This post is going to be a bit disorganized because I have waited so long to post anything that it's sort of all a jumble in my memory. To catch up, we flew to BIAP (Baghdad International Airport) and moved to FOB Prosperity down Route Irish (our name for the highway that links BIAP to the IZ (International Zone (formerly known as the Green Zone until Matt Damon ruined it for everyone (if you have to ask you'll never know))). By the way, I love punctuation, especially the comma, (not to mention the parenthesis). The next morning we took a fast tour of the IZ and these first pictures are some of the things we saw. The IZ was originally an American owned section of Baghdad. It was called green because it was relatively safe. I think you can find the boundaries of it on Google. At any rate, as we are turning this area back over to the Iraqi government, it was renamed the IZ as it is chock full of foreign embassies. Speaking of which, the British embassy is having a Christmas ball tonight and I was not invited. Don't they know who I am?! Anyway, the southern boundary of the IZ is a causeway that follows the Tigris River and these are some shots taken from a speeding up-armored Suburban. The top one is of Hotel Baghdad where Saddam had a huge tile mural of George Bush on the lobby floor so that guests could walk on his face, a serious insult in Arab culture. American Soldiers tore up the mural sometime during the invasion.
A shot down the Tigris of a dredging operation.
This is a shot facing north across the lake created by the causeway. I didn't know what this building was when I took the picture. I later found out that this is the headquarters of some Iraqi army unit. I just liked the dome.
This tower probably has a larger purpose, but the one it is famous for is the weekly hangings conducted by Saddam either on or just before the sabbath day of Friday. There is still a noose hanging there, but it isn't showing up on this blog.
I have no Idea what this monument is, but it looked significant
This was the Bathe party headquarters, now it is a US Army HQ. More on it later.
This is the Palace of the Believers. I don't know what's there now, but it got really messed up by the Aire Force during the invasion
I think this is Hammurabi, the great code maker of Babylon.
This is the famous Crossed Swords Parade Ground. I took a lot of pictures here. I was sort of fascinated with the helmets. Just like George Bush's image on the floor, Saddam placed the helmets of Iranian soldiers in the cement as speed bumps after the Iraq/Iran war. There are helmets all over this monument, pouring off of the triumphant, sword gripping hands.
The grand stand.
Huge fingers
There are two sets of swords, one on either end of the parade ground. To the left (not shown) is an enormous grand stand. The posts that look like gigantic hair brushes on the sides are really light posts. . . lots of lights.
From where we were standing, you could see their Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This is, of course, much larger than our version and houses an officer training school.
There was another unit there taking pictures that day and these are their vehicles. MRAPs (Mine Resistant Armored Personnel) come in a variety of types. This one is basically an International dump truck modified. They are very tall with the gunner's turret so they are rigged with pipes to slip under telephone and power wires.
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FOB Prosperity
This is one of two archways on the palace grounds
This is a shot of the front of Al Salaam palace. From what I can gather, the original palace was built in the early 19teens by King Fisal the Whatever. It was later used as the Republican Guard HQ and bombed out (Air Force) during the Gulf War. Saddam rebuilt it and it was either one of his wife's or his sister's house. The lakes conceal underground bunkers. There is an underground tunnel from here to BIAP six miles away. Both the bunkers and the tunnel were flooded by the coalition. This palace was hit by 6 JDAMs which are basically smart bombs. Having seen how this was built, it's a wonder it's still standing. Until a few months ago, this palace was inhabited by Soldiers. Then, it was condemned by the US Corps of Engineers. Now there only part that is still occupied is the gym on the bottom floor. It makes sense, right? Supposedly the building will cave in any minute and we keep the gym in there, the place most Soldiers go every day.
The blue in the foreground is a swimming pool on the edge of the lake.
A closer look at the damage.
I don't know what this builidng was, but it is now the post chapel.
A bad shot of the lakes.
I hear the fishing is good here as long as you don't eat the fish. The water is pumped in from the Tigris and there is supposedly some kind of strange fish with the head of a catfish and body of an eel. They call it a cateel. I intend to catch one and see for myself.
My office. Apparently the FOB Mayor two mayors ago liked gardening.
The front lawn. Yes that's a russian built recoiless rifle adorning the grass. It's named Crazy Horse.
Our placarding office. There is a trailer behind the concrete barriers where we basically license vehicles to drive on the IZ and certain FOBs. This is one of the duties of the Mayor Cell, my staff.
I win every month.
One of my Gators. I want one at home.
Crazy Horse
One of my trucks and that's my house behind it. To the right is the "tree house". We call it that because it has a huge palm tree growing through the middle of it.
The Dodge on the right is another of my trucks. It belonged to some contractor who left it here at the end of the contract. It truly belongs to nobody so we claimed it. The Tahoe is my personal vehicle. War is hell.
My house
Not my house.
This is the pool. LT Hodgkinson asked for permision to fill it with sand and make a RC car track.
The FOB boundary mostly follows the palace grounds wall. These are some of the guard towers.
A sandbagged bunker.
The palace grounds wall.
The facade is falling away to reveal a regular old brick wall.
One of many speed bumps made from old tank treads.
MRAPS and up-armored Humvees. Actually it's spelled HMMWV (High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle).
This place reminds me of an arab palace themed Vegas casino after a war. . . or a real palace after a war. What I mean is that the climate reminds me of Vegas. . . or whatever.
On the FOB we have a small PX (below) as well as local national (military speak for Iraqi citizens)vendors (above).
Yes that's a painting of Michael Jackson for sale.
This is really a pretty post, it's just all hidden behind T barriers
The unit we replaced is from New Orleans. Everyone keeps asking me what we are going to rename this "Lafayette Square". I'll probably leave it as there is nothing particularly significant or famous in Idaho to name it after. Maybe Simplot Square? Anyway, I'm open to suggestions.
Babylon DVD?
The new Pizza Hut and Subway trailers being installed.
Previous units who passed through here.
These cows showed up one day so we corraled them until the owner comes looking for them.
I run the amnesty program on post. that means that if a Soldier somehow ends up with some ammunition (or anything else) he isn't supposed to have, he can turn it in with no repercusions. These are some of the things that have been turned in. That is a RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) leaning in the corner. The blue tipped roundish things are training grenades for the a Mk19 automatic grenade launcher. The big bullet is a 25 mm explosive round for the Bushmaster machine gun found in Bradley Fighting Vehicles. And finally, a .50 caliber armor piercing round. That's a full size stapler next to it, also know to be dangerous.
Tungsten carbide tipped projectile.
CHU ville (Containerized Housing Unit) The normal Soldier's digs.
The food isn't too bad.
These pictures were taken on a trip down Route Irish in a convoy of up-armored suburbans. 70 MPH 10 feet apart.
We were going too fast for a good picture by the time I saw it, but this minivan was covered in chrome accessories. . . and awesome.
130 KMH converts to about 185 MPH, I think. I could be wrong.
Iraqi Police. And we get all weird if our police use excesive force with pepper spray. How about a .50 cal?
This is the Victory over America Palace on FOB Slayer near BIAP. Saddam built it to comemorate his victory over the US after the Gulf War. He also built a Victory over Iran Palace. If you know your history, that is equally laughable.
Rollin in style.
This was taken through bullet resistant glass, so it's all warped.
Iraqi Federal Police
A russian built T 72 main battle tank at the ECP (Entrance Control Point) into the IZ. The Iraqi army owns the IZ now, and thus the entry security responsibilities.
Another one.
Their is a LN (Local National) Vendor that has a restaurant on FOB Properity. The lady in red is an Iraqi born, American citizen who now works for us. She made us a meal and held a reception in this restaurant. Here she was belly dancing.
Some of the Soldiers from my unit. They all outrank me except for the two on the right.
The spread. And no parasites afterward! I really thought the sausages had a weird texture until it was pointed out that they were potatos. I'm an idiot.
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