Heat

Heat

Greetings from Kuwait. Our trip started in a gymnasium in Kansas where we lined up to weigh us and our gear prior to loading the plane. My total weight with my IBA, weapon, helmet and assault pack was 290 lbs (I only weigh about 169 lbs soaking wet). They bussed us out to an airfield where we boarded a commercial airliner and spread us out for a long, but comfortable flight. After a plane ride that took the better part of a full day to get over here, not to mention the hardest landing I’ve ever had on a commercial airliner during our pit stop in Germany, we arrived at our temporary resting spot in the friendly country of Kuwait. Our mission here is to receive a few more days of training and to acclimatize to the heat. I’ve learned that after spending the better part of the last 10 years living in the state of Texas that I’m not entirely positive that it is something possible to do. Nobody ever gets “use” to 100+ temps. They just get beat down enough were they just quit complaining about it so much. Lucky for us, this area has experienced a “cool spell”. With the help of a few cloudy days and a sand storm or two, the temps have not climbed too far into the triple digits.

Life is slow here as it is impossible to do much living on the surface of the sun. The schedule for the first few days had nothing but “acclimatize” on it, which meant getting use to the heat and the jet lag. We are 8 hours ahead of the US central time zone and it was not uncommon to be awoken in the middle the night by the growling of stomachs that were use to their own feeding schedule. The food is plentiful and the facilities are surprisingly decent. The provided living and sleeping arrangements include a giant air conditioned framed tent. It’s a little cramped, but as long as the AC is working, there’s not much complaining. Besides, it’s better than staying in a regular GP medium tent with no type of environmental controls like most of our predecessors did when they first arrived over here a few years back.

Things would be a LOT better if the military hadn’t lost a whole section of duffle bags on the flight over. And here I thought that lost luggage was limited to only companies like Delta Airlines. All of us packed 4 giant duffle bags and a rucksack of gear which contained the uniforms and gear necessary to survive the next year in country. Most of it is pretty essential stuff and to be without it is sort of like moving to a new house and freakishly losing the moving truck with in route. Included in the 60 person group that are missing their bags are CPT Brendan, SFC Jay and myself, which isn’t a good way to start off the war. Maybe this is an omen that we aren’t suppose to be here. We did get our rucksacks which have a basic change of clothes, some hygiene items and a smattering of sleeping essentials, but that’s about it. They are currently investigating the strange disappearance of the 100 or so duffle bags, but things are looking pretty grim. Borrowing clothes from others is a last resort option, but who wants to lend out their underwear? A better question might be, who would want that underwear back?