Posted on 03/30/2004 11:29:57 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
BAQUBAH, Iraq (AP) - Fresh strawberries from California. Stationary biking to the beat of rap music. Free Internet. And within gunsights, indoor basketball courts and maybe some cappuccino bars. What a difference a year makes. During the Iraq war and the ensuing months, U.S. troops invariably ate MREs - packaged military rations - showered with bottled water and slept in packed, sweltering tents or on the cold desert floor. Now, settling in for the long haul, the lifestyles of American soldiers are getting major upgrades. The world beyond the concertina wires may be just as dangerous as last year, but within military bases across Iraq, "Little Americas" are acquiring better food, more recreational activities and comfortable living quarters. While the United States plans to turn over the reins of government to the Iraqis on June 30, American troops are expected to remain for years to buttress the fledgling regime. "As much as possible, we're trying to make it feel like home. We try to give them food choices they can identify with," says Sylvester Moore, who supervises a cavernous mess hall at Camp Warhorse in Diyala province north of Baghdad. Despite nightmarish transport and supply problems, the up to 10,000 meals a day served include steaks from Australia, shrimp from the United States and ice cream made in Holland. The breakfast buffets would put many a luxury hotel to shame and, Moore says, feature "crisp American-style bacon, not the thick, salty European variety." "They said we would be eating a bunch of MREs, but the food here is better than in Germany," said Pvt. Angel Lopez, a soldier from the 1st Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade. Lopez had just finished e-mailing friends in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, from one of the 11 computer terminals with free Internet access. Telephone calls to the United States and most other parts of the world cost only 5 cents a minute. The computer and telephone booths are in an aircraft hangar that was once part of a parachute training center for Saddam Hussein's fallen regime. It also houses a gym with an array of exercise equipment, a television and games room and a bazaar where Iraqi vendors sell carpets, DVDs and paintings of desert scenes. There's even an artist to paint family portraits from the soldiers' photographs. "It's a life-and-death situation here so it's great that they have some place to unwind. Makes me feel good that I can do that for them," says Master Sgt. Twanda Pressey, who is charged with the brigade's morale, welfare and recreation programs. Pressey, of Bradenton, Fla., tells soldiers they should see themselves as being at a "duty station," rather than on a mission, during their tour in Iraq, which has been set at one year, minus 15 days' leave out of the country. Home at Warhorse is a prefabricated, box-like, air-conditioned structure that is normally shared by three soldiers. Sandbags are stacked halfway up all four walls for protection against the occasional mortars lobbed into the base by insurgents. Some rooftops sport TV satellite dishes purchased by soldiers. Not all soldiers in Iraq benefit from the improved living conditions. Following the unwritten rule of most armies, the further away from headquarters one gets, the more basic things become. But in the brigade's five other camps, hot food, air-conditioned huts and in some cases even wireless Internet are available. And brigade commander Col. Dana J. H. Pittard says the quality of life is improving overall. Soldiers give credit to private contractors who have taken over some tasks from the military. Rather than privates slopping food onto trays in assembly line fashion, civilian catering firms operate most messes in Iraq, employing Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos and others. Iraqis are excluded from handling food for security reasons. Plans are already being made for further upgrades, with soldiers hoping they'll use blueprints from Kosovo, reportedly Nirvana when it comes to base living. Those who served there talk longingly of movie theaters, indoor basketball courts, aerobics classes, university degree courses, cappuccino cafes and a 24-hour sandwich bar, where even the baloney tasted good. --
Fresh strawberries from California. Stationary biking to the beat of rap music. Free Internet. And within gunsights, indoor basketball courts and maybe some cappuccino bars.
What a difference a year makes.
....Now, settling in for the long haul, the lifestyles of American soldiers are getting major upgrades.
Not all soldiers in Iraq benefit from the improved living conditions.
But in the brigade's five other camps, hot food, air-conditioned huts and in some cases even wireless Internet are available. And brigade commander Col. Dana J. H. Pittard says the quality of life is improving overall.
Soldiers give credit to private contractors who have taken over some tasks from the military..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks to our troops *and * civilian contractors!
So I hear. Dodgy around these parts as well.
Come on over! Let me know. You know where to find me; you just won't recognize this camp. Ask 'em in the HQ building (where I used to be) and they'll tell you where I am now.
I'll FReepmail you my cellphone number that works in about a three mile radius (when we're lucky), in case you have one of those too.
Is some of this your handiwork?
Yep. It is.
But don't tell the media. They like to think we're all about eeeeeevil.
:)
Keep up the good work!
Aw, he's full of it. We go to the beach, to the mall, to the disco and we have WalMart, Red Lobster, 7-11s on every corner and all those lovely Irish pubs all over the place.
Yeah, OK....just kidding. :)
We do have lots of Targets, though.
We are winning ~ the bad guys are losing ~ trolls, terrorists, democrats and the mainstream media are sad ~ very sad!
ROFL!! Stay away from Fallujah today, a very bad scene:
Yes, that's so awful what they did there today. Just sickening.
I'm not near there. I'm in "the big city." :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.