Holidays Away

I have been in Iraq for about six weeks now and am thankful to have begun feeling a battle rhythm for this deployment. I run patrols, escort missions or conduct training for Iraqi soldiers about 4 times a week and spend the other 3 days making sure my soldiers and equipment will be prepared for the next day’s operation. Fortunately in the past few days our pace has slowed down slightly, providing a little extra time for myself (a 12-14 hour day or working is wonderfully light compared to what some days have been like thus far). Two weeks ago marked my first Thanksgiving away from home. As you can imagine it was very hard being away from home, missing out on my Mom’s cooking and also missing out on the rare privilege of having my whole family together. Ironically though I found myself thankful for such a stark reminder of how much my family truly means to me.
I suppose a lonely Thanksgiving also provided my often overactive and possibly overly-analytical mind some free time to wander and philosophize. I had never left the United States until boarded the plane to Kuwait back in October. I have periodically paid lip service to the ambiguous idea that even lower and middle class Americans are some of the wealthiest people in world history. However, considering the only economic comparison available to me during my youth was the sprawling suburbia of Virginia Beach along with some isolated missions trips, my perception of the world was very limited. Praise God my eyes have been opened. The building I live in now would more than likely be condemned back home and I admit I furled my brow during my first look at it, but after my first patrol out in Al Kut I gained an appreciation for my accommodations in a hurry. I have A/C, clean sheets, hot showers and a mini-fridge. What more could you ask for in a war zone? Meanwhile I drive by what real poverty looks like every day and it is sobering. Nevertheless I see children playing, smiling, waving and giving the most impassioned “thumbs up” you will ever hope to see.

Our “wealth” as Americans, however, extends far past our economic circumstances. Our sense of safety and security at home is unimaginable here. These people live an in a place where rocket attacks, small arms fire and Rocket Propelled Grenades are a way of life. Considering recent events on our base I find myself walking at night around the FOB making mental notes of the nearest bunkers in case we take incoming rockets. I find myself along with many other soldiers eating in the dining facility flinching at the sound of thunder or a trash dumpster slamming to the ground and then laughing self-consciously at the realization that the noise was harmless. While don’t get me wrong, the war here is going very well and stability is a realistic goal, you must remember that stability is relative. A few days ago 200 Iraqis were killed an in instant by a coordinated car bomb attack and yet life moves on. During this upcoming Christmas season I encourage you to reflect and thank God for the great wealth and safety he has provided for all of us.

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.

Camp Buehring, Kuwait

I've been here at Camp Buehring, Kuwait for about 10 days now and am just starting to get used to being the in middle east. I should be heading to Iraq sometime next week. To say the terrain is desolate would be a wild understatement. The only life of any kind here other than the soldiers walking around kicking up dust are the incessant flies and occasional camel spiders. Everything else is powdery sand that is much more like dirt. The few buildings we have here are hardly more than trailers or warehouse style garages. The only other structures here are large tents where we sleep. Imagine an enormous refugee camp on the planet Tatooine (minus one sun of course) and you will pretty much have the right vision of where I live. I live in an approximately 2,000 square ft. tent with the rest of my 80 soldier cavalry troop. Personal space is scarce.

Camp Buehring functions as the main staging area for units like mine on the verge of heading north into Iraq. We spend about half of each day in classes or last minute small-arms training and the other half the day sitting on our cots, working out in the gym or using the wifi in the one foothold of western capitalism in the middle east, Starbucks. Yes, you can defend an emerging nation from radical islamic terrorists and get your Grande Coffee Frappuccino at the end of the day too. War certainly has changed since D-Day. The training has varied from briefings on the latest insurgent tactics to working in Hummvee (our main combat vehicle) rollover simulators. Being the eco-friendly beacon of freedom that we truly are, the army has recycled destroyed Hummvees, hooked them up to amusement-park style rotation devices and developed some super fun training for all of us wide-eyed combat soldiers. The beginning of the briefing confirms that yes, neck and spinal injuries are fairly common so be sure to tuck your head when you crash into the ceiling. We get in the rebuilt Hummvee wearing all 60+lbs of our body armor/assorted gear and wait for the human washing machine to get rolling. Once I was upside down and sufficiently regretting my decision to leave my Dramamine back in the tent, the instructors yell "Exit the vehicle!". The air is quickly filled with a cacophony of seat belts unfastening, soldiers falling on their heads and an assortment of curses from the back seat that would make a sailor blush. I was one of the fortunate few who got the advice to open your door while dangling upside down and then flip out of the vehicle once you unfasten your belt. A quick flip that would have made Kerri Strug proud and I was able to escape the Hummvee and avoid being paralyzed.

I'm definitely looking forward to leaving Kuwait and getting settled into my Forward Operating Base in Iraq. I should have my own room and there are there are exciting little rumors of wifi in our rooms. Next thing you know they might even give us air-conditioning! Its really a tough life.

...more to follow soon. Keep in touch!