This week comes to a close with me back at LSAA. I told my team to take the morning off. I slept until around 0800 and then took my sweet time over coffee. I think it’s extremely therapeutic to spend a morning in nothing but boxers. As I enjoyed my coffee I downloaded all the pictures and videos from the mission. I hadn’t realized how many photos I’d taken. Looking through them gave me a chance to reflect on the places we’d been in the past week. Since my actual day was pretty uneventful, I figured this would be a great time to reflect on the mission. Here are some of my observations.
Camp Liberty – No matter how many times I visit this place I still see something new. Every time my team conducts a mission here we stay some place new. The variety of military is astounding. It’s mind-boggling to think this is just part of the Victory Base compound. I could probably walk this place for weeks and never see everything..
Al Faw Palace – Ah the home of MNC-I…. What a gaudy place it is. Al Faw epitomizes the poor taste of Saddam and his cronies. On the surface it appears to be an ornate palace. Upon closer inspection you find that construction materials and workmanship are shoddy. For example, what appears to be a marble column is actually a concrete column with cheap marble slate. Exterior facades are molded concrete and crumble easily. Chandeliers look like the results of a passing Mardi Gras parade (some of you know exactly what I mean. There are trees in New Orleans that have bundles of beads hanging from them year-round). Doorways appear ornate from a distance but in reality are press board covered with veneers. Do you get the picture? Every one of Saddam’s old palaces are crap. I’ve seen better places on episodes of “Cribs”.
Green Zone/International Zone – The biggest difference I noticed was how quiet the place is. It was whisper quiet everywhere I went. When I worked here in 2005 it was common occurrence to here thunderous detonations in the distance (or nearby). Every day you’d here gunfire. That’s simply not true now. I never heard a single explosion. The only gunfire I heard came from Joes shooting on a rifle range. The Green Zone is in the heart of Baghdad. Is this an assessment of the effectiveness of the “surge” strategy? No, I’m just saying that these days all is quiet.
Presidential Palace/U.S. Embassy – Same faces, different year. It’s just not the same people. They all look the same. This sanitary environment seems so detached from the rest of Iraq it’s scary. The place is still teeming with civilians and high-ranking military. They all look good and smell good. Rules are posted all around to remind everyone what’s not authorized. The new Green Beans and MWR inside the former ballroom DFAC is like walking into a Barnes and Noble bookstore. What country is this in? I’m very happy to see the new embassy is almost completed. It’s definitely time for the current location to revert back to Iraqi ownership.
Crossed Sabers – Ok, are they going to be torn down or not? For now visitors are greeted by a gleaming spectacle of disrepair. The handles have been removed from the sabers. Every window in the reviewing stand area is broken. The whole place has been looted. Almost all the Iranian helmets have been pilfered (these helmets are a byproduct of the Iran-Iraq war and are used to display Saddam’s contempt for Iran. Even the speed bumps are made of Iranian helmets). Basically, the entire place is crumbling. If they are going to stay up then fix the place. If not they need to come down. It’s more of an eyesore these days.
The liquor store – Many of you may be surprised at this. You shouldn’t be. Iraq was not ruled by Islamic law. It was a secular society for decades. Liquor stores abound – even in the Green Zone. The one I’m talking of can be found on the road between the embassy and Union III. We used to frequent the place back in 2005. The fact that it’s still there, still well-stocked, leads me to believe that military in the IZ are still able to live a double standard over their warfighting counterparts elsewhere in the country. Back in 2005 drinking abounded in the Green Zone. The embassy and surrounding area were a constant party. Military and civilians alike could be found on a regular basis partying at Adnon Palace, in the British compound, at the palace pool, and other places. If the liquor store is still in business then I’d guess the parties are still happening.
Union III – This FOB is a great example of the resiliency of Joe. It’s extremely small. At most, it measures 500m by 200m. It’s dominated by the former Baath HQ palace on one end and the mausoleum on the other. All open space is occupied by military vehicles. Every room houses four to ten soldiers. I never heard a single complaint from a Joe. To the contrary, I heard a lot of laughter, a lot of joking, and saw sky-high morale throughout the compound. Discipline was tight, military courtesy was top-notch, and soldier esprit was everywhere evident. Joes are awesome. They love what they do and I love being around them. If a dumb ass like Senator Harry Reid would spend just a few months in Union III he’d quickly learn to shut the fuck up. I haven’t found a Joe yet that agrees with him.
Traveling in Iraq – It’s always an adventure. Whether it be by helicopter, airplane, or ground convoy it is always memorable. If you don’t have a sense of humor, or if you get stressed about things beyond your control, I’d recommend you not travel in this country.
For now I’ve got a few days to get ready for the next mission. This will be the last significant lull for the next few months.
Camp Liberty – No matter how many times I visit this place I still see something new. Every time my team conducts a mission here we stay some place new. The variety of military is astounding. It’s mind-boggling to think this is just part of the Victory Base compound. I could probably walk this place for weeks and never see everything..
Al Faw Palace – Ah the home of MNC-I…. What a gaudy place it is. Al Faw epitomizes the poor taste of Saddam and his cronies. On the surface it appears to be an ornate palace. Upon closer inspection you find that construction materials and workmanship are shoddy. For example, what appears to be a marble column is actually a concrete column with cheap marble slate. Exterior facades are molded concrete and crumble easily. Chandeliers look like the results of a passing Mardi Gras parade (some of you know exactly what I mean. There are trees in New Orleans that have bundles of beads hanging from them year-round). Doorways appear ornate from a distance but in reality are press board covered with veneers. Do you get the picture? Every one of Saddam’s old palaces are crap. I’ve seen better places on episodes of “Cribs”.
Green Zone/International Zone – The biggest difference I noticed was how quiet the place is. It was whisper quiet everywhere I went. When I worked here in 2005 it was common occurrence to here thunderous detonations in the distance (or nearby). Every day you’d here gunfire. That’s simply not true now. I never heard a single explosion. The only gunfire I heard came from Joes shooting on a rifle range. The Green Zone is in the heart of Baghdad. Is this an assessment of the effectiveness of the “surge” strategy? No, I’m just saying that these days all is quiet.
Presidential Palace/U.S. Embassy – Same faces, different year. It’s just not the same people. They all look the same. This sanitary environment seems so detached from the rest of Iraq it’s scary. The place is still teeming with civilians and high-ranking military. They all look good and smell good. Rules are posted all around to remind everyone what’s not authorized. The new Green Beans and MWR inside the former ballroom DFAC is like walking into a Barnes and Noble bookstore. What country is this in? I’m very happy to see the new embassy is almost completed. It’s definitely time for the current location to revert back to Iraqi ownership.
Crossed Sabers – Ok, are they going to be torn down or not? For now visitors are greeted by a gleaming spectacle of disrepair. The handles have been removed from the sabers. Every window in the reviewing stand area is broken. The whole place has been looted. Almost all the Iranian helmets have been pilfered (these helmets are a byproduct of the Iran-Iraq war and are used to display Saddam’s contempt for Iran. Even the speed bumps are made of Iranian helmets). Basically, the entire place is crumbling. If they are going to stay up then fix the place. If not they need to come down. It’s more of an eyesore these days.
The liquor store – Many of you may be surprised at this. You shouldn’t be. Iraq was not ruled by Islamic law. It was a secular society for decades. Liquor stores abound – even in the Green Zone. The one I’m talking of can be found on the road between the embassy and Union III. We used to frequent the place back in 2005. The fact that it’s still there, still well-stocked, leads me to believe that military in the IZ are still able to live a double standard over their warfighting counterparts elsewhere in the country. Back in 2005 drinking abounded in the Green Zone. The embassy and surrounding area were a constant party. Military and civilians alike could be found on a regular basis partying at Adnon Palace, in the British compound, at the palace pool, and other places. If the liquor store is still in business then I’d guess the parties are still happening.
Union III – This FOB is a great example of the resiliency of Joe. It’s extremely small. At most, it measures 500m by 200m. It’s dominated by the former Baath HQ palace on one end and the mausoleum on the other. All open space is occupied by military vehicles. Every room houses four to ten soldiers. I never heard a single complaint from a Joe. To the contrary, I heard a lot of laughter, a lot of joking, and saw sky-high morale throughout the compound. Discipline was tight, military courtesy was top-notch, and soldier esprit was everywhere evident. Joes are awesome. They love what they do and I love being around them. If a dumb ass like Senator Harry Reid would spend just a few months in Union III he’d quickly learn to shut the fuck up. I haven’t found a Joe yet that agrees with him.
Traveling in Iraq – It’s always an adventure. Whether it be by helicopter, airplane, or ground convoy it is always memorable. If you don’t have a sense of humor, or if you get stressed about things beyond your control, I’d recommend you not travel in this country.
For now I’ve got a few days to get ready for the next mission. This will be the last significant lull for the next few months.
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