In the Center of Baghdad, an Escape to America

The New York Times ^ | 01/12/04 | ERIC SCHMITT

[Pokey78]

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Behind tall concrete barriers and rolls of razor wire, the United States Army has converted a former Iraqi Republican Guard officers' club here in the heart of Baghdad into a little American oasis for war-weary soldiers.

The sprawling complex has been stripped of portraits of Saddam Hussein and Baath Party paraphernalia. It now serves as the First Armored Division's version of a five-star hotel for as many as 100 soldiers at a time who are lucky enough to get a three-day, two-night pass. More than 1,800 troops have cycled through since the hotel opened in mid-October.

Called Freedom Rest, it offers a sauna, outdoor swimming pool, 100-seat movie theater, weight rooms and 24-hour food service, including T-bone steaks and lobster. In the renovated marble lobby with glass chandeliers glistening overhead, uniformed attendants sweep up cigarette butts and serve cold drinks.

"It's a great escape from getting mortared," Sgt. Xochitl Barragan, 27, of Fort Worth, Tex., said as she emerged dripping from the huge pool, where air defense and engineer specialists had just finished a splash contest off the 10-meter diving board.

The Army has long provided rest and relaxation escapes to improve morale for troops on extended assignments. With virtually all soldiers in Iraq now pulling yearlong tours, the Army — sensitive to potential recruiting and retention problems — has one of its most ambitious programs ever to keep soldiers' spirits high.

Nearly every sizable base in Iraq offers soldiers fully equipped gyms, military stores and free Internet cafes. Big-tent cafeterias run by the Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root put elite university cafeterias to shame. Near the First Division's headquarters at the Baghdad international airport, Burger King has opened an outlet that has become one of the fast-food chain's most successful restaurants in the world.

Each Army division in Iraq has its own version of the Freedom Rest hotel, converting some of Mr. Hussein's former palaces to R&R duty or shipping troops to luxury mountain lake resorts in northern Iraq.

Since last summer, more than 33,000 soldiers have been flown to the United States or Europe for two-week vacations, plus travel time, and thousands more have been given shorter leaves at a resort in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar, where soldiers can ride water scooters, parasail or take desert safaris to giant sand dunes.

There were initial reports of some G.I.'s not reporting for flights back to Iraq once their home leave in the United States was over. But Army officials say fewer than a dozen soldiers have failed to show up on time, and most of them had extenuating family circumstances.

"It gives you a great break from our 12-hour-on, 12-hour-off days," said Staff Sgt. Victor Padilla, 26, who just returned from two weeks with his wife and two young children in Salt Lake City. Sergeant Padilla said saying goodbye a second time was made easier by knowing clearly when he would be coming home.

Pentagon officials acknowledge that morale, particularly among reservists, sank in many units last summer because troops were given no firm return date. The terms for reservists who had been called up and thought they would serve six months were extended to a year.

"The key to morale is keeping soldiers informed," said Brig. Gen. Vincent E. Boles, the Army's chief logistician in Iraq, who commands 16,000 troops at a large base in Balad, north of Baghdad.

Conversations with scores of soldiers during the past four weeks showed that morale among most soldiers is fairly high, largely because most are in the final months of their deployments or have just arrived. Re-enlistment rates are up in many units, helped no doubt by tax-free bonuses of up to $10,000.

"We see the big light at the end of the tunnel," said Maj. Oscar Arauco, 41, the chaplain for the Fourth Infantry Division's First Brigade. "You have a time and an endpoint."

Fourth Division soldiers have converted one of Mr. Hussein's palaces in Tikrit into the Ironhorse Resort and Recreation Center, a rambling three-story marble building that features a sports bar, movie theatre, barbershop and laundry. Troops are not allowed to drink alcohol in Iraq, but the bar offers a wide range of nonalcoholic beers. Soldiers can even get a 20-minute massage for $10.

Troops lined up to use a bank of computers at the resort's Internet cafe (20-minute limit) one recent evening, but a gorgeous indoor swimming pool downstairs was empty. Big-screen televisions were ubiquitous, blaring CNN or American football games beamed in live via satellite.

"The palace is beautiful," Specialist Kevin Killian, 22, of Philadelphia, said while playing a computer game in the sports bar after his months of "living in the dirt" near the Iranian border. "But it's kind of a strange feeling that Saddam and his family used to walk around in here."

Back at Freedom Rest, tucked just inside Baghdad's barricaded "green zone," soldiers are required to check their combat fatigues, body armor and assault rifles at the door and change into civilian clothes or workout togs. For many, it is the first time in months to unwind, sleep in or watch endless movies.

Still, after nights of rocket and mortar attacks, some soldiers say it is hard to break old habits of scanning the hotel rooftop for snipers or momentarily panicking when they don't find their weapons by their sides at bedtime.

"Last night," said Sgt. William Schramm, 25, of Lancaster, Wis., "it was so quiet I could barely sleep."

[Theresawithanh]

Can't think of a better use for Saddam's palaces than this! Cool article.

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[cavtrooper21]

Must be nice....
I was in the Gulf for 11 months 10 days and a few hours.
My "R&R" was a lukewarm shower and hot food that didn't come out of a brown plastic bag or a can (t-rats).
Flush toilets were a real treat.

... of course I didn't have the very real worry of 122mm rockets or 82mm mortars dropping on my head for most of the time I was there either.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

I like your title better.

8 G.I.'s Enjoy Plush Respite of Iraqi Army ~ NY Times | 1/11/04 | Eric Schmitt

[sarasmom]

It is nice to see the rest of the branches picking up on a few time honored USAF traditions...LOL!
Good idea.

[TheSpottedOwl]

No beer? Near beer doesn't count!