at the bike, the gas tank looks like a little bit of G.I. ingenuity. Attached where the original gas tank used to be located is a .50-caliber machine gun ammunition box. The box is fitted and sealed with a fuel control valve, complete with a fuel filter sealed to prevent any leakage.
"The fuel tank really stands out," said Genest. "When we got it, we saw the original tank was completely rusted out on the inside. So our innovative idea was to take an ammo can and put it where the rusted tank was. We just have to scrounge to get anything to keep this running."
When you ask Genest about what type of bike it is, his experience and qualifications as a bike enthusiast quickly become evident. He will let you know every part and style of his bike and what parts don't belong to it originally.
Someone before him must have been just as resourceful as he was. "It started life out as a Honda," he said. "It is a 125n, a early 1970's model, but it has some aftermarket parts on it. The engine has been replaced and the exhaust is not original, but it is the typical bike for this area. It has been beaten up, but these things are pretty incredible. They can take a beating and they still run."
Many Soldiers find outlets to vent in their stressful lives here in Afghanistan. Some work out, some find solace in computer games and some find hobbies to keep them busy.
Genest is the first one to admit this is his outlet, and it keeps him grounded during this long deployment.
"I can't wait to get home to the base," he said. "This project is the first thing I think about, because we are bringing parts home from the mission, and most of the time we have parts. I can't wait until I have a down day so I can throw the parts on the bike to get it running.
"It also reminds me of home back in Vermont. I like to work on small engines. Hopefully when it is running it will help to relive some stress as I run it around the base."
When the bike is fixed and the next group comes to take over FOB Vulcan, Genest has no plans on trying to bring it back to Vermont. Even with all the hard work, he plans on leaving it here for the next unit to enjoy, and maybe it will find a place in the day-to-day operations on the FOB.
"We are going to leave it for the next unit or give it to the interpreters," said Genest. "We are not going to try to bring this thing home. The bike belongs in this country. I am sure somebody will get some enjoyment out of it when we leave."