Local craftsman carves impression on Barksdale

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joanna M. Kresge
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  On any given day, Barksdale Airmen see his work in their shops and in businesses throughout the base - a plaque on the wall of a co-worker, the awards board in the hallway of a squadron or a trophy case outside the commander's office. Most Airmen don't think twice about these sightings or the hours of craftsmanship and skills Mike Jarrett, wood craftsman, uses to make each shadow box, flag case or plaque.

Mr. Jarrett has been at the wood hobby shop since 1994, when he was a carpenter in the Air Force. However, his love of wood working goes back to his adolescence.

"I was actually working as a carpenter before I came into the Air Force," he said. "I started when I was about 16, so when I came in I already had a bunch of experience. When I first joined the Air Force my career field was carpentry; which is now known as structures. My job was to build all the remote mobile radar sites for storing bombers."

During his time at the wood shop Mr. Jarrett has built items of all sizes and shapes for various units around the base, and he says the largest can be found at the 917th Wing headquarters.

"The largest item I have probably ever built is sitting in the main hallway at the 917th - it was a trophy case," he said. "It measured 24 feet long, seven feet tall and 15 inches deep, it was a monster.

"I have made lots of other large items throughout the base that you wouldn't think were done here," he continued. "I built the back bar in the lounge of Hangar 2, both 2d Bomb Wing conference tables and various other units tables, I've done somewhere between 50 to 70 recognition boards around the base and a large cell phone cabinet for Air Force Global Strike Command with 108 cubicles. I've got large projects all over this base."

In the years since his arrival at the wood shop Mr. Jarrett has had some odd requests for projects. But what makes his job interesting are the strange items that customers request to be put into shadow boxes.

"There was this one guy who retired whose shadow box was three feet tall, four feet wide and it was shaped like a house," he said. "I've put all kinds of things in shadow boxes over the years - someone's very first drivers license, a little glass bottle filled with sand from a deployment, real guns, toy guns, full bottles of Coca-Cola, a full-size Japanese obi. Just about everything you could possibly imagine I have mounted in a shadow box."

Finding new ways to add odd items to a shadow box is challenging for Mr. Jarrett, but he says his favorite part of his job is finding new ways to make the same project interesting.
"My favorite parts about my job are creating new things and working with people," he said. "I've had people who have changed duty stations or retired out-of-state who call or email me and say 'Remember me? I need help with something.' I like doing that for them."

Mr. Jarrett can recall hundreds of projects he has made over the years, but one stands out in his mind more than the rest.

"The local news did an article about this woman whose son was in the Army and got killed in Iraq about a year before Hurricane Katrina hit," he said. "This lady had an entire room of nothing but his Army memorabilia and she lost it all, every bit of it. I got with his unit and had them contact her, and they sent me back his shadow box which had been underwater for some time and I completely rebuilt it for her. All this news media showed up but I really didn't think it was that big of a deal - it was just a shadow box to me, but it meant something to her."

In order to use the woodshop, customers must be certified - Mr. Jarrett conducts the training, but it doesn't stop there. Mr. Jarrett goes out of his way to make sure every customer gets the help and attention they need when they are working in the wood shop.
"Once someone finishes that class they get to keep the shelf they build and they can build anything in the shop they want to," said Mr. Jarrett. "Of course you can't learn wood working in eight hours - it just doesn't work that way. We will continue to work with them whenever they come in and give them help when they need it."

For many customers, Mr. Jarrett's help is a valuable tool in their belt.

"Mike helps me with folding flags for shadow boxes, and helps me complete my projects safer and cheaper," said Tech. Sgt. Steven Lounsbury, 2d Logistics Readiness Squadron equipment support supervisor.

For more information about the wood hobby shop or their services call 456-3409.