Kuwait

Kuwait

The term Fobbit was invented for soldiers working here. There really isn’t a safer place you could be. None of the risks of stateside life and none of the risks of a war zone. How can you prepare people for combat operations when there is a 24 hr Starbucks and Baskin Robbins?
The place is unreal, transients, (units stopping here before going north) live in giant tents. Less than a ten minute walk there are all the conveniences of home. Taco Bell, KFC, Panda express and more proclaim their presence on brightly colored, back lit signs mounted on drab double wide trailers. Most of the troops wander around in a jet lag induced fog. The closer to leaving the more alert they appear, not through a sense of anticipation, but more because they are adapting to the environment.
This is the face of the long war, the small war, the people war. Those of us that enlisted when there was still a threat of red hordes pouring through the Fulda Gap are off balance. War was supposed to be a return to the primitive. You existed in a primal state, eating, sleeping, fighting and dying on your vehicle or with your squad. All the training advertised that kind of war. The kind of war that has not been here since 2003.
The wild west has also departed for parts unknown. We have brought the railroad. Within a year or two of the invasion we drove around like we owned the place. The hiways, byways and back roads all belonged to us. When you came back all they cared about was how many new bullets you needed. Before Strykers and up-armor, when a nice ride had a roof. We rode with our feet hanging out of the truck and our gunners standing behind a hillbilly weapons mount.
Now they question how much ammo we should take for the Mk 19 the Iraqi Army and Police can stop us. Maybe this is all an improvement, the Iraqi government should be in charge. I just don’t trust them. I don’t trust their work ethic. Number one indicator for an IED is that the guys at the check point have gone home.
A thousand questions flood my brain about the upcoming year, none of them have an answer other than wait and see.
In the meantime I will sit by the stage where they have Karaoke night and local bands play. The desert sun washing out my computer screen while I wait for Baskin Robins to open up. Closer to 16 than 31 flavors, but considering where I am, pretty impressive.
In a few days I go back to the war, a nine month ride full of boredom and terror. I look on the bright side, I could be stationed here. I would probably go more crazy than I already am.