Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

After nearly three weeks of living large and staying busy with nothing at Al Asad, here I am at FOB Kalsu, presumably my home for the remainder of my deployment.

Kalsu is south of Al Asad, so it’s a bit warmer. Thankfully we are entering the cooler part of the year, so it’s not a huge change. The “attitude” here, however, is very different! Al Asad felt a lot like a base in the US, like 29 Palms or Yuma, but certainly not much like a war zone. Here, however, it definitely feels like we’re at war.

For one thing, as I wrote about in my previous post “Fear,” we get shot at. Not all the time, or even every day, but often enough to keep us on our toes. The “incoming” is indirect fire, or IDF, typically mortars or rockets. The threat of IDF leads to the difference in attitude.

Now I walk around with my flak jacket and helmet all the time. They feel much more comfortable (and comforting?) since my one experience with rounds landing nearby. Besides wearing helmet and flak, it is nice to be able to take cover from IDF, so there are concrete and sandbag bunkers spread throughout the FOB. As I go about my business, I am always on the lookout for the nearest one. I don’t want to waste my time deciding which way to go – I just want to go. In addition to the bunkers, there are concrete barricades just about everywhere you look. We have “Texas” barriers (big) and “Alaska” barriers (bigger).

The amenities here are a little less grand than Al Asad, but still a lot better than I expected to find in Iraq. There is no store or movie theater, but just about everything else. The showers are actually nicer, and there are more of them. Water seems to be in short supply, however. I now live in a tent rather than a “tin can,” which is a mixed blessing; I have more room, but a little less privacy. The chow hall is smaller, but the food seems about the same.

And then there’s the mud. It started raining the night we arrived, and by the time it was done two days later, it’s a sticky mess here. This is industrial strength mud, the kind that sticks to the bottom of your boots 4” thick when you squish through it. It is amazing how quickly the “moon dust” turned into “gumbo mud.”

Learn more about FOB Kalsu.