So it’s begun to warm up over here. Normally I’ll take long, quick strides when I’m walking between places. But now I’ve noticed that I’ll actually walk a good bit slower now to try and keep cool. I am glad that I’ll be coming home in the next month or so. I definitely came to Iraq at a good time. It can get pretty cold out there, but I’ve always preferred the cold. Still got that Michigan blood in me.
This heat really is no joke though. I can only imagine the grunts having to do foot patrols with IBAs on (they add ten degrees to your core temperature). The Army is looking at some high-tech clothing to combat heat stress. More breathable and yet fire-resistant gear to wear underneath the IBA has been very well received by Soldiers I’ve talked to who have used it.
Something else that may have helped Soldiers is the upgraded vehicles. HMMWVs usually are viewed with no doors, which would make A/C impractical. Now that they are all up-armored, they also have air and heat. The heat, I know, has been good for those cold night patrols when wind chill would freeze us. The air, I’m sure, has probably kept some Soldiers from passing out and becoming a heat casualty.
Anyways, I will be redeploying before it gets to the summer, and I am definitely glad about that. You can always put more layers on, but the long sleeves and pants always stay on us.
On another note… I saw an article describing unusual places to stay. So now I have an underwater hotel, a hotel with rooms that are geodesic domes (with built-in observatory and star charts to track stars) and maybe even a 7-star hotel. Now the 7-star hotel I heard about from a co-worker… and while it would be luxurious to stay there, it’s also $7,000. Yeah, the Army doesn’t pay that well. But I could take a tour of the hotel for $45! It’s amazing how capitalism spurs many innovative ways to create funds. Most people wouldn’t think of charging to tour a hotel.
Also, I do not like the water here at Taji. My skin had cracked up from the water when I took showers. I guess the water, which is fresh, disinfected but non-potable, just drys the skin out. Other Soldiers had similar issues when they first got here. So although I’m having difficulty adjusting to it now at the beginning, if I had stayed for fifteen months, I probably would have been all right.
The Orange Haze was hangin’ round my head again. Having another look at it, I had an image of me being in a glass jar looking out. Since I’m inside the office, the walls are white and it’s clear inside. But then the door opens as someone comes in and you look outside and see that unnatural glow. It really gave me a feeling of being on the inside looking out.
2LT Adam Ochylski
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