War Of Iraq --My First Night

I am writing this site to give you useful information on the war of Iraq. I have been there off and on for over four years now...

I realize that many of you have relatives serving in the military or as civilian contractors and that you want information on how your loved one lives from day to day.

Some of you are coming to this site to see what type of job opportunity exists in Iraq or Afghanistan for you. Maybe, like me, you lost your job in the states and you need a decent paying job to support your family, instead of the $10 an hour variety.

For me, it all began when I was a product of job cuts in San Antonio five years ago. I found another job, a customer service job making $8 an hour. How do you support a family on that? Then I ran into a neighbor who said he was going to Iraq in four weeks, making over $100,000 a year. I asked him how he got that job. He directed me to Military Hire.

The rest is history. I went to the above-mentioned site, applied for some of the jobs and within a few weeks, I had received several phone calls. I took what I thought was the best job offer, packed my bags and left.

What kind of housing do you have in Iraq, Afghanistan, or wherever you are living in the Middle East? Comfy, horrible, pests, insects, rodents?

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Living In A Tent In Iraq 
In 2004, when I first got to Iraq, I lived in a communal tent with a bunch of other guys for the first few months. I was living in a tent in Iraq on two ...

After arriving in Baghdad for the first time in January of 2004, we flew on a commercial flight to Anaconda. The first night was memorable...

I awoke with a start to pitch blackness. My mind was fuzzy, racing to figure out where I was. Slowly, I became aware that I was not alone.

I heard the steady breathing of sleep (and snoring) all around me but it was not my wife in stereo. No, it was the breathing of 50 other people! The rain was pouring down hard. I was cold and wet. I was in a tent that was leaking! What is going on? Where am I? Come on, think. Oh, yes, now I remember. I am in Iraq.

As the cobwebs in my mind began to clear, I realized I needed to use the facilities. It dawned on me that they were outside, about 200 yards away from my communal tent.

As I felt around for my flashlight, a loud explosion shook the ground, quickly followed by three more booms! The rainy night then erupted with small arms fire. M-85 machine gun sounds mixed in with the noise of M-16's and AK 47's as our American troops sent some insurgents to their just reward.

During all of this, no one inside the tent made a move. The snoring had stopped and then within minutes of the gunfire ceasing, the snoring started again. I finally found my flashlight and went out to find the john. Welcome to Iraq!

This story of my first night in Iraq reminds me of information on the war of Iraq in 1991--my first night in Saudi Arabia. I was a civilian contractor working as a mechanic with the troops and I had just arrived.

After traveling all day and half the night, we arrived at the KKMC facility, close to the Iraqi border. We were led to our sleeping quarters.

Prior to leaving the United States, we were told we would be living in western-style housing so I had no worries, or so I thought. This place was not the western-style housing I was used to living in back home in Texas. It was a building of sorts with no water, no toilet, and no electricity.

After dozing off, I awoke in pitch darkness to the sound of a siren going off. What was I supposed to do? Were we under attack? I had not thought to bring a flashlight since we were supposed to be living in modern housing. I guess they forgot to tell us by "western" they meant early 1700's-style housing!

A lesson for you to learn from this bit of information on the war of Iraq is to take a flashlight with you.

Another lesson, chances are you will find yourself in a tent, at least for a while. Try to make that time as comfortable for you and your tentmates as possible by being considerate during the war of Iraq.

Wear headphones when listening to music or movies. Just because you like it and want to hear it, others may not. Don't start your new job in the war of Iraq by making your co-workers upset.

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