FOB Delta

After four and a half years of training in ROTC and on active duty I am finally in Iraq. I have known since I first signed my contract that I would one day end up here so I am very excited to finally get settled in. I took an Air Force C-130 flight from Kuwait here to FOB Delta a week and a half ago. I will never complain about turbulence on a commercial flight again. I really need to invest in some Dramamine stock because without two of those pills I probably would have ended up vomiting all over my commander who sat across from me in constant fear of my unfortunate inner-ear woes. I guess I’ve dodged one bullet already.

Much to my surprise, the landscape here in Wasit Province is quite different than that of the Martian looking topography in Kuwait. A light brown soil covers the ground rather than sand and there are even sporadic trees (including palm trees) around the base. To be honest the best description I can give of the environment here is that it looks like a post-apocalyptic central Florida. (Vote Tim Tebow for Heisman and for Wasit Provincial Governor!) I haven’t personally encountered any of the indigenous wildlife yet, however, there are already tales of bats with 20”+ wingspan and jackals with a 6’ vertical leap. I am hoping these stories are the results of typical soldier hyperbole, but I am keeping a loaded magazine with me just in case. My troop lives in a pre-war concrete structure which seems like it was an old project-style apartment building. My room is about 16’X16’ which I share with my Fire Support Sergeant. We have a shower building adjacent to our barracks as well as a bathroom trailer complete with running water! Compared to home, conditions are still fairly primitive, but after living in a refugee camp in Kuwait for three weeks I am thrilled for our new upgrades.

I am fairly confident I have recovered from what was H1N1 flu. There are many confirmed cases within the brigade but I chose not to go to the clinic to find out definitively because that would have meant walking a mile and half through the desert in order to be told to take some ibuprofen and sleep it off. I may have been a government major but I think I could have thought of that myself.

Last week I went out on two missions visiting the local Iraqi Army headquarters of the brigade we will be advising and assisting. The Iraqi soldiers were surprisingly warm and welcoming to us. They seem very motivated to improve as an army and are remarkably willing to accept our help in training their units. On my first day meeting the iraqis I was walking around with a captain who was introducing me to various soldiers in the brigade headquarters. We walked into the communications office and I immediately noticed a very plump Iraqi sergeant whom would be best described as an arab Mario from Super Mario Brothers. Yes, ridiculous mustache included. As soon as he saw me he jumped to his feet and exclaimed in broken english, “Oh yes! He is very beautiful, and then in a flood of Arabic he apparently asked my translator for permission to kiss me. Obviously I didn’t know anything was awry until my translator looked at me in hysterics and I was subsequently blindsided by Iraqi hospitality in the form of a bear hug and bristled kiss on the cheek. Once I recovered from the shock I joined in the laughter enjoyed by everyone else in the room.

Overall I am enjoying my time here more than I expected, but I miss family, friends and one particular Vanderbilt Medical School student quite a lot. Thank you so much for the emails and words of encouragement. Just hearing from people back home makes me feel much less isolated while I am here.