Lost Baggage

by Stephen Stewart
(Dallas, Texas, USA)

You are probably thinking I am going to tell you a story about the airlines losing my luggage. Wrong.

My story of lost baggage begins in Anaconda, Iraq. My company, along with ten others, was transporting us to Tikrit. We were told to put our baggage on a truck waiting for us and to get in the armored SUV's that would be taking us to Tikrit. This was before April of 2004 when all hell broke loose.

Just before we were leaving, an HR (human resources)rep came and told me I was going somewhere else but the truck with my baggage on it was pulling out. So I had nothing.

When I got to my permanent station, the guys pitched in and provided me a few things to wear. So several days later, I drove up with another guy. He was going there for some training and I went along to get my luggage. When we got there we found out that the luggage had been sent back to Anaconda by the operations manager. So we went to Anaconda with a military convoy.

On the way down the truck in front of us was loaded with soda. The soda came undone and started falling off. Iraqis were lined all over the highway picking up the cans of soda. They had big smiles on their faces. It is amazing how a simple can of soda could make their day!

We arrived at Anaconda and my friend and I went to ask about my lost baggage at the main office. A girl there told us to go here and there and look. We did and no one knew anything about it.

So we went back to speak to the receptionist and she started to tell us about her lost luggage. My friend cut her off and wanted to know what she is going to do about it. She said nothing. He then asked if so and so was in. He was not. He then headed for the Project Manager's office. His secretary was there and we told her our story. So she went to see what she could find out and came back frustrated. She told us she would check into and get it to me. I figured I would never see it again.

When we went to leave, the receptionist came out to apologize to us and said she did not want it to seem that she did not want to help. She offered her hand as a handshake. My friend told me he wanted to say some choice words but did not. Several years later he sent me an email and said he was working with her for the same company.

Back to the lost baggage.....About a week later, it was finally sent to me. Incidentally, the operations manager became my site manager about three weeks later. And my friend went to work for him when he left the company.