Back in Iraq
Well, after 68 hours of travel time, and nearly 8,000 frequent-flyer miles, I’m finally back in Iraq following my two week leave. Here’s a dissertation on the trip back, if you are so inclined. I tried to keep it pithy.
15 0420 SEP 06 (MST) - Boarded a Super-Shuttle to take me to the airport. My 0705 flight took me to Dallas-Fort Worth, which is a hub for all soldiers and marines flying into country and back out of country for Iraq, Afghanistan, and several other Middle East and East African countries. I ended up waiting several hours at Dallas, but as usual, I was treated great by the USO people and have access to the American Airline’s Admirals Club during my wait. Next stop - Gander, Newfoundland; then Bucharest, Hungary; and finally into Kuwait. From Kuwait, I’ll get on a military transport back to my base in Iraq. Hopefully (fingers crossed), I can catch a flight straight to my base. Otherwise, I’ll be staying overnight at some other base in Iraq, looking to find some flight home.
15 1130 SEP 06 (CT) - Dallas - got in at about 1130 local time, but then had to wait around until 1500 to actually report in. Then, after reporting in and getting our luggage taken care of, had to wait around until 1830 to actually board the plane. Lots of hurry up and wait, but the USO was absolutely wonderful and made the wait much more bearable. They even had a country singer performing at the gate while we waited. The USO club had internet access, free drinks and hot food, TV, movies, and video games - first rate all around. If you want to donate to an organization that supports the troops, I would highly recommend donating to the USO.
16 0230 SEP 06 - Gander, Newfoundland - After about 4-1/2 hours of flight, we landed in Newfoundland for a brief layover. Gander is 30 minutes different than the rest of the time zone it is sitting in, which caught everyone a little off guard when we were told what the local time was. Another interesting fact (at least from this USA point of view) is the numerous references to England and the Queen of England. A huge plaque talked about how Queen Elizabeth II personally dedicated the air terminal in 1959. Her photo was hanging on the wall, along with the flag of Britain. To a person coming from a colony that broke away from the British Empire, we Americans find it strange that a sovereign country like Canada would still be beholding to the mother country. I overheard a conversation between a pair of soldiers that went something like this…
The question - “What’s with all the British flags and the pictures of the Queen of England?”
The straight-faced reply - “Oh, it’s because Canada is still England’s bitch!”
I don’t know how true that is, but it was pretty funny at the time.
16 1445 SEP 06 - Bucharest, Hungary - stop over in Hungary, but we weren’t allowed to get off the plane. Sat on the tarmac for about an hour and then we were off again for another five hours of flying. They tell us that Kuwait is a pleasant 98 degrees - which, coming from a desert region myself, isn’t that bad. So far, I’ve been traveling nearly 27 hours and have gotten maybe an hour’s worth of sleep. Once I get to Kuwait, my plan is to get a flight to Balad (LSA Anaconda). That’s not my final destination (I’m actually located near Mosul), but they’ve got an actual movie theater with first-run movies at Balad, so it isn’t a bad place to over-night. Unfortunately, the base I’m actually stationed at isn’t on the normal aircraft runs, so it can be difficult to get a flight straight into it from Kuwait. However, I know that Balad has a couple different options I can take - UH60 or Sherpa. My other option was FOB Diamondback, but their accommodations stink (and I mean literally), and they don’t have as many flights to where I want to go.
17 SEP 06 I arrived at Ali Aslem airbase in Kuwait at around 0230 in the morning, local time. There, we picked up our body armor and our bags and were told to report back at 0730 for a flight roll call for Balad, Iraq. I got a couple hours of sleep, but my tent mates woke me up at four in the morning as they had an earlier flight. So, only a few more hours of sleep. I finally was able to get onto a flight to Balad at 1130 local time. That was a C-130. There was nothing going to my final destination that day, so I ended up overnighting in yet another tent. I was exhausted, so went to bed at about 1700. I got about eight hours of sleep before the air conditioning woke me up (very cold). Of course, that was something like 0130. Got up and watched Sunday football, beamed in from the U.S. Thankfully, my Dallas Cowboys won.
18 1230 SEP 06 - I was scheduled for an 1130 with a 1020 show time on a UH60. Luckily, all went well and I found myself the only occupant for the one-hour flight to my home base. Got in, caught a ride from a guy in my unit, and I’m now back in my CHU blogging!
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DoubleTap, glad you made safely - now stay that way!
BTW, you were kidding, right? You dont really root for the Cowboys???
Mr Papa