I have to set the record straight. I hate that song. I could go the rest of my life without ever hearing it again. It never occurred to me that I'd actually have to stay at the place. Likewise, I never would have suspected that the place was in Al Taqaddum. I have confirmed that there is no wine here. It's a sad looking series of buildings that serves as a transient billeting area for units passing through TQ. My room was a simple concrete cell with a mattress and AC/heater. I couldn't complain though. My team were all placed in an open blockhouse with folding cots. All around the Hotel California is desolate desert. There is a giant airfield adjacent to the buildings that hosts a constant stream of transport aircraft. Other than that? One of my team members summed the place up when he said, "Sir, this is what I pictured when I thought of Iraq."
The base is run by the Marines. Marines are basically the same as Joes (don't ever tell them that though). The only thing different is some of the terminology. Latrines are referred to as "the head." That suited my Coast Guard guys fine. The DFAC is still called the chow hall (very old school). Marines also do a lot more organized physical training than the Army. Every morning on my way to the chow hall I passed a group of marines sweating and grunting to all kinds of physical torture. However, if you get around a group of Marines and listen in on their conversation you'll find that they speak the same language as Joe. For example, as I was exiting the chow hall I listened in to a couple of Marines. There is a designated area right outside the entrance of the chow hall called the smokepit. It's the area where people can "smoke'em if they got'em." The Marines I was following were debating the merits of the smokepit.
Marine one: "Man, why's the smokepit right here?"
Marine two: "Why the fuck do we need a smokepit anyway?"
Marine one: "Huh? So people can smoke dumbass!"
Marine two: "No, I mean this is Iraq. It's a fuckin' war zone. We should be able to smoke anywhere we want. You know what I mean?"
Marine one: "I don't smoke so I guess it doesn't matter."
Marine two: "Dude, that's not the point. We're in a fuckin' war here. We shouldn't have to be told where to smoke. Fuckin' smokepit is totally garrison."
As you can guess, I was very entertained. I wanted to hear how the debate turned out but had other things to do. My team was working diligently to get yet another unit's equipment and containers ready for redeployment. These Joes are extremely happy to see us because they'll be home exactly three days before Christmas. It's all in a day's work for us.
It is very windy, dry, and cold here.
The base is run by the Marines. Marines are basically the same as Joes (don't ever tell them that though). The only thing different is some of the terminology. Latrines are referred to as "the head." That suited my Coast Guard guys fine. The DFAC is still called the chow hall (very old school). Marines also do a lot more organized physical training than the Army. Every morning on my way to the chow hall I passed a group of marines sweating and grunting to all kinds of physical torture. However, if you get around a group of Marines and listen in on their conversation you'll find that they speak the same language as Joe. For example, as I was exiting the chow hall I listened in to a couple of Marines. There is a designated area right outside the entrance of the chow hall called the smokepit. It's the area where people can "smoke'em if they got'em." The Marines I was following were debating the merits of the smokepit.
Marine one: "Man, why's the smokepit right here?"
Marine two: "Why the fuck do we need a smokepit anyway?"
Marine one: "Huh? So people can smoke dumbass!"
Marine two: "No, I mean this is Iraq. It's a fuckin' war zone. We should be able to smoke anywhere we want. You know what I mean?"
Marine one: "I don't smoke so I guess it doesn't matter."
Marine two: "Dude, that's not the point. We're in a fuckin' war here. We shouldn't have to be told where to smoke. Fuckin' smokepit is totally garrison."
As you can guess, I was very entertained. I wanted to hear how the debate turned out but had other things to do. My team was working diligently to get yet another unit's equipment and containers ready for redeployment. These Joes are extremely happy to see us because they'll be home exactly three days before Christmas. It's all in a day's work for us.
It is very windy, dry, and cold here.
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