FOB Delta - Part III

Just a few photos before 

FOB Delta - Part II

As it has been several months since I posted anything to this blog I feel almost ashamed to do so now.  But as I have previously posted internet access is not a luxury.  However, time has marched on and so has my life at FOB Delta.  The details of my day to day life here (although currently I am once again in Ali Al Salem) are fairly routine.  On May 24th we did move into CHUS (Crappy Housing Units) that are new and provide me with a space to myself.  Plus, there are showers and latrines nearby.  The dining facility, PX and other MWR facilities are within walking distance.  Gone are the days of living in the bunkers!!!

The CHUS have there bad side as well - they are loud as you can hear your neighbor on each side of you....hell, you can hear when someone walks by on the gravel outside of your room.  Speaking of gravel - it is everywhere here in theatre.  You get extremely tired of trudging over it day after day - it wears you out and is killer on your shoes.  But, as with everything it does keep the dust down.  And so, speaking of dust this brings me to another disadvantage of CHU life - DUST!  It gets everywhere in your room!!!!  The problem is mainly the doors as they do not come with any type of rubber seal around them.  Iraq has some hellacious dust storms - they grind things to a halt very quickly.

I like most of the work that I do.  However, time has gone by very slowly for me.  I wish that I could say otherwise.  But, without a lot of entertainment options you find yourself going stir crazy at times.  So, I find that a good idea to write a blog has gone by the wayside due to my lack of internet availability.  And, the days do really start to run together.  Some are marked by work accomplishments, failures, frustrations, etc. At times you really start to wonder why you are here.  It is difficult to have a job that really has no end to it.....Iraq will be changed once the U.S. leaves (if we ever do) but if you understand the history of this country a lot will have remained the same.  One can only hope history doesn't repeat itself.  

FOB Delta

For those of you who don't know I am now at a location called FOB Delta which is near Al Kut. Briefly, since I don't have a lot of time I will explain the setup here. First, no luxuries are present here. The post is new and the Army never runs a good MWR. So, there is no real internet access for personal use. I am sitting at an MWR computer right now that I had to wait in line to gain access - I waited about 1 hour to be able to get 30 minutes or so on the sytem. That actually is a good wait time.

We have one dining facility - it is always busy. I live in a concret bunker that once housed Iraqi fighter planes. I share a small room with a guy named David is as weird as they come. The dude is a neat freak.

I don't have any pictures to share right now but eventually I will load some into this post along with more info about life here in Al Kut.

Baghdad to Al Kut.....via a Blackhawk

This is a quick post as I am now in Al Kut or FOB Delta. The internet connection availability here is limited at best. Anyhow, just to focus on the trip from Baghdad to Al Kut. I was able to get on a Blackhawk out of Baghdad Airport - it was a crowded flight. It took about three hours to arrive in Al Kut - stopping at three other locations along the way.

I took several photographs as we flew down as I had one of the seats next to the door. There was only one other civilian on the helo and it was full of items. Some photos turned out pretty good but I can't post all of them here. It was neat to see Baghdad from the air and then the countryside of Iraq as we flew down. I was struck at some of the views from the air - you just can't imagine what it looks like until you actually see it.
The first photo I posted is of me in the helo - I was able to stick my hand down between some bags and take an upshot - you can still my bag in the photo.

This photo is an arial view of Al Kut - very beautiful for the most part. There are several bridges that connect the two sides of the city.

The Journey Begins - Ft Benning & Ali Al Salem

First, let me dispel any myth about my writing skills; everything sounds good in my head as I write but the end product usually reads like a third grader composed it. So, my humble apologies right up front to those that read this blog.

I decided in early February 2008 to accept a position with L3 Communications - the job location in Iraq (specific location TBD). The reason was simple; I wanted to fulfill a need to participate in the war effort before the opportunity passed me by. This decision was made with the self awareness of not looking back 10 to 20 years down the road and saying, "what if". Yes, I served in the Army but I never felt proud of the accomplishments I made or the tours of duty or missions I participated in. So, in short I already felt a void that needed to be filled.

I completed the necessary paperwork and other prerequisites that L3 required. Certainly there were some hoops to jump through. Also, there were the usual family considerations that were dealt with. However, those issues are not the focus of this blog; rather I want to comment on my experiences here documenting the details that usually escape one's memory over time.
One of the main hoops to jump through as a contractor to get into Iraq is to pass through the Conus Replacement Center (CRC) at Fort Benning, Georgia. A fun few days of paperwork, briefings and other items all leads to getting on a contracted plane (awarded to the lowest bidder mind you) and flying to Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait. The CRC may be a shock for those who do not have military service - in short the old adage of "hurry up and wait" is the norm for this process. Waiting in line with around 400 people or so becomes a necessity to eat, obtain gear, move to a location, etc, etc.

The CRC process usually goes as such: fly in on a Friday, start processing on Saturday and fly out on Thursday. Of course my stay lasted longer - we flew out on Tuesday having spent the extra weekend there. The declaration of bankruptcy by several airlines delayed our departure. We were housed over the weekend in an the Freedom Hall airport terminal - sleeping on cots, watching large screen TVs and eating meals that were brought in.

The flight to Kuwait was a pleasant one for the most part. We flew for around 7 to 8 hours into Shannon, Ireland. We had a small layover and then headed on into Kuwait - a flight that lasted around 6 hours. From the Kuwait we were bused into Ali Al Salem - which is about an hour bus ride from the airport. Ali Al Salem is a transition point for people moving in and out of theatre - it is also a shit hole that the Army is famous for putting together. Coming back from Germany in 1997 I stayed at a placed called Babenhausen (sic) and I thought the conditions there were deplorable. Ali Al Salem makes Babenhausen look like a resort.

First, the process once getting off the bus was a chaotic unorganized nightmare. Mind you I shouldn't complain but arriving into the base around 2300 and stumbling around after a 16 hours plus flight wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Basically, we were provided a small briefing that was heard by only a few people. We unloaded our bags from the back of a truck and then herded through 3 tents filling out paperwork and getting items stamped, etc. The "line" way of life continued. Eventually we were able to obtain our quarters for the duration of our stay - a bunk (with no linen or pillow) inside of a tent which houses 16 people.


Ali Al Salem is a 24 hour operation, so the lights never go out in your room. People are shuffling in and out at all hours of the day. There is no way to lock up your items and there are no creature comforts provided. Latrines are located away from your tent - in my case about 100 yards down a path past rows of tents. The latrines are filthy, smell horrible and are always busy. Granted, there is plenty of graffiti left on the bathroom stalls to occupy your time while using the toilet.

The shower facilities are next to the latrines in the same type of trailer. Their conditions are equally nasty - it strikes you early on that you must use the bathroom in one trailer and then move to another to shower. Again, I must point out that in the Army there are times that a shower (any shower) is a luxury in itself! 

Of course Ali Al Salem has a small area that has AAFES facilities - there is a Subway, McDonald's and other food places.  There are an assortment of other shops to buy phones, surf the net or buy a rug.  The dining facility (DFAC) serves up good food (I had steak and lobster once during my stay at Ali Al Salem).  There is an MWR tent, fitness workout area, USO stage and building.  In short you can find things to do while you are staying in Ali Al Salem but you still want to make your stay here as short as possible.  Get in, get out and get on with your life!

All branches pass through Ali Al Salem - it is reserved for the smaller units, or individual troops passing through. Of course all civilians and contractors go through here. The process is straightforward enough: arrive, book flight to Baghdad, get on plane and leave! And like thousands before me I made it through the process flying into Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) on 8 April 2008 aboard an Air Force C-17. My attire consisted of a flak vest and Kevlar (helmet) but I'm really not sure why - the Air Force even activates the "red" lights to indicate the war zone air space.

So, that is a short but somewhat complete overview of the beginning of this journey. As time permits I'll add in more details but this at least provides me a starting point.