Messy camp costs troops calls to home (kuwait)

gomemphis.com ^ | 20 APR 03 | By Cox News Service

[KineticKitty]

Messy camp costs troops calls to home

By Cox News Service

April 20, 2003

CAMP UDAIRI, Kuwait - On the eve of Easter, Fort Hood's sons and daughters couldn't call home from this miserable desert outpost because the place has been declared too messy.

The perhaps aptly named "Mayor" Bosse closed the phone tent "until further notice" and created an uproar among thousands of 4th Infantry Division troops waiting here for convoys into Iraq.

Dubbed the mayor because he is in charge of administering the camp, Mayor Bosse is actually Lt. Col. Peter Bosse, a reserve officer from Minneapolis, Minn.

It's not as though this is a scenic site. There is no vegetation - only sand and rocks and tents and tanks and Humvees and soldiers. There are also very few trash cans. Litter consists mostly of empty plastic water bottles.

The trash piles are possible breeding grounds for rodents and fire hazards, Bosse said.

The phone tent opened only a couple of days ago. Lines for a call home are hours long but soldiers willingly wait to hear the voices of loved ones.

Bosse said when the camp is clean, the phone tent will "absolutely" re-open immediately.

"I suspect that will happen soon," said Bosse.

[Eagle Eye]

Stick to knitting and leave soldering to the professionals.

Yawn. I left with a P-4 profile a long time ago. However, I still found a way to serve in this operation.

[cajun-jack]

well, now that i have you all fired up...i have to go to work and maybe all of you have enough energy to drag yourself out of the recliner and out of the house to go make your mark on the world. Have a great day even though monday's suck almost as much as having a reserve officer in charge of anything.

[TontoKowalski]

I agree with you general assessment of the lack of judgement in shutting down the phonetents.

I do NOT agree with your off-the-cuff comments regarding fragging or threatening this officer. I'm sure you're not serious, but in view of the previous incident in theatre, you're out of line.

[KineticKitty]

This isn't about a "dependant" complaining about not getting one phone call. It's about soldiers and families. BTW where did I say I did not recieve a phone call at all? Nevermind, your not paying attention anyway.

[Eagle Eye]

Can you cite the relevant law or regulation?

Do our own research, but you'll also find that military cannot command or direct contractors and vice versa. I've supervised and rated reservists who outranked me precisely because of that provision of federal law.

[70times7]

If your eyesight is so good you should be able to reply to the right person.

In any case, I relent. I am convinced by the clean conditions of your similar camp that theirs is spotless. I surrender, and I'm outta here.

[flyer182]

LOL. Good luck flipping those burgers.

[KineticKitty]

bolt out the blue

That would be a good example.

[Delta 21]

Gee, I guess WAR really is HELL!!

[Eagle Eye]

So are the troops he just kicked in the nuts in this display of authority.

Perfect.

You obviously know that they can't get the camp looking like the Basic Training company area back home.

[flyer182]

BS.

[grumple]

Camp Udairi, Kuwait...says it all to me...foreign soil.
We are guests. We are not there to trash it or leave it trashed. We are there to represent ourselves as professionals. Living a trashy life is not doing so. The "Mayor" was well within his rights. You may be well within your outrage also, like the article wants you to be, but I'm sure the military folks understood their predicament and tidied the place up.

And issues like this do not make them feel unappreciated and want to get out. It's protest here at home against what they are doing that make them wonder why they are doing it.

Just my thoughts based on personal experience...

[KineticKitty]

For a pissant Reserve O-5

Good description, a lot nicier than what most of the folks at Udairi are saying.

[cajun-jack]

i don't flip burgers...i'm a pile-it...i work at the sawmill, my brother cuts the wood and i pile it!!!!!

[CIB-173RDABN]

Let me understand this, the 3rd ID has a running fire fight from the border to Bahgdad (and I don't hear any compaints from them) and the 4th ID just getting into country are "whining" over the fact they have to clean up their area or they are not going to be allowed to call mommy? Is that correct?

Before you flame me, look at my forum name. I made one phone call home at the Oakland Army base the day I got on the plane to Viet Nam, and made my second phone call home a year later when I got off a plane at Travis AFB.

I did not feel deprived.

If you are part of the Military you know disipline goes with the job. The man in charge is the one that decides if the area is "messy", and that should have been the end of it.

Like someone else said, "chill out.

[flyer182]

Perfect. Oh no! I had better not make an unpopular decision otherwise people on the internet will call me names.

[AndrewC]

Do our own research,

I'm not the one making the claim. Backup your statement.

[TontoKowalski]

And issues like this do not make them feel unappreciated and want to get out. It's protest here at home against what they are doing that make them wonder why they are doing it.

Here are my thoughts based on personal experience. It is EXACTLY these kinds of things that make the men feel unappreciated and want to get out. They don't like the protests, but those folks are recognized as nutcases.

What really hurts is taking hits like these from people who are supposed to be looking out for you.

[KineticKitty]

I can appreciate what your saying. But was that really similiar in situation? (Wartime, etc) A few hours of not being able to go to the store or calling home seems completely different.

[Eagle Eye]

If your eyesight is so good you should be able to reply to the right person.

Stuff happens. Get over it. In any case, I relent. I am convinced by the clean conditions of your similar camp that theirs is spotless. I surrender, and I'm outta here.

No. It is not possible to keep these camps clean without constant police call. Acres of dirt and rock littered with paper, bottles, and who knows what. You really don't know what it's like.