The Observer, April 25, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 26
Iraq tour offers new experiences, perspectives
This has been one of the longest four weeks of my life. My team and I finally made it to our combat outpost on the Syrian border, but it took us three weeks to get here. We took a long and winding road that involved training and more class work. The highlights of the journey were few and far between, but they will stick in my mind forever.
The first highlight is experiencing the total desert of Kuwait. The sun, the heat, the sandstorms, and the camels all combined for a crash course in desert life. The first day we were there, we threw on all 55 pounds of our gear (Kevlar helmet, vest, ballistic plates, etc.) and went out to the range. If you ever get a chance to see a desert sunrise, it is truly a sight to behold; however, if you get the chance to get back into air conditioning within two hours of the sun coming up, I suggest that as well. The high reached 110 degrees, and with our gear it felt more like 120. The one thing that did really stick out in my mind other than the heat in Kuwait was the herd of wild camels that I saw. I know it isn't that big of a deal, but since I had never seen that before, I thought it was pretty nifty. Throughout our time in Kuwait, we had a solid four days of sandstorms. That was quite the experience as well. Sand would get into everything and I am pretty sure that I ended up ingesting a solid two to five pounds of it.
The second leg of the journey involved us flying from Kuwait to Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) in a C-130. The big event that sticks out in my mind here was the combat landing. I remember falling asleep during the first hour and a half and being woken up by a feeling of weightlessness as the plane nosedived to the ground, swerving to avoid any ground fire from Baghdad. I could only console myself with the simple fact that I was certain the pilots did not want to die any more than I did. All in all, I would rate the ride nine dancing popcorn boxes out of ten. That was truly a lot of fun. We stayed at BIAP for a couple of days enjoying what I like to term "The Little U.S.A." BIAP was the center of several large Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) and it all combined into a giant super-FOB. It had large dining facilities, fully stocked exchange stores, and even locally run bazaars. Except for the occasional announcement of controlled detonations, I could almost forget I was in Iraq.
The good life was not meant to last forever. We soon took a helicopter tour of Baghdad to reach our next destination, the Phoenix Academy at Camp Taji. The cool thing about Taji was that we stayed on the Iraqi Army side and we stayed in Saddam's old Republican Guard barracks. They were OK, not great, but OK. They were air conditioned, small, and forty men to a bay. But they had all the necessities, so I really cannot complain.
From Taji, it was off to our final destination. There are some things you will not forget in your lifetime and my first combat convoy will qualify as such. I was just a passenger, but I have never been more paranoid in my life. Everything the Army has ever taught me was flashing through my head. We went through towns that were all relatively friendly, but still, I was paranoid. Every time someone shifted their eyes I was thinking, "What's that guy doing, why are his eyes shifting? Is he going to do something fishy? Oh, no, he's shifting his eyes because the sun is in them. Oh wait, look at that guy, why is he ducking down over there? Oh, because he's pooping, that's why." I am not a fan of being a passenger in a convoy; you feel like you have no control over your fate, which is not a good feeling. The next patrol we did, I was able to be in the gun turret. It was a lot more comfortable because it at least made me feel like I had some measure of control; whether it was real or perceived, it made me feel a lot better.
Now that I am in my combat advisor role, I have found interacting with the Iraqis not unlike interacting with people in the U.S. Army. The training we received led us to believe that the Iraqis are a strict culture that revolves around decorum and good manners. However, like most things learned in the classroom, the reality turned out to be entirely different. I was sitting in one of the Iraqi's rooms drinking some chai with him and he was complaining about work, saying that he would bring his boss good ideas and his boss would either turn him down outright or change his idea into something that was much worse. All I could think was, 'Wait a tick, same thing happens to me!' No offense to my boss or anything, because he reads these articles too. I really mean other bosses…you know, the ones I had before…anyway, the point is that people are the same everywhere with just a different twist on life. They want food, security, and a chance to better themselves.
In conclusion, Case Western, have a great summer, good luck with finals, and stay safe. With a little luck, hopefully I will have the opportunity to continue this column in the fall. In the meantime, I am going to take some English writing classes, because after ENGL 150, my grammar is still most badder than many peoples.
Michael Wiehagen is a CWRU alumnus serving his first tour of duty with the U.S. Army. Questions or comments can be e-mailed to him at michael.wiehagen@gmail.com.
