Baghdad International Airport
A bittersweet day for us indeed. As we depart Baghdad after a year,we have forged many friendships we are sure will last a lifetime. We have seen and experienced things that we can sometimes not explain. We have been more happy than ever, and at the same time felt pain and suffering with our Iraqi colleagues deeper than anything I have ever witnessed. And here we are, one year later...headed out of Baghdad for the last time (for now). Our keys are turned in, our house has been raided in the customary "viking raid" for any and all useful goods/wares we have acquired and do not want to lug with us. Our packages have been mailed, Travel Authorizations cut, goodbyes have been said by the final "motorpool" call, my flack jacket gingerly awaits a new arrival in the storage container, and we are heading out. As is customary in Baghdad, nothing is customary, and sure enough we were in for just one final thrill before we're wheels up tomorrow....this little antic is something I put together when we first arrived at the airport this afternoon...
***************************
So one thing's for sure...the next time I head to a war zone, I'm going with the Aussies! We were waiting at the landing zone in the IZ (LZ Washington, the one you always see on CNN) for a US military helo out to the Baghdad International Airport. As usual, our show time is an hour before the scheduled flight. So we check in and start what we do a lot around here: wait. Short while later a sergeant comes out of the office and yells "anyone going to BIAP?", to which we eagerly respond "sure, we are", he says "follow me". We do the customary grab and stick of Velcro sides on a flack vest while trying to simultaneously secure a helmet and stuff ear plugs in, and we head to the flight deck. Sitting on the tarmac among about six black hawks (our regular means of transportation) are two funky looking (almost cute) helicopters, I later learn are Pumas.
An Aussie with a headset directs us to the bird in front, just in time to watch the gunner move two cases of Guinness out of the doorway for us to climb onto. He grabs our bags and gives us a hand up and actually welcomes us on board. What followed was the most fun 20 minutes of my entire year in Baghdad! These guys flew us over Baghdad at what cannot have been more than 100 feet off the deck. I know it was close because I couldn't even use the small zoom on my point and shoot when taking video! For twenty minutes these guys were flying in a formation that would make most people (at least my dad) lose his lunch! Absolutely awesome, up and down, left and right, over the fields, and through the woods, and then on to BIAP. After an unusually long taxi at BIAP, we came to a halt, the gunner undid our bags, helped us down, then unloaded the bags and insisted on carrying the one bag all the way to the edge, only to be met by three guys with a vehicle there to "drive our bags over to the check in". I kept thinking "wonder if they'll mind that we're not Australian". What a way to run a war! Guinness and customer service with a smile. Hope the crew is enjoying a cold one as we speak. Cheers mates!
PS: We're flying to Amman tomorrow, then off to Petra, Paris....etc,etc. Will keep you posted.
No comments:
Post a Comment