DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS
TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL
(U) 3 1/2 Months in Qatar: Outside of Work
FROM:
IA Intern
Run Date: 11/25/2003
(U//FOUO) In yesterday's SID today article, I wrote about my work
responsibilities as an NSA analyst at CENTCOM Forward
Headquarters (CFH) at As Saliyah, Qatar. Today I'd like to discuss
some of my external activities. On average, I worked 12 hours a
day, 7 days a week, for nearly 3 ½ months. As you can imagine,
the opportunities for external fun were few and far between.
(U//FOUO) After working 12+ hours per day, the easiest and
perhaps most frequent destination was the on-base bar (The
Oasis). At the time, two drinks were the maximum (thanks to
rowdier crowds from the past), and a movie on the "big" screen
constituted the entertainment.
With my CSG colleagues earlier this year.
(U//FOUO) Life at As Saliyah was primitive in some respects, highly
advanced in others. For all but two weeks, I lived in a tent inside a
warehouse with about 80 other people. When compared to
conditions elsewhere in the AOR (Area of Responsibility), my
accommodations were the equivalent of the Ritz-Carlton. My
commute to work each day took 5-10 minutes via bicycle, and I
have to admit that riding through the dust storms of February and
March was a bit surreal.
The surroundings at As Saliyah.
(U//FOUO) In the first weeks after arrival in Qatar, the dust storms
stand out as the most notable. Tiny dust particles found their way
into everything - eyes, noses, clothes - and everyone seemed to
have a persistent cough as a result. Newcomers to As Saliyah
stood out because their incessant cough would keep half the tent
awake until they adjusted. Located so close to the Persian Gulf,
humidity was nearly intolerable at times, and got worse in April and
May. By my recollection, the temperature soared to 120 degrees
on the day I returned back to the states.
(U//FOUO) Food service was - well, I won't lie to you - incredible.
Some of the dishes were repeated often, but never once did I eat
an MRE (Meal Ready-to-Eat). Every meal was a hot meal. Each
week, a surf and turf meal was served (and yet somehow we
survived!).
(U//FOUO) Newspapers were hard to come by, and since my tent
did not have a television, news was a hot commodity in the first
few weeks. One of the local workers kindly agreed to deliver a copy
of the Gulf Times to my bunk bed for $1 per day. I also tuned in a
short-wave radio to get the latest news.
(U//FOUO) Protective measures at As Saliyah began in earnest
SERIES:
(U//FOUO) IA Interns
Abroad
1. Coming Soon: IA
Interns Abroad
2. 3 1/2 Months in
Qatar: Supporting
CENTCOM
3. 3 1/2 Months in
Qatar: Outside of
Work
4. Deployed to
Afghanistan
5. Camp Virginia to
Camp Victory: In
Kuwait
6. Camp Virginia to
Camp Victory: Into
Baghdad
7. NISTing in Kabul and
Baghdad - Part One
8. NISTing in Kabul and
Baghdad - Part Two
9. Working at Prince
Sultan Air Base, SA
10. Deployment
Sketches - Part 1
11. Deployment
Sketches - Part 2
12. Dispatch from CSG
Baghdad
months before OIF began. New concrete and sandbag bunkers
were constructed, and chemical and biological attack drills occurred
every two weeks. Just prior to the outset of OIF, personnel were
required to carry their protective masks at all times, and full
protective suits had to be kept within a few minutes' reach.
(U//FOUO) Once we were finally allowed off base in late April, a
favorite destination was "Shwarma Alley," a short stretch of road in
Doha where small eateries specialized in inexpensive Middle
Eastern food and frozen juice drinks.
Posing with the owner of one of the restaurants
(U//FOUO) Later in May, I visited the gold market and a few carpet
shops around Doha. And finally, the day before returning, several
of us enjoyed a day of warm (well, hot) weather swimming in
Doha Bay
Swimming in Doha Bay
(U//FOUO) While I was able to travel outside of As Saliyah only
briefly, it was enough to get a sense of the life and culture of
Qatar. However, the work we did for CSG CENTCOM was far more
important and, to this end, this overseas assignment was a
complete success.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid comms)."
DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS
TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL
DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108