060909 R&R and an 8 Day Pass

060909 R&R and an 8 Day Pass

As a contractor in Iraq I get one vacation every six months. When I
worked for KBR, I got a vacation every 4 months. Soldiers (who are
here on a 12-13 month assignment) 'generally' get one R&R vacation
back to the states at the six month mark plus 1 or 2, 'Four-Day'
passes to Qatar. And of course for everyone (mil and civ) the 'needs
of the mission' come first. Even if you GET your pass or R&R, you
have to get OUT of Iraq and that can be a trial of patience. For me
to just get from Balad to Kuwait I'll budget 2-3 days and this
involves just going to the APOD (our version of an airport passenger
terminal) and waiting for a flight, any flight that might go to
Kuwait that I can get on. Of course I won't leave there until I get a
flight as you never know when a flight might land and be available to
take passengers to Kuwait. This is basically the same experience for
soldiers.

When (IF) I do get to Kuwait, I have a mandatory overnight stay while
my Kuwait VISA is processed. This means my passport is reviewed by
the Kuwaiti authorities for any unpaid bills that I might have in
Kuwait (this is only for civilians.) Then I'll get on a bus and go
to the Kuwait airport where I'll generally get on a plane for a 13-15
hour flight (non-stop) to DC. In short, one generally needs a
vacation to recover from going on 'vacation'.

Anyway, above are some pics of Qatar that I received from the
battalion chaplain who just came back. He had a good time and as you
can see, the capital city Doha is a modern city. I think Doha and
most places in the Mideast (Kuwait, Dubai and Iraq) have more than
their fair share of tacky architecture (giant oyster shell, tower of
Babel?)

R/Chris