New Soil (Kuwait)

15AUG17

New Soil

The long walk from the terminal to the plane on 08AUG17 manifested itself quite differently this deployment, far less emotional than the first. Our plane, a United 747, waited for us on the tarmac a solid four-minute walk. While my first tour departed in the early morning hours, this walk took place in the afternoon sun and one of my fellow soldiers interrupted my solitude during the walk through unsolicited statements regarding seating arrangements which proved to be without merit. As we boarded the aircraft, a terminal official greeted us by asking our rank and directing traffic accordingly. Majors have little affluence anymore as two lower ranking soldiers were directed to first class while I received orders to the rear of the plane.

My seat ended up being the next to last seat in the tail end of the extremely long bird. Only one row sat further to the rear than did my own. I found a two-seat row next to a window on the right side of the plane facing forward and sat in the aisle seat. Next to me a joyful warrant officer that maintained his countenance throughout the flight. He kept me happy and jubilant. I think I posted a picture of the two of us on my main page.

The flight took a total 28 hours. We stopped in VA and took on additional passengers completely engulfing the plane, which I estimate to be around 350 passengers. It’s a guess, but on a 747, seats are a plenty. From VA we spent approximately 7 hours flying over the ocean. It was not harsh, as we enjoyed in-flight movies and were fed frequently. Upon landing in Hahn, Germany, the flight enjoyed a short shuttle ride to a terminal facility in a dilapidated military base terminal area with actual grass in the back yard.

Our third leg took us to Qatar where a vast majority of the passengers left, allowing for many to move about the cabin and spread out a bit. The final leg from Qatar landed us in Kuwait International Airport. After 28 hours on a plane, it is safe to say we were not happy campers. The heat welcomed us at nearly 120 degrees, which only added to the strained muscles and attitudes, but a clean, dust-free, interior holding area allowed to enjoy ice-cold water while resting on sofa recliners in air-conditioned luxury suites. (yeah…not true. Outdoor, in the heat and dust, and not really any seat except for the concrete T-barriers. And cool water? Not really. Refrigerators are everywhere, not just in Kuwait, but in Iraq too. If you take one, you replace one. But they never really get chilled.)

Tiny busses transported us from heaven to the tropical resort of Camp Arifjan to await our transportation into Iraq. I enjoyed wifi, a Starbucks, and a half mile walk to the dining facility three times a day. I also had a chance to Facetime with the family back home. The heat during the day averaged around 117. Welcome to Kuwait.