"..there is always something to see in a desert, with a bit of patience
and an eye for detail..." - Kuwait Travel Information,
lonelyplanet.com
and an eye for detail..." - Kuwait Travel Information,
lonelyplanet.com
Did I mention that Kuwait is always best in your rear view mirror? Let me clarify that statement. If you are in the U.S. Army, Kuwait is always best in your rear view mirror. And like I said before, that's true both coming and going. As soon as I woke up from my post-travel sleep I began plotting my escape from Camp Buehring. This little place is where units deploying to I
raq stop for a few days of additional training. Never mind that the training is identical to stuff we'd just been validated in only two weeks prior. The folks on high say we have to do it again. Essentially this means, "we couldn't book you a flight on to Iraq right away so here's something for you to do while you wait." Our "training" would consist of walking through another Counter-IED lane with instructors from MPRI. CSM and I immediately went to our LNO at Camp Buehring and informed him that we needed to be pushed forward ASAP. I also tapped two more key members of my staff to come with us. Our ADVON was already at COB Speicher and we needed to catch up with them. Fortunately, the LNO complied and started looking for a flight north. In the meantime, we sat through the training and explored lovely Camp Buehring. The place is dreary and dry. It is a camp in the middle of nowhere.
raq stop for a few days of additional training. Never mind that the training is identical to stuff we'd just been validated in only two weeks prior. The folks on high say we have to do it again. Essentially this means, "we couldn't book you a flight on to Iraq right away so here's something for you to do while you wait." Our "training" would consist of walking through another Counter-IED lane with instructors from MPRI. CSM and I immediately went to our LNO at Camp Buehring and informed him that we needed to be pushed forward ASAP. I also tapped two more key members of my staff to come with us. Our ADVON was already at COB Speicher and we needed to catch up with them. Fortunately, the LNO complied and started looking for a flight north. In the meantime, we sat through the training and explored lovely Camp Buehring. The place is dreary and dry. It is a camp in the middle of nowhere. However, Camp Buehring isn't as comical as Ali Al Salem Airbase. Ali is the gateway to Iraq and Afghanistan. Every Soldier who flies through Kuwait has to spend at least a few hours at Ali Al Salem. This is Disney World. It's a neverworld of different rules, dirty tents, civilian clothes, grab-assing under the MWR te
nt, and unsanitary looking food courts that are a fly's wet dream. Permanent party people assigned to AAS pretend as though they are hardcore, toughing out a dangerous deployment. Yet, in their off-duty hours they can be found lounging in civvies, falling out with PDA on someone of the opposite sex while dining on McDonalds from the food court. I can't stand AAS and every minute I spend there irritates me. CSM was ready to explode on various people he saw. I had to remind him that this was AAS, different rules applied - what I call "Kuwait Rules." The only good news is that we were Space-R on a C130. We only had to endure AAS for a few hours while we waited. Three days after arriving in Kuwait, we were flying north to Iraq.
nt, and unsanitary looking food courts that are a fly's wet dream. Permanent party people assigned to AAS pretend as though they are hardcore, toughing out a dangerous deployment. Yet, in their off-duty hours they can be found lounging in civvies, falling out with PDA on someone of the opposite sex while dining on McDonalds from the food court. I can't stand AAS and every minute I spend there irritates me. CSM was ready to explode on various people he saw. I had to remind him that this was AAS, different rules applied - what I call "Kuwait Rules." The only good news is that we were Space-R on a C130. We only had to endure AAS for a few hours while we waited. Three days after arriving in Kuwait, we were flying north to Iraq.Our C130 landed at Joint Base Balad (LSA Anaconda). I am very familiar with JBB, having been based there during my last deployment. It really hasn't changed much except there are fewer people and facilities. The retrograde from Iraq is in full-swing. Unfortunately, we couldn't continue flying north to Speicher. We would be at JBB for at least a day waiting for the next leg of our journey. No convoys were available either. After sitting through the "Mortaritaville" briefing for about the 50th time, another LNO took us to the DVQ (Distinguished Visitors Quarters). CSM, my two staff members and I would enjoy a huge upgrade in our billets. It turned out that the music group Vertical Horizon was also staying there. They were at JBB to perform a free concert that night. I thought about going but refrained. Instead, I hit the USO with my laptop. That night we were entertained by a mortar attack fended off by the CRAM (Counter Rocket and Mortar). Folks in the DVQ couldn't help but hear everything. The CRAM is right next door. I took it that the bad guys were disappointed at not being invited to the Vertical Horizon concert.
The next day we were under a "weather hold." No rotary-wing flights could be conducted and there were no fixed-wing flights scheduled for Speicher. We were stuck in JBB another day. I hit the gym, PX, USO and then made the mistake of eating an "Italian" restaurant across the street from the DVQ. My stomach paid the price. I warned CSM not to go there but he did anyway. He had the same result. The waiting continued but not for long. The LNO let us know there was a fixed-wing to Speicher the next morning. We were almost there. Almost....
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