Military Bases In Iraq

Depending on where you are living, life on military bases in Iraq is not that bad. It all has to do with the type of housing you get.

There are many types of accomodations depending on where you are stationed.

Of course, the worst of them is the tent city. Even though a lot of portable housing has been set up, many military and civilian personnel spend their time in tents. Some people wait for as long as a year of their life on military bases in Iraq before they get to move from a tent to a portable building.

In the tents, there are a lot of people. Some can sleep 50. You get a cot to sleep on and nothing else. No chair or dresser for your clothes and personal items. Welcome to life on military bases in Iraq.

Here at Al Asad, a lot of the people living in Tent City have purchased furniture for their tent. If you know you are going to be stuck in one for a while, you might as well spend some money and make yourself comfortable for your life on military bases in Iraq.

Most of the third country subcontractors are in portable housing but they are usually grouped anywhere from two to six people in the same amount of space as one American who is in portable housing.

Generally speaking, American contractors get a house with two rooms and a bathroom. My first room came with a bed, wardrobe cabinet, desk, chair, and nightstand. There was also a sink in the room. There was a common area to share with the occupant of another room on the other side of the common area.

The common area included the toilet, the shower, and a little kitchen with a microwave.

My second house had two rooms with a bath, toilet, washer, and dryer. The room I am in now is larger than the others and has a small private bathroom.

The rooms have an ECU (environmental control unit) that serves as both the heater and the air conditioner. Make sure to clean the filter once a week. Treat your ECU with a lot of care because if it dies during the summer, you will be extremely uncomfortable. You need the A/C.

When you first move into a room, check the cooling fins on the A/C as well. Clean them. Very few people take the time to clean their filters as they should so the fins get clogged. During the summer, leave the A/C running. It is better for you and for your room. Letting it run helps to suck out some of the dust that is all over.

Some of the housing units will have their own bathroom and others will not. If not, you will share a communal shower and latrine. The showers and latrines are called Abolution units or AB units for short.

These have come a long way since I first arrived to begin my life on military bases in Iraq. They are usually kept clean 24 hours a day and stocked with toilet paper and soap. When I first arrived in 2004, there was never enough toilet paper in the latrine. I always brought my own. Just in case, I still carry some with me, along with hand santizer.

Hand sanitizer is very important. In some cases, for short periods of time, while in transit, you may be sharing facilities with people from other countries who do not use toilet paper, soap, or deodorant for that matter. They clean themselves in the bathroom with water and their left hands. The problem is, there is water everywhere when they are finished in the bathroom. Be prepared. Never offer them your left hand as a handshake or anything else. It is considered rude to them.

Back to housing. Okay, life on military bases in Iraq just got better because you have finally moved out of a tent into a housing unit. First chance you get, check for holes and places where critters can get in, visit with you, and leave you lovely little presents. Seal up those holes with caulk or foam, which is available at your local Desert Depot if you happen to be fortunate enough to be stationed at Al Asad. It is well worth the expense.

While you are there, pick up some insecticide and spray it, especially around the lights. There are many insects there. Many times, and I know this from personal experience, you cannot see the bugs until they fall dead on the floor. Not just one or two, but tons of them.

Life on military bases in Iraq is best when you keep your area clean. Do not keep a lot of food around. Animals and insects will come. Keep insect repellent handy. Some bases use insecticide fog, but this is not enough.

The military can and most definitely does inspect housing units. They will also search for things you should not have as well. Your security people will brief you on this if you are not military. Civilians are required to follow the same rules as the military.

There is no smoking in the tents or housing units or vehicles. Tents and portable housing units go up in flames quickly. If one catches on fire, it spreads to others fast. Be sure you have both a fire extinguisher and a smoke detector.

Also, no alcohol is allowed. If this is found, you can kiss Iraq goodbye. You should not drink it, be in possession of it, or be around anyone who has alcohol. The military bases in Iraq do not allow it on base. If you are serving as a civilian, the same rules still apply.

If you get caught with alcohol, you will be sent home and your entire company could be kicked off base. The military takes the no alcohol rule seriously.

Amazingly, alcohol can be found on the bases. If an MP finds it on you, you will be barred from ever working in Iraq again, not even for a different company. If you are with a group of people who are drinking, even if you are not drinking and you get caught, you will all go home.

Most bases have a laundry facility where you can drop your dirty clothes off and pick them up fresh and clean in a day or two. This makes life in Iraq a little easier. A cloth laundry bag is a necessity for this service. Some of the civilian companies have their own do-it-yourself laundry facilities for their employees, but you can still use the base laundry service if you want to.

Life on military bases in Iraq would not be complete without talking about sleeping. Sleeping on base in Iraq can be challenging. Just as you doze off, you hear the roar of a helicopter, steadily getting louder and louder. Your room begins to shake. Soon it is shaking so much you think it will collapse and then the chopper is in the air and gone. Felt like a 9.5 on the Richter scale!

About 200 meters from our camp at Baqubah, there was a 155mm Howitzer stationed. Everytime that thing fired, my housing unit would shake as if it were an earthquake.

Something else that will scare you if you are new to life on military bases in Iraq is the sound of controlled detonations. This happens when the military blows up insurgent weapons. By the number of these detonations you can tell the military is finding a lot!

If you are fortunate enough to have a radio, you usually get a warning. At Baqubah, I had one. Here at Al Asad, I do not have one. The radio will let you know 10 to 15 minutes ahead of time about the detonation. Sometimes it is longer and the longer it is, the greater your chance of forgetting about it and being scared when the explosion happens.

One time, they called a controlled detonation and right after the call, we had a mortar attack. No one went for the bunkers as we thought it was a controlled detonation. Then over the radio came a shaky voice saying "bunkers". When you hear this, you head for a bunker immediately unless the explosion is close to you.

If it is close to you, get down! Get on the ground immediately because the next one could be coming at you. Never try to outrun a mortar round. Just get down and if possible, behind something sturdy. Such is life on military bases in Iraq.

One night a group of about eight of us were watching Lord Of The Rings--Return Of The King. Boom! We jumped up to head for the bunker. One guy who weighed 350 pounds plus, fell. Two others fell over him. It looked like a Laurel and Hardy moment. Then we remembered that it was a controlled detonation.

We had a good laugh over that, all except the big guy who fell. He was not amused and decided to go home a few days later. Who could blame him for not being thrilled with all that life in Iraq can sometimes be?

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