Load rock band gear into a Blackhawk helicopter. Check.
Catch a ride across Iraq in a Blackhawk helicopter. Check.
Play a gig during a "prison" riot. Check.
Gun fire during a gig. Check.
Alarms during a gig. Check.
A gig at 8pm followed by another at 3am. Check.
The past few days have been weird. If you were to view a map, you'd see that Iraq and Afghanistan aren't really that geographically separated. Problem is, Iran divides the two. We cannot exactly use their airspace so flights to and from are very long- especially when sitting in a packed C-130, strapped in cargo net seats (we are just cargo, after all), and sweating to the point of total saturation prior to take off and after landing. Two (or three... I dunno) days ago, we flew from Kandahar to Al Udeid, went to the coalition compound to get our three beers (ration cards keep you from really enjoying yourself- alcohol in the middle east pretty much only exists at "The Deid"- definitely not in Iraq, Afghanistan or Kuwait), ate, returned to the terminal and awaited a flight to Kuwait- specifically Ali Al Salem- known as "The Rock."
Kuwait, not unlike every other place around these parts, is stupid hot. We got in, dropped our gear, and went to bed. The next day, we toured the "indestructible" French-built bunkers that the U.S. blew up during the first war, viewed the beautiful drawings on the walls made by prisoners when Iraqi soldiers detained Kuwaiti soldiers, and took a look at the flag pole where the Iraqi army strung up the Kuwaiti base commander when they took the base. We followed this with some fine shopping at the local bazaar... Of course, we aren't here to shop so we later played our outdoor gig, packed and prepared for our next day's adventure.
So today, or yesterday, or whatever, we woke up before dawn to catch a ride to a base in Kuwait City but our point of contact goofed and confused Zulu time with local time... or vice versa. Common mistake... or maybe not. Either way, we went back to bed for an hour, only to catch that ride a little later. We got to the base in the City, loaded one of the choppers with our gear, and piled into another for a flight north into Iraq.
The only animals at the zoo I do not feel sorry for are camels. I saw hundreds on the flight and wow, they have it bad in their natural habitat... or so it appeared from my perspective high above. And to my surprise, some of those beasts are shaggy. I'd take a nice, cushy zoo any day over that nasty, hot, barren desert.
Back to the helicopter- absolutely exhilarating. The flight over Kuwait was amazing- viewing the city from that perspective was stunning in a smoggy sort of way, and flying over the shallows of the Persian Gulf at a lower altitude was unforgettable. I was also able to witness the source of our $3.50 a gallon dependency/addiction (around 24 cents a gallon here, by the way).
We knew we crossed into Iraq when we dropped altitude, picked up speed, began maneuvering, and the gunners pointed their weapons towards the "stuff" below. We landed at a place called Camp Bucca- the largest facility in the world for holding bad guys. It's not a "prison," but a "Theater Internment Facility," or TIF for short. From the stories we heard at lunch, there are some nasty, nasty people with some seriously creative minds bent on killing. Much like American prisons, there are ruthless gangs, weapons, etc and a ton of security forces keeping track of things. These airmen, soldiers, and sailors that run this place have a tough job- dealing with everything from riots (tonight), to "chai rocks" (chai poured on sand evidently makes a pretty lethal projectile), to swords, shanks, slingshots, and spears that would make McGuyver envious. Needless to say, the guards here work odd hours and are always on call. This is a tough, tough place, and the vibe here is quite dark. At the same time, you can tell the detainee ops folks (the men and women that run the TIF) are top notch professionals that understand the importance of their work and the scrutiny they receive on a constant basis. Everyone should be grateful for their professionalism- no one is proud of previous indiscretions at detainee facilities and the military and American public certainly won't tolerate it again.
We played two shows for them (not the detainees)- both outdoors...yikes. They deserve it and we definitely boosted morale for several hundred tonight/this morning. The first show began at 8pm, the latter at 3am. We are all physically and mentally spent but pushing on with the help of highly caffeinated energy drinks, humor, the knowledge we are on a short deployment, and the realization we are the only change from monotony our audiences my receive during a 6-16 month tour- particularly at a place like this. It's now pushing 6am and you know, it's actually time for bed.
Thanks for reading,
J-
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