10/28 - we awake to - surprise! - rain. After a buffet breakfast we board the bus and head for Camp Arifjan out in the desert. Kuwait is about equal in sqare miles to NJ. Do you know what Missouri looks like? Well, think of Iraq as the major upper part of Missou with Kuwait as the bootheel.
At Arifjan we meet with the camp officers who go over the base's mission and present us with certificates of appreciation. Then we mingle with the troops in the USO center. Arifjan's function is mostly supplies and logistics, and it has a relaxed atmosphere. I meet a couple of Repairman Jack fans and gab with a bunch of the soldiers. They're all delighted we made the trip and keep thanking us. We keep saying that the point of the trip is to thank THEM.
Next stop is waaaay out into the desert. So far out that we see camel roadkill (I kid you not). We pass a lot of tents off the road where Kuwaitis periodically stay to refresh their Bedouin heritage.
We stop at camp Beuhring, just 20 miles from the Iraq border. A different vibe here: these are all infantry and they stand ready to fight should the need arise. But it hasn't arisen, which has led to the nickname, "Camp Boring." We do more meet and greet and then it's back to Kuwait City and the hotel. Better rest up: We fly out for Germany at 2 a.m.
Here we are at Afrijan: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/11/prweb11290055.htm
and again: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=...=1&theater
At Arifjan we meet with the camp officers who go over the base's mission and present us with certificates of appreciation. Then we mingle with the troops in the USO center. Arifjan's function is mostly supplies and logistics, and it has a relaxed atmosphere. I meet a couple of Repairman Jack fans and gab with a bunch of the soldiers. They're all delighted we made the trip and keep thanking us. We keep saying that the point of the trip is to thank THEM.
Next stop is waaaay out into the desert. So far out that we see camel roadkill (I kid you not). We pass a lot of tents off the road where Kuwaitis periodically stay to refresh their Bedouin heritage.
We stop at camp Beuhring, just 20 miles from the Iraq border. A different vibe here: these are all infantry and they stand ready to fight should the need arise. But it hasn't arisen, which has led to the nickname, "Camp Boring." We do more meet and greet and then it's back to Kuwait City and the hotel. Better rest up: We fly out for Germany at 2 a.m.
Here we are at Afrijan: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/11/prweb11290055.htm
and again: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=...=1&theater
This post was last modified: 11-05-2013, 02:39 PM by fpw.
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Thanks for doing that. I always appreciated the USO tours that came through. And since I escaped from Beuhring (to Iraq) and my wife was born in Mildenhall, I very much approve of your itinerary.