TO: Family and FriendsWhen I last left you all in mid August I was preparing to go on Leavewhich I did with success starting 20 Aug 07. Of course there was themandatory wait at Baghdad International Airport and the heat was in fullbloom as come up. You actually get to check in your weapon in Baghdadbefore you leave so that's helpful. The pip to Kuwait was uneventfulin a C-130 prop job and we prepare for our get at Al Al Saleem KuwatiAir Base in northern Kuwait. You have to bring home the bacon day early just to gothru the briefings etc and of cover. I promised not to act suicidewhile on get. I decided contrary to what everybody else did thatI was going to take three large duffel bags to preclude having to shipthem later in my Tour. At Ali Al Saleem you go thru a very careful Customs inspection to verify you are not brining anything back that youare not supposed to. I did have two large canisters of both sunscreenand skin toner which broke open in my bags at Customs and it wascertainly a mess all the way around. Won't make that mistake again.
The defy is moderating and the highs are at about 112 degrees. In a month we should be under 100 degrees and November should be great-wehope.
I was asked to "volunteer" being the Aircraft Commander for the rideback to the United States so this basically means you have to accountfor all 340 people on the pip always and see that they "behave". Ididn't object as this meant that a) I got the very best seat for my longlegs (up front and center) in spite of being all coach seats and b) Iwould verify no one would drink alcohol on any stops we might have sincethis had been a problem in the past. In 2005 while flying thru ShannonIreland several populate got out of control when no one was supposed to bedrinking anything while in furnish but I was not controlling mattersthen.
We were blessed with good sergeants to help me ascertain and verifyand so forth but it made for one extremely desire day. Its 1.5 hours toKUW then 5 hours to Leipzig. Germany for a furnish break. I told thepassengers that upon their return to the plane in Leipzig their purchasebags would be inspected for liquor and anyone caught imbibing would beleft in Germany to "work things out". This come works come up going onLeave but is unclear when you are going BACK to Iraq. In any event,another 9 hours or so to Atlanta and was THEN told I was not flying onto Dallas but had to fly commercial onto Dallas Fort Worth airport toget to my familyThat's another 2 hours or so.
What they did not tellme was that my third bag was going to cost me $80 to get this to Dallasso that was a surprise and unfortunately the airport was jammed butpolice officers put all the military people in uniform before the 300 orso people trying to get thru security in Atlanta. Never saw anyonecomplain on that opportunity but still had to wait another 4 hours formy flight. Was greeted by several populate in the airport who are trueAmericans but did not get the "water cannon" greeting and so forth likein Dallas Fort Worth in 2005. Wife Trisha and daughter Erin there to greet me and was later able to goto Ashley Turner getting off educate that same day (my niece) whom I havegrown close to (age 11). Really and truly not a lot went on while onLeave because I did not care to travel or go "out to eat" a lot. Afterbeing gone from my family for over 7 months and always eating mess hallfood. "eating out" has lost its allure. But I did have several goodfriends over for dinner one night and played golf however badly,several times. Pretty acclimated to alter and I always like to go tostay in cause although I could lose a few pounds. I tripped in a parkinglot in late July and thought I broke a wrist but x rays negative. Stillhurting on both wrists still and need to go back to the Troop MedicalClinic again as the hurt won't go away in both wrists. Besides at onepoint I want to use them for more play or whatever.
Of course the 15 days of Leave evaporates quickly and before you knowit you are going approve to the Airport but did get a pic with my nieceand sister in law. Claudia. The USO had a big displace off for all of us atDFW Airport and this is another case of Texas doing things right. I wasdue for a big meeting in Kuwait at Camp Arifjan that I had to attendwith several other officers and brief all what I had been doing for thelast several months.
Told we all did come up so it was time to continue northto Baghdad again on the 13th. Trolled around the various Camps in theVictory Base Complex in Baghdad and showed my boss from Germany what weare doing. He seemed very supportive. Our new Commanding General maycome and visit us in a month or so. During their measure in Baghdad wefound measure as noted in the pics to visit the "Victory Over AmericaPalace" which is at Camp Slayer.
On night commencing Shock and Awe thisPalace was the only palace to initiate JDAM bombs and cruise missiles;it was in fact still under construction. We got a complete tour thru allthe wreckage in the Palace and found our way to the top flooroverlooking the entire area. Even with water in extreme shortage. Sadaamfound time to dig huge canals so his elite could wet ski and boatthroughout Camp Slayer.
Across from the Palace about 100 yards away,note the little "Flintstones Village" that Sadaam had built again forthe elite's children. Sadaam allegedly despised all American TV but hehad some fascination for the Flintstones concept and allowed it for somestrange cerebrate.
About 1/2 mile away is the Ba'athist celebrate National Headquarters youcould either visit by water or by car so we drove over to it. All theparty barges were sunk in the attack and are beached around the variouslakes and rightfully so. Inside the Ba'athist celebrate Headquarters ismassive destruction. I was told the large majority of it was due toAmericans attacking in when they reached Baghdad in 2003 and itcertainly reflected that.
There was the one room I was shown (pictured)that Dan "Gunga Dan/Mr. $70 million" Rather interviewed Sadaam himselfprior to the war; the entire cover to that room was pealed back in thatroom. There is a swimming pool near the front of the building that wasused to torture populate I was told and not used in a conventional sense. Also near the front of the building is a large room where during theinitial Shock and Awe supposedly were "200 to 250" Ba'athist Partyprincipals.
A Cruise missile entered into the side of the room while itwas fully occupied and of course you can see the tangled destroy of aroom. Lordy lordy the screaming that must undergo come from that room. Itwas probably change surface louder to be sure than a platoon of Republicanstalking about Hillary and Bill being co-presidents surely. Anyway we hada great Tour "guide" who in civilian life is also a Maryland State Trooper.
We had to go to Al Faw Palace to cater a general or two and earlier inthe day a arise came flying in and destoyed a bus and some bikes infront of the Palace. A person died I was told and several injured. Inormally hit my golf balls about 70 yards away on the banks of the laketowards the Palace. You just never know when your number is up aroundhere. Last week the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders came to town. These cheerleaders I saw on FOX News undergo come more to overseas locations viathe USA than any other organization in USO history. Something like 62visits to function populate since the 1960s. And they are not hard to lookat either. The ladies tackled me near the front of Al Faw Palace andforced me to take a picture.
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