Given that I returned to LSAA at around 0130 there was no way I was getting up early. I told my team I didn’t want to see them until after lunch. I slept in till 0800 and then chilled in place over coffee. I rolled into the office around 1030.The day turned out to be much busier than I planned. However, I did have time to reflect on a few things regarding FOB Warhorse.
Graffiti – As I walked around the place I made it a point to poke my head in port-o-jons and latrines in search of juicy Joe commentary. The FOB was devoid of graffiti. I figured that a depressing place like Warhorse would be a flashpoint of Joe morale statements. Yet I couldn’t find a single word, sketch, or symbol. It was possible that KBR recently changed out the portable toilets. That wouldn’t explain the lack of expression on the walls of the containerized latrines. I guess FOB Warhorse is just such a mind-numbing place that Joe is too catatonic to write anything. One day at the place and all I could think of was AC and sleep.
IDF – Warhorse is near Baqubah. There’ve been major offensive operations ongoing in the area. When I flew there I expected the FOB to be a noisy place. I was wrong. While small, dusty, and cramped, the FOB was whisper quiet. I never heard a single alarm, announcement, or even a weapon the whole time I was there. Obviously the operations being conducted had sequestered any insurgent activity.
Sunsets – See the photo. Regardless of where I go the sunsets are always spectacular. I think it has to do with the dusty haze of this place. The sun always sets in a hue of spectacular reds and oranges. It would be a photographer’s (or realist painter’s) dream. The setting sun always provides a pastoral scene of serenity to every FOB. When I took a photo of the sunset at Warhorse a nearby soldier was quick to say, “that’s gonna make a great picture, sir!” He’s right. It did.
I’ve come to be grateful that I’m deployed in this capacity. My team is making a significant difference to the Joes who are outside the wire every day. We bring hope. My team’s presence is a sign to the warfighters that they will be going home soon. The support we provide means they’ll go home with less glitches. By the time this deployment is over I’ll have visited almost every single FOB in Iraq. What’s more important is that I’ll have directly supported Joes everywhere in their redeployment. FOB Warhorse was definitely an armpit but I’m glad to have seen the place. I’ll be there again very soon.
Graffiti – As I walked around the place I made it a point to poke my head in port-o-jons and latrines in search of juicy Joe commentary. The FOB was devoid of graffiti. I figured that a depressing place like Warhorse would be a flashpoint of Joe morale statements. Yet I couldn’t find a single word, sketch, or symbol. It was possible that KBR recently changed out the portable toilets. That wouldn’t explain the lack of expression on the walls of the containerized latrines. I guess FOB Warhorse is just such a mind-numbing place that Joe is too catatonic to write anything. One day at the place and all I could think of was AC and sleep.
IDF – Warhorse is near Baqubah. There’ve been major offensive operations ongoing in the area. When I flew there I expected the FOB to be a noisy place. I was wrong. While small, dusty, and cramped, the FOB was whisper quiet. I never heard a single alarm, announcement, or even a weapon the whole time I was there. Obviously the operations being conducted had sequestered any insurgent activity.
Sunsets – See the photo. Regardless of where I go the sunsets are always spectacular. I think it has to do with the dusty haze of this place. The sun always sets in a hue of spectacular reds and oranges. It would be a photographer’s (or realist painter’s) dream. The setting sun always provides a pastoral scene of serenity to every FOB. When I took a photo of the sunset at Warhorse a nearby soldier was quick to say, “that’s gonna make a great picture, sir!” He’s right. It did.
I’ve come to be grateful that I’m deployed in this capacity. My team is making a significant difference to the Joes who are outside the wire every day. We bring hope. My team’s presence is a sign to the warfighters that they will be going home soon. The support we provide means they’ll go home with less glitches. By the time this deployment is over I’ll have visited almost every single FOB in Iraq. What’s more important is that I’ll have directly supported Joes everywhere in their redeployment. FOB Warhorse was definitely an armpit but I’m glad to have seen the place. I’ll be there again very soon.
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