In Iraq at last

Well, I'm here. I flew into Iraq last night, in the middle of the night local time. Kuwait is 8 hours ahead of central time, and Iraq is nine hours ahead (Kuwait doesn't do day light savings time).

The flight was interesting. I flew in a C-130, which is a fairly decent sized cargo plane, with four propellers. It was a smooth flight, and then we did what I think is called a combat landing. That meant that we flew at a certain altitude and then when we got to the airport, we descended rapidly. This also included a number fo sharp turns, in opposing directions, one after another. In other words, we would take a hard right (not like an airliner, but more like an amusement park ride), and then take a hard left, then drop really quickly. It's all to make the plane a harder target to hit. :)

Now I'm at Camp Liberty, by the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). It's nice, relatively speaking. This is where Saddam had his main palace. I drove by it last night, but I want to see it in the daytime. It's hot, but not as bad as Kuwait. There are some palm trees and other kinds of trees, though not by where I am staying right now. My accomodations are in a trailer, with AC (!), and a small room for myself. Bathrooms are a short walk away. It's really not too bad, all in all.

I don't think I'll be staying here, though. I don't know my exact assignment yet, but I am working under the Fourth Infantry Division. It should be interesting whatever it is.