War souvenirs

War souvenirs

Everyone wants a memento of their travels. Soldiers are no different. In the past troops brought home a wide variety of things from international travels. There are small and portable things like coins, and flatware for the family. The larger things like samurai swords, pistols and rifles are prizes above simple flags and currency. Then there are the grand daddy things, like tanks, statues, mummies and brides. My personal favorite was the BMW factory taken from Germany by the Soviets. Last time I got the local uniforms and currency, a pair of rugs and other stuff. Most of it sits in a foot locker in a storage unit.
I want a souvenir that has style, one that I can use. I have been looking for the perfect thing to buy to take home. The days of… ‘appropriating’ have past, no longer can you just kick in a door and take a piece of loot to hang on your mantel or in your museum’s Egyptian exhibit. So I have to buy it. This means it has to be worth the cash.
My solution came to me while sitting in purgatory. Watching guys come and go from the Iraqi gate. I want a motorcycle. They have the strangest knock off bikes here, Tonda brand comes to mind first, but there are others. Something in the 250cc to 400cc range, held together with duct tape and bailing wire. Something I can cram in a connex and ship home, or worst case take apart and mail home in pieces. If Radar can do it why can’t I?
I have decided I want a bike here. I may even get to ride it around post for a day or two before the MPs decide that it is against the rules. I talked to the interpreter, he says around 500 dollars. So now I am on a mission, I will pick up a bike and figure a way to get it home. Now I just have to figure out how to get it registered at home with an Arabic bill of sale.

Now that is a memento that is practical, useful and a whole conversation starter. Besides I can teach friend to ride on it. How cool is that?