Below is a lengthy update from Nicu Nastase, former golfer here in 90's,
who is now on second deployment to Iraq.  He just got sent over, and I
thought his email about his trip over, descriptions of the living
quarters, etc. would be very interesting.  

 

 

Deployment #2  Transit to Al Asad, Iraq                            

Wednesday Jan 24th, 2007

 

Hello everyone,

 

            Just  wanted  to let you  know that I am safe and sound on
base in Iraq.  It was nearly a week ago that I began the arduous journey
from Marine Corps Air Station

Cherry Pt, North Carolina.  It looks like I am filling back into my old
routine of part fighter pilot, part photographer, and part journalist.
Everyone seemed to enjoy my updates during my last deployment, so I
thought I would continue the tradition.  I cannot say how often I will
have time to write, but I definitely will keep everyone up to date with
late breaking events and situations in which I have participated,
provided however they are not of a secret nature.  Feel free to forward
to your friends who may find these updates somewhat interesting.     

            We arrived at the base theater for our 2000 (8 p.m.)
showtime on the 18th  of January to begin our deployment preparation and
say good-bye to our families.  We loaded our sea bags onto a 7-ton truck
while the 2nd Marine Band played various songs including the Marine
Corps Hymn.  Saying good-bye is always hard and something most of us
would like to just get over with, but I guess the families enjoy the
music and the Rah! Rah! atmosphere.  At 2030 we received our good luck
speech from the base commanding general.  He talked to us a little bit
about the direction in which the US was headed and the fact that things
were much more positive than the general media may lead us to believe.
After his speech the CG had us form a line and shook everyone's hand
before we departed the building.  Next stop was the armory where we
picked up our weapons and then off to the APOE (waiting spot for the
aircraft).  We waited at the APOE for over 4 hours until our flight
departed at 2 a.m.  It was time for the logistical train to depart.  

            First stop was Bangor, Maine where we took on more fuel.  It
seems that because of the short runways at Cherry Pt the commercial jets
can't fill with enough gas to get us overseas while still maintaining
the capability to abort the takeoff  if something goes wrong.  Hence the
short flight to Bangor.  The flight took about 1.5 hours and was fairly
uneventful except of course that all 301 passengers were carrying
weapons ranging from M-16's to Shotguns, to 9mm Beretta's (like I was
carrying).  This in of itself was not unusual to me, as I have grown
very accustomed to carrying pistols on deployment.  However I chuckled
to myself when the flight attendant announced "Ladies and Gentlemen, the
Captain has indicated we are cleared to land.  Please stow your tray
tables, make sure your seats are in the up and locked position, turn off
any electrical equipment, and make sure your weapons are laying flat on
the deck with the muzzles pointed towards the rear."  My last deployment
was aboard a ship so I had not seen this type of interaction before and
it really made me laugh.  We were flying World Airways (A private
company that charters jets to the military and to sports teams).  They
were really first class and took care of everyone extremely well.  As I
said we landed in Bangor for a short layover.  The airfield was under a
heavy snow storm and was completely covered.  I thought I was in Salt
Lake City with all the snow on the ground.  It was a beautiful sight to
see.  As we deplaned we were met by a few little old ladies from the
local VFW.  Mind you it was about 4 a.m. and here were these ladies
decked out in shirts designed in the pattern of the American flag.  They
shook every person's hand that got off of the plane.  It seems that
Bangor is a major stopping point for military flights departing and
arriving to/from overseas locations.  The VFW is there 24/7 to meet
every single military flight which passes through and they don't even
get paid.  They do it all for free and for love of their country.  It
was really heart warming.  I remembered seeing this on Fox News during a
special report a few months prior.  The ladies all wanted their pictures
taken with the Marines.  I had a picture taken with one in particular.
She was very sweet and really had a grip.  She put her arms around me
and squeezed for all she was worth.  I didn't think she was going to let
me go.  They took some pictures to put on their website.  The VFW also
provided cell phones to use prior to departing.  It was time to depart
Bangor.  Next stop Litchfield, Germany.  

            We finally left Bangor after our one hour delay turned into
4 because of the weather and then a malfunction  with the tow vehicle.
The flight was again uneventful, as we watched 3 movies and tried to get
a little sleep.  We arrived in Germany at about 2030 local time.  The
sun had no sooner risen in Bangor than it had set as we outraced it
heading east.  Again a short stop for fuel and then it would be off to
Kuwait.  We were ushered to a special terminal which had been built to
keep us quarantined from the local population.  Not sure if this was
because we were armed although we couldn't take our weapons off the
aircraft, or if it was because of our current political relationship
with Germany.   There were a group of Air Force personnel from another
aircraft waiting in the same terminal.  Our Marines saw them with beers
in hand and proceeded to purchase a few drinks as well.  Their hopes of
one last drink on this deployment were instantly shattered as the Master
Gunnery Sergeant announced that "no Marines would drink alcohol during
our layover".   Being that we were heading into country, I guess it was
the right call, but I think it's hard for some of the younger Marines to
understand when they see someone else doing the very same thing.  

            It was a short stop and then back on the aircraft for yet
another leg of the journey.  Our last flight aboard a chartered airliner
would be to Kuwait.  Another uneventful flight with a few more movies
and bam we were at Kuwait International.  The flight attendants wished
us luck and let us know how appreciative they were of our sacrifices.
We deplaned again this time to a waiting bus, which took us to another
set of waiting buses.  We switched buses again and were off to our
bivouac site know as Camp Virginia.  The trip to Camp Virginia would
take us about 1 hour.  On the way the sun rose quickly and announced to
everyone that we were no longer in Cherry Pt.  The landscape was one,
which I have been intimately familiar  with in the past.  Nothing but
sand everywhere the eye could see.  Once we arrived at Camp we grabbed
our bags and headed off the bus.  We stood in formation for another hour
as we divided up groups for placement in temporary tents.  We were given
a brief on the fact that we were in a designated combat zone and the
precautions which go along with such.  It had been about 40 hours since
we had seen a bed and we were tired so the rest of the day was spent
catching up on sleep.

            The next 3 days were spent in Camp Virginia, which is an
army installation used as a midway point to billet troops who are
entering Iraq, and those who are leaving.  Flights into Iraq don't leave
Kuwait on a regular basis as do those flights leaving Kuwait. For
logistical purposes a staging area is necessary and it allows troops to
recoup prior to any large movements.  The Camp was similar to others
like it.  There was every major convenience which you could ask for
under such circumstances.  They had a good chow hall, nice gym, PX, and
even a McDonalds.  The McDonalds sign is in Arabic so I included a
photograph of it for novelty purposes.   They even had above ground
bathrooms that flush, which I know from experience are a rare commodity
in such environments.  Port-a-Potties are the norm and for extended
periods of time are just plain gross.  I was also reintroduced to mass
showers and 100 man tents.  The water is non-potable all over the Middle
East (because of bacteria and feces) so although you can bath in it
(usually doesn't stink too bad) you can't use it to brush your teeth.
We use bottled water for these type of chores.  We had temporary cots
which were not extremely comfortable, but with a decent sleeping bag
were good enough.  After all they could have had us sleeping in the
sand.  I had forgotten how much I hated to walk outside to use the head,
or go to the shower stalls (composed of a trailer) each time I needed to
use the facilities.  It is recommended to drink lots of water, which
would make my grandmother proud, but really sucks when it is freezing
outside and you have to get up in the middle of the night to use the
bathroom.  You think twice about how bad you really have to go.  Weapons
are with you at all times so in case you were wondering, yes you even
take them to the bathroom.  Also there are little to no lights outside
so you must use a flashlight to make your way to and from as well as to
make sure you don't fall in :-)!   The weather in Kuwait was as I had
remembered the Middle East.  One day was bright and shiny and the next
was cold, windy, and sandy.  You just can't escape the sand and dust no
matter what.  It gets into everything.  You can literally see it
floating in the air.  It really reduces visibility and normally goes up
to a few thousand feet, which I know from flying in the junk.  Most of
the time we spent sleeping, watching movies, eating, and for me trying
to get over the Crud.  The new environment really does a number to your
immune system so the first couple days you can expect to be under the
weather.  

            Two interesting events occurred to me while in Kuwait.  One
was the fact that I extinguished an electrical fire to possibly save a
tent if not others.  The other that I ran into a fellow Marine who is
part of the UFC or ultimate fighting championship series as seen on
Spike TV.   I will start with the fire.  I had just finished talking
with my folks as I returned to our hooch.  I rounded the corner and saw
sparks flying in the distance.  My initial thought was that it was
unusual for anyone to be welding around here.  At that moment I realized
it was not welding, but in fact a heating/cooling unit providing for an
adjacent tent had caught on fire.  It was sparking big time and flames
were licking up the wires toward the tent itself.  Everyone knows that
these tents go up literally in about 30 seconds.  With the prevailing
winds, embers can jump from tent to tent and burn down a large area in a
short amount of time costing the taxpayers an unneeded expense as well
as possibly jeopardizing lives.  My first instinct was to run to the
tent where I banged on the door making sure no one was inside.  I
shouted "Fire" "Fire"  in hopes someone would send for the fire
department just in case.  Having ensured no one was inside, I grabbed
the nearest fire extinguisher.  It was of course non-serviceable.  I saw
an Army Major running over and instructed him to alert the fire
department.  I ran to the back of the tent and grabbed another bottle.
Again nothing!  Since I was now downwind of the flames, I could smell
the burning wires.  From experience and common sense, I know this is not
the position to be in, so I headed to another tent in the opposite
direction.  Here I finally found an extinguisher that worked.  I raced
back to the front of the tent and put it out uneventfully.  I gave the
firefighters an earful for not ensuring all bottles were working
properly.  Of course they told me it was not their responsibility but
some base supervisors.  I call B.S. on that but oh well.  As for the 1st
Lt, I had recognized him from UFC.  He was part of an operation during
OIF II in which his unit was ambushed in the Syrian border town known as
Al Qaim.  Here he lost a few men, but was able to push through the
ambush, deter  the barrage of gunfire, save the rest of his men, and
kill the insurgents.  It was a remarkable story which was shown on
Oliver North's TV show War Stories.  I guess he used to be a wrestler
and had gotten involved with the UFC.  When  the UFC heard of his story
and that he had some fights to his name they signed him up for a promo
gig against someone more established.  I don't usually watch this show,
but it came up on Spike TV with the headlines of up next the Marine
fights.  I thought I would watch as I thought it was some type of
gimmick.  It wasn't.  This guy was for real.  He beat his competitor in
about 30 seconds and the opponent was no slouch.  I guess based on this
they signed him up for 4 more fights which he will start in about a
month or two.  He was leaving for another deployment after his big
fight, so I ran into him on his way back to the states.  His name is 1st
Lt Stan.  He apparently will train for the aforementioned fights with
some of the top names in the business (some guy named Chuck Ladell).
Guess I'll try to keep up and see how he does.  He told me to look him
up when I get back so maybe I can score some front row passes from him
in the future.

            We left Kuwait on Jan 22 at about 1600.  Of course we had to
show up a few hours early for our flight from Kuwait to Al Asad.  At
2100 we were finally taking off from Kuwait.  We flew into Al Asad after
dark for obvious reasons.  Harder to shoot down what you can't see.
This flight was aboard a KC-130 transport aircraft.  We were no longer
flying World Airways.  We were packed in tighter than a pack of
Sardines.  We were wearing full battle dress with flak jackets and
Kevlar helmets.  The Air Force loadmaster had us squeeze in as tight as
we could with our carry-on bags on top of our laps.  It was not
comfortable at all.  We would be frozen in this position for the entire
hour and a half flight.  After we were all settled they put all of our
palletized gear in right behind us.  There was literally no room to
move.  The flight was uneventful until we got in close to our
destination.  The pilot started to make some hard banking turns to deter
any potential enemy shots.  He only pulled a few g's, but it is much
different sitting in the back where you can't see anything than being
the pilot at the wheel.  No one got sick as my biggest concern was
wearing someone else's vomit for the next hour.    We landed in Al Asad
and were greeted by another bus which took us to our temporary
billeting, another hundred man tent.   This tent was extremely dusty.
Everything over here is as I've said before, but it was especially bad.


            Well now I have been here for a few days and have met with
the OPSO of the squadron with whom I will fly.  Most of the guys in this
squadron I knew from flight school and haven't seen in years since they
moved to Yuma.  It is always nice to run into old friends.  Funny that
you've got to go to Iraq to see them.  I have been to my new workspace.
I will tell you more later about what I do.  This email is sufficient
for now.  I am getting a lay of the land and the next 6 months should be
like groundhog day with some flights fit in during the week.  The food
is not as good as in Kuwait.  However, they have made some vast
improvements to the base.  They have a massive gym with about 30 bikes
and elyptical machines.   Other  than the gym pretty much everything
else is as I remembered.  Well I am signing off from this update.  I
hope everyone is doing well and I will be in touch again soon.

 

Nicu        

 


* UTCSTAFF home page:  http://raven.utc.edu/archives/utcstaff.html *
* unsubscribe:  mailto:[log in to unmask]  *
*   subscribe:  mailto:[log in to unmask]    *