Post 2 - Journey to Iraq – Part II (Kuwait to Iraq)

5pm – Arrived in Kuwait

After a refreshing overnight flight in Business class, I thought I would be very well rested for the second leg of my journey. However, when you get on a plane at 10pm, go to sleep, and wake up and the sun is SETTING because it’s already past 5PM at your designation, this does something to your internal clock that no amount of sleep can compensate for. The feeling is surreal to say the least. ..
My classmates and I were greeted at the Kuwait airport by “Z” and taken to the transient camp to await our second flight to our destination. The camp was located about 45 minutes outside the city, and so I got the opportunity to see a bit of the Kuwait on way.

It’s very brown. Sandy brown to be specific.

Seriously though, the average income in Kuwait is $55,000/year (according to my new friend, Kevin), and most life in Kuwait centers around Kuwait city and the surrounding neighborhoods (for those of you who are not even sure where Kuwait is, it’s on the Southeast border of Iraq, on the coast of the Gulf and looks pretty small on a map). The official language is Arabic, the dominate religion is conservative Shunni muslim, but there is religious freedom in the country – so long as your religion does not conflict with general public or morality (according to the internet). The airport was an interesting assortment of old and new world. You’d see a crowd of men dressed traditional, covered heads and long sleeved thobes, but then the crowd would part and you’d see handful of high rolling men that looked like their suits could be Armani! It should be noted, however, the dress did not at all distinguish class, but merely preference on attire. The cars were of the same equal mix, but this perhaps did distinguish class-- You had old clunkers that one would expect to see in a developing country (1980s Toyota’s and such), but the roads were absolutely NOT in a shortage of flashy, very expensive sports cars. I saw more bling blings in my short trip to the camp than I’ve ever seen in the US!

Alcohol and pork are both illegal in Kuwait.

As I said, it’s rather brown there. However, amongst the brown background, I saw something interesting on the trip to the camp. The desert was littered with specs of green. Green tents that is. I asked Z what all the tents were for. Did people live on the side of the 4 lane highway? No, it was men, going into the “country” to spend the weekend living as their ancestors did before modern advances. So I guess, this would be Kuwait’s version of camping?

Anyways, after about 45 minutes or so, the sun was down and we had reached the camp. Or at least our first checkpoint. This is where we exited the vehicles, pulled out our bags, opened them up, left all the car doors open and went to a “holding” area while our possessions were searched. This took about 30 minutes, and then onto a huge warehouse to pick up our IBA (armor). Finally, around 8pm, we arrived at the camp. After about two more ID check points, we were free to wonder the now pitch black camp. Four of us were told to return at midnight for our flight to Iraq. The other two—Lynn and Barney-- were given a bed in a tent and told their name would be put on the list for their designation. Lynn and Barney had 23 people in front of them on their list. I never heard from them after I left Kuwait so I have no idea if they waited a day, two days, or a week for a flight. Hopefully only a day or two.

I’ll try my best to describe the Kuwait camp without boring you… I now know what it’s like to live on Mars (during a war). In fact, I very well could be on Mars and I wouldn’t know the difference—sand, heat, sand colored buildings surrounded on all 4 sides with 12 ft high concrete t-walls; dirt and gravel roads; very large, foreign looking vehicles that would seem appropriate for a place like Mars with rough terrain and minimal gravity…..and McDonalds—open 24/7. I feel all of these are very likely to be found on Mars (and the fact that it’s pitch black with very limited orange fluorescent lighting coming from the golden arch and the local carpeting “world trailer” adds to the effect). I’ve been to 9 or 10 different countries and this US base is the weirdest looking place I’ve ever been… I mean, really, I’m standing in the dark, on a dirt “road” (there really isn’t a curb, change in terrain or anything to distinguish the road from the “neighborhood”—I just know it’s a road because I’m in a tunnel of t-walls)—I’m standing on a dirt road, surrounded by a maze of oversized MRAPs, Hummers, t-walls and camel tents. But then I walk 50ft down (note, that not one vehicle is actually DRIVING on these roads) and there’s a stop sign, roads signs, and even a blue post office box for good measure. What traffic is the stop sign stopping?!? And don’t forget about the pizza hut, KCF and McDonalds trailer at the corner of Vermont and Missouri!

I shake it off and decide to head to the MWR (don’t ask what it stands for, bc I don’t know –it’s the moral tent) to use a phone and call ma and pa. I walk into the tent (it’s the size of about half a football field to give you some perspective on size) and decide to take a seat at the “movie theatre” since all the computers and phones are being used at the moment—and eat my mcnuggets I just bought. Oh, and I didn’t get change from the McDonalds. Around here they give flimsy cardboard coins (kind of like pogs) with values of 5, 10 or 25 cents. Just now, a man with army gym shorts, t-shirt, PX plastic grocery bag and an AK-47 just walked in, scoped the place out and walked out.

And by looking around at everyone in this tent, this all seems NORMAL to them!! That’s the strangest part of them all!

Good thing I only have to be here until midnight!

Or so I thought…I was wrong. We didn’t have showtime at midnight. We checked in at midnight (and I don’t have a name here – I’m referred to by the last 4 digits of my SSN). Then we were on “lockdown” in this tent until my flight number was called.

To jump ahead, this happened around 2am. At that time Randy, Bill, Borat (I’m not sure how to pronounce his real name, so that’s what I’m calling him in my blog bc he looks and sounds just like Borat) put on our vest and helmet and hurried into a bus to take us to the C-130. The curtains were drawn on the bus so I had no idea where I was going. A hunch I had is that we were taken to the taxi-way to board the C-130….

I was right.

Sometime after 300am the C-130 finally took off with about 100 military (and the 4 of us) on it. The ride was a little over an hour and half. The adrenaline rush of being on a C-130 aircraft gave me a second wind. Until I realized how uncomfortable they were, especially with all the IBA on and when I haven’t slept in what seemed like days.

After landing we were met by a man from the Corps to take us to our sleeping quarters about 15 minutes away. Wahoo!! It was past 430am by then and I was READY for bed!!! We went to a desk, picked up our keys and then we were driven around the corner to the “CHU’s” (split trailers with two rooms, one bathroom). Oh man, I’ve never been so excited for my bed. I didn’t even care if it was a cot, sleeping bag, dirt floor—just let me STOP MOVING!

The key to my room didn’t work. Nor did Borat’s.

I’ll end my journey to Iraq by saying at this point the sun was on its way up. So my travel buddies and I gave up. We surrendered to the life in the desert and accepted the fact that we would not be sleeping. I left VA on Friday, and it was now Sunday morning. We went down to the dining facility for breakfast, then to the office to begin our in-briefing and start our first day of work.

Welcome to Iraq…I’m SUPER excited about the next 6 months…