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Posted on 04/14/2003 6:50:19 PM PDT by mhking
WAR IN THE GULF: DAILY LIVES: THE CHOW LINE: Waits are lengthy at 'Bar and Grill'
Bob Dart - Cox Washington Bureau
Monday, April 14, 2003
Camp Udairi, Kuwait --- Chow was finally close for Sgt. Richard Norvell, a Bradley Fighting Vehicle crewman from Kennesaw.
Once he cleared his M-16 rifle, pointed it into a barrel half-buried in the desert sand and pulled the trigger to demonstrate that it was empty, he could proceed to the hand-washing station and enter the giant tent where meals are served four times a day, including midnight.
"I usually make it in about 45 minutes because I get here about 30 minutes early," said Norvell, who is philosophical about the long, long chow line that is the talk of the 4th Infantry Division from Fort Hood, Texas. The food is probably worth the wait. Besides, it's the only food available, allowed Norvell. ''They're doing the best they can.''
There are no options to the ''Camp Udairi Bar and Grill,'' where the hand-painted marquee also admits ''Sorry, No Bar. Dry Country.''
But the chow line is an ordeal for the soldiers waiting in this dusty community of tents, tanks, Humvees, portable toilets and trailer showers, where water is scarce.
The queue is often two hours long. That makes the final hand-washing stop a necessity because standing in the blowing sand guarantees that soldiers will be dirty, no matter how clean they were when they joined the line. Sunday, a group of activated reservists from Wisconsin found a few chairs to rest on at the head of the line when they arrived 45 minutes before lunch began at 11:30 a.m.
"Our average wait is an hour. We time it every time. It's not worth the wait, but we want to conserve our MREs,'' said Sgt. Dinh Phan, referring to the ready-to-eat rations in a pouch that are the staple of GIs in the field.
The line is democratic, however. Captains wait along with corporals and privates --- and the handful of embedded journalists.
The soldiers are outfitted in ''full battle rattle,'' their combat gear minus the body armor. They carry rifles slung over their backs, pistols in shoulder or leg holsters. They wear Kevlar battle helmets and carry gas masks and a harness holding canteens and ammo.
Every soldier goes through the safety ritual of firing an empty weapon into the buried barrel before entering the chow hall. Inside, the food is served on disposable plates in several cafeteria-style lines.
Breakfast always includes scrambled and boiled eggs, French toast, rice and gravy, and either ham, sausage or bacon. There are doughnuts, croissants, cereals and apples. Orange juice and milk come in cartons. The coffee is hot.
Dinner includes combinations like spaghetti with meat sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, English peas and tossed salad. The desserts are ice cream confections --- Kuwaiti versions of Eskimo Pies, for instance.
''For the amount of soldiers that they serve, it's not that bad,'' said Spc. Phillip Larmond of Orlando. ''The line moves along pretty fast.''
He could afford to be philosophical. He was near the buried barrel and about to get his chow.
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
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What the hell? That should be Freedom toast!
God bless 'em all, may they come home safe and deservedly renowned, and guys and gals, the first round's on me.
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