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(U//FOUO) Camp Virginia to Camp Victory: Into Baghdad
FROM:
IA Intern
Run Date: 12/05/2003
(U//FOUO) Note: This is the conclusion of
article.
two-part
(U//FOUO) After the fall of Baghdad, we packed up our tents and
began a two-day, 60-vehicle convoy across the Iraqi border and on
toward Baghdad. Armed with a 9mm pistol and an M16 rifle that I
prayed I would never have to use, I rode the whole way in a fiveton truck, with easy access to thermite grenades that could be
used to destroy our classified cargo in the event of an ambush. We
passed many Iraqi civilians - some waving American flags, some
begging for food or trying to sell something, but most just
watching in apparent awe as our trucks and humvees passed. We
also saw numerous Iraqi tanks, rocket launchers, and personnel
carriers that had been destroyed by US troops and aircraft as they
advanced toward the capital city. Aside from frequent stops for
repairs and fuel, we had a fairly uneventful trip to Camp Victory,
Baghdad.
Convoy to Iraq
(U//FOUO) Our new home was in one of Saddam's former palace
complexes located just east of Baghdad International Airport.
Unfortunately, other than the change of scenery and the
permanent structures in which we worked, this new facility offered
almost no advantages over our makeshift tent camp back in
Kuwait. We ate nothing but MREs for the six weeks we were in
Iraq, and many times we were rationed two MREs and two bottles
of water per day. When we first arrived I went almost two weeks
without a shower, and for several weeks our restroom was a small
tent surrounding six metal drums covered by plastic toilet seats
and separated by small sheets. At that point I was working nights
and trying to sleep during the day. This proved to be extremely
difficult since temperatures routinely reached 110 degrees and we
did not have any electricity in our tent for air conditioning or even
fans, so I found myself averaging about two or three hours of sleep
per day. We often heard explosions and saw tracer fire or smoke
coming from the direction of downtown Baghdad, but I felt
relatively safe inside of our heavily guarded compound. The
conditions gradually improved as more people settled into the
camp. Eventually the metal drums were replaced by porta-johns
and we found a clean water source for showers and a generator for
fans in the tent.
One of Saddam's former palaces in Baghdad
(U//FOUO) I took advantage of any opportunity I had to leave
Camp Victory and experience as much of the country and the
culture as I could. Although this often occurred during the day
when I would normally be sleeping, I knew that if I didn't take full
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
advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I would probably
regret it for the rest of my life. Our excursions included Blackhawk
helicopter trips to the Tikrit and Mosul areas, a humvee ride out to
the Ramadi and Fallujah area with some of our CIA colleagues, and
several trips into downtown Baghdad; including visits to the parade
grounds, the republican guard palace, and the former Iraqi
Intelligence Service (IIS) headquarters to witness the debrief of an
informant.
Blackhawk helicopter tour
(U//FOUO) My adventure in Iraq concluded in a somewhat
bittersweet manner in mid-June. On my last day in country, I
accompanied a group of army engineers to a school in eastern
Baghdad, where they were going to make some repairs to the
sewer system that served an elementary school. A large crowd
gathered and became a bit unruly. They then began hurling stones
at us, and suddenly we heard two rounds fired from the top of a
housing complex about one hundred yards away. No one was
injured, but it left me with a somber feeling as the C-17 departed
Baghdad en route to Rhein Main Germany. I had learned much
about my ability to cope with adverse situations. I was proud of the
work I had done, and I was happy to return home to my family and
girlfriend. But hundreds of thousands of Americans remain in
harm's way around the world, living in conditions far worse than
mine and in much greater danger than I ever was. Many US service
members have been away from their families for almost a year or
more, and some have no end in sight. More important than what I
learned about myself, my experience in the Middle East helped me
develop a deeper appreciation and respect for those who dedicate
their lives to fighting for our freedom.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid comms)."
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