Parade of Homes

I am writing from the comforts of my latest home- CHU 8 in Baghdad, Iraq. I left Kuwait on Wednesday, late morning, and arrived Baghdad in the early afternoon. With the exception of getting rollover training in an MRAP (mine resistant armor plated vehicles) and some culture training, my last few days in Kuwait were spent walking to or from a meal, or relaxing at the USO tent. The USO was very impressive; the tv show Man Cave came over and spruced it all up; it has phone and computer stations, a large library of books, a movie zone and apparent troop favorite: video gaming areas. You would not know you are in a tent- with the exception of not having a bathroom, it is a great place to hang out. I lucked out and was in Kuwait for the monthly camel visit sponsored by the USO. We did not get to know each other well, but I got to climb on and take a short ride. Definately a highlight of my time in Kuwait!

Time for goodbyes, we were being shipped out in groups to Iraq and Afghanistan; my group was comprised of 12 and we were assigned to a C130 to Baghdad. Wearing our Individual Body Armour and helmuts, we took our spots in the netted seats and sat sweating profusely until take off. It cooled a bit at altitude and it appeared that everyone took a little snooze. We had been briefed that we would be doing a combat approach, meaning evasive flying. A wake up tap was passed from passenger to passenger as we tightened our belts and helmuts before descending. I was not looking forward to the descent but it was not as bad as I had imagined it to be. Throughout this process, I seem to build things up and then find myself relieved at the end of each evolution. It seems to be a new character trait I am developing; not one I am proud of. Back to the approach...I came to realize that a little dive was coming when the engines were pulled back. Getting a handle on that allowed me to predict a sudden movement and that made it better. It was also the first time I thought to consider discouraging my children from joining the military. And then we landed, I took a deep breath and relaxed.

We shuttled to Camp Victory which runs alongside the airport and headed to our newest temporary lodging, more tents. We only stayed two nights; just long enough to get a brief from the Navy staff and to get our final leg of travel sorted. Camp Victory is on, in and around Saddam Hussein's palace. To be perfectly honest, I did not like being there and meeting in one of his former buildings. I know there are many practical reasons for why we are based there, and I am sure it will be turned over one day, but it just seems like a great opportunity for the insurgents to portray us as occupiers, instead of partners. I could not imagine Americans standing for it if the situation were reversed. Just my take. On a more trivial note, the decor in the building was kind of french oppulent with some persian mosaic thrown in. Huge chrystal chandeliers, damask wallpaper and lots of gold trim. In addition to the fixtures and wallcoverings, some original furniture remains and that was interesting for me.

On Friday, I loaded up my seabags, I was both excited and nervous to head to my final destination. It is not a long trip but requires a MRAP convoy outside the wire (off base.) I was comforted remembering that one of our Drill Sergeants said the first convoy is always the worst, but also annoyed to find myself imagining every worst case scenerio. Not only was it Friday the 13th, not lost on any of us travelling that day, but for me it was also Noah's birthday. I just could not help but think that would be a really bad Mom move to ruin his birthday for life. I did not know anyone in my truck but if the soldier across from me would have reached out- I would have held his hand in a second. I think it is time for you to reconsider including the word "brave" in the comments section! The convoy commander, gunner and driver were as professional as could be and clearly knew their jobs and route, inside and out. More deep breaths after arriving, unharnessing and disembarking.

I have been here just over a day. The compound is very nice and with the exception of the scattered mortar shelters, it looks like a mini college campus. I do not know the numbers, but it appears civilians outnumber military and that is refreshing. I will wait for next week to describe my job to you but my title is Strategic Water Officer. This for a girl who generally does not even like water unless it has been processed into a Diet Coke. Out of the 96 in my class at Camp McCready, three of us are assigned here. We are considered very lucky as it is generally acknowledged that the Embassy has the best of everything. My container housing unit (CHU) is right next to the bathroom, literally the next door down, and I do not currently have a roommate. My sponsor was kind enough to have my key waiting and even turned on the a/c in advance of my arrival. Definately an improvement in living conditions. I am looking forward to doing a little decorating and making it my home away from home.

I got most of the orientation and initial adminstrative things done at work today and got the internet activated in my CHU. I look forward to staying in touch and am so grateful for the ability to communicate easily.
You can now reach me by mail too. My address is:


CDR Krista P. Sturbois
PSC 2042 Unit 42
APO AE 09870-2042

Love Krista