Heading North

(written on/about July 20, 2007)

After a few days in Kuwait, I was paroled from my stay at our desert camp and put on a flight north to Iraq to my new home—which I’ll call “FOB Enormo.” My colleagues, alas, will be spending another few days in Kuwait including a couple of nights at a remote training range with none of the comforts of home.

Since we had been staying in a large tent with no furniture except for our cots, I was able to pack up in short order. One item of discussion was how to set up our IBA for the trip north. On arrival in Kuwait, we were instructed that we could remove the side armor, groin protector and arm guards that provide additional protection (and are generally intended for use by soldiers out on convoys). This was a welcome relief since these items add both weight and heat to the armor.

As we prepared for our flight, however, word filtered in that we were to re-attach all of these components to our armor. There was much grumbling since we had already packed these pieces. Several of my colleagues noted that no one from the unit would be there to check up on us as we departed and thus we could likely wear whatever we wanted. I asked myself, “what would my family and beloved Elf want me to do? “

It took me about 10 minutes to find and re-attach the additional armor.

I bid brief goodbyes to Tommy and Apollo (John was nowhere to be found…probably up at the recreation center). After a short prayer from our chaplain, we loaded the bus after nightfall for the trip to the airfield. It was difficult to see many stars due to dust and artificial lighting, but there was a beautiful crescent moon as we set out. The bus trip was quiet; some of us slept while others were lost in their own thoughts. The body armor and the live ammunition we were issued when boarding the bus were clear reminders that were heading into potentially dangerous territory.

We flew north on a C-130 cargo aircraft, along with soldiers from another unit and their gear. The first stop was at their base in northern Iraq, which meant that would have a multi-hour flight and would actually pass FOB Enormo during the initial trip north. The addition of a second stop also meant that we would have two opportunities to enjoy the dubious thrill of a combat landing.

Our “combat landings” were rather anticlimactic. I had been told by others that we would make a very steep descent—kind of like riding a roller coaster—along with a lot of various evasive maneuvers as we got closer to the ground. Our landings were a little faster and a bit steeper than a typical airline landing, but they weren’t anything like a roller coaster (unless it was a kid’s coaster).

On arrival at FOB Enormo, we were treated to the first order of business: a video about what to do when you hear the alert sirens sound on FOB Enormo in the event of a rocket or mortar attack. Wow. I was extremely tired from the trip but I had no trouble staying awake through the video!

It is going to be an interesting year.