JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Cleaning military-issued gear before returning it is something every service member has to do.
What You Need to Know
A veteran-owned business works to help active duty service members on Camp Lejeune
The business cleans every piece of gear issued to a service member
Owner Rafael Musikul says the company has a 99% success rate with gear they cleaned being turned in
Rafael Musikul and one of his fellow veteran friends decided to try and make the "check out" process easier for Marines on Camp Lejeune.
“We clean the field gear for the Marines and sailors that are either getting out or PCS'ing to another duty station, and they have to clean in their gear, obviously clean to the CIF warehouse, and so we do it for them,” said Musikul, who owns CIF Cleaning Services in Jacksonville.
Musikul got out of the Marine Corps in 2001. He doesn't remember every step of the checkout process, but knows there is a lot to do, and cleaning gear can be very frustrating. He feels satisfied knowing he played an important role in the process.
Many of the people he has cleaned gear for thank him for taking the work off their plate, saving them time and making their transition to the civilian world easier.
Musikul said much of the work relies on elbow grease, but they do have a system in place to ensure the work is done correctly.
“We're always just brainstorming ways to do something quicker, so I think the process we have is about as quick and efficient as you can get it. We still try to come up with things, but I think it's pretty solid right now,” Musikul said.
Musikul and his staff have a goal of making sure the gear is clean the first time, so the Marines and sailors on Camp Lejeune don't have to make more than one trip to the central issue facility warehouse. They know what to look for and areas to target that need the most cleaning.
“They are probably just the first and only time they'll do it, so they're pretty much just doing it blind and probably overdoing things they don't need to do and not hitting things they should be hitting and still getting rejected,” Musikul said.
The company doesn't currently have a contract with the military, but Musikul is confident word can spread, and his company can continue to ensure more Marines aren't stressing about cleaning their gear at the end of their contracts.