kirkuk adventure
Friends:
Travel in Iraq is an adventure. I was scheduled to fly on a Chinoock Helicopter from COB Speicher to FOB Marez. First of all, the flight was delayed two hours due to weather. We were supposed to take off at 9:30 pm and ended up taking off at 11:30 pm. The weather problem was a dust storm. The helicopter was packed with people and equipment. We flew to our first stop and then to our second stop. Everyone on board was kind of in a daze due to the heat and the close quarters. When we landed at our second stop, Kirkuk, the aircraft commander came out and said they were having engine problems and we would have to exit the aircraft. So here we go, all in our body armor which is required to fly in Iraq, on a runway somewhere in Iraq. We waited for two hours on the runway until they said we would have to stay the night in Kirkuk. Helicopters always fly in two ship formations in Iraq. Our second aircraft was a Blackhawk helicopter. We packed into the blackhawk and flew to the passenger terminal where we met a bus that took us to a tent where we sepnt the night. We got to sleep at abut 4:00 am. It was a short night. This flight delay reminded me of life in Alaska where travel was often delayed a day or two. My commander and senior chief were with me on the flight so we spent the next day in Kirkuk visiting and waiting for our departure the next evening.
We finally took off from Kirkuk at about 11:30 pm. I was in the back of the aircraft thinking, "Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas any more!" The rear gunner strapped himself in and when we were airborn he sat on the tailgate of the aircraft, hanging his legs over the edge, held on to his 50 cal. machine gun and with his night vision goggles scanned the ground for enemy fire. I was partcularly struck by the gas fires that surround Kirkuk. Appartently this is an oil rich part of Iraq where much of the oil just sits in pools above ground. They burn off the natural gas which is impressive at night from a helicopter. Finally, we arrived in Mosul and was was at home in my little room.
In a way, this whole adventure is about home. Home is a safe place where one is free to be. We are over here to secure this country so Iraqi's and others in the world can be at home, in peace and safety. Religion at its best, provides and facilitates our homecoming with GOD. Where GOD is with us, we are at home. While we yearn for home in this foreign land, we are here so Americans and others in the human family can be at home in peace. GOD BLESS YOU!
Dave
Travel in Iraq is an adventure. I was scheduled to fly on a Chinoock Helicopter from COB Speicher to FOB Marez. First of all, the flight was delayed two hours due to weather. We were supposed to take off at 9:30 pm and ended up taking off at 11:30 pm. The weather problem was a dust storm. The helicopter was packed with people and equipment. We flew to our first stop and then to our second stop. Everyone on board was kind of in a daze due to the heat and the close quarters. When we landed at our second stop, Kirkuk, the aircraft commander came out and said they were having engine problems and we would have to exit the aircraft. So here we go, all in our body armor which is required to fly in Iraq, on a runway somewhere in Iraq. We waited for two hours on the runway until they said we would have to stay the night in Kirkuk. Helicopters always fly in two ship formations in Iraq. Our second aircraft was a Blackhawk helicopter. We packed into the blackhawk and flew to the passenger terminal where we met a bus that took us to a tent where we sepnt the night. We got to sleep at abut 4:00 am. It was a short night. This flight delay reminded me of life in Alaska where travel was often delayed a day or two. My commander and senior chief were with me on the flight so we spent the next day in Kirkuk visiting and waiting for our departure the next evening.
We finally took off from Kirkuk at about 11:30 pm. I was in the back of the aircraft thinking, "Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas any more!" The rear gunner strapped himself in and when we were airborn he sat on the tailgate of the aircraft, hanging his legs over the edge, held on to his 50 cal. machine gun and with his night vision goggles scanned the ground for enemy fire. I was partcularly struck by the gas fires that surround Kirkuk. Appartently this is an oil rich part of Iraq where much of the oil just sits in pools above ground. They burn off the natural gas which is impressive at night from a helicopter. Finally, we arrived in Mosul and was was at home in my little room.
In a way, this whole adventure is about home. Home is a safe place where one is free to be. We are over here to secure this country so Iraqi's and others in the world can be at home, in peace and safety. Religion at its best, provides and facilitates our homecoming with GOD. Where GOD is with us, we are at home. While we yearn for home in this foreign land, we are here so Americans and others in the human family can be at home in peace. GOD BLESS YOU!
Dave
posted by David Fulton at 1:29 PM
1 Comments:
GOD SPEED TO ALL OF YOU. I WAS WITH THE GROUP THAT YOU JUST REPLACED. THE 557TH IS AN OUTSTANDING UNIT. I PRAY YOU ALL RETURN SAFELY.
TSGT DAVID ZAWACKI, 110 CES BATTLE CREEK MI.
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