Getting Ready for the Mission

Our day didn’t end until 4AM Kuwait time. After arriving on the base, we checked in with the Media Affairs Office. We turned in our passports to a contract agency who’s job is to get travel permission from the Kuwaiti Government. After that, we went to a billeting office – where we were assigned a tent. Eric (our freelance videographer) and I were assigned to tent P4. We didn’t quite know what to expect, but after a long day of travelling – anything was better than an airport. Before we went to our tent, we went to get some food. On the base – there’s a 24-hour McDonalds and a 24-hour subway…. There’s also a coffee shop that’s always open. We opted for midnight chow at the dining hall. The base we’re on has a lot of transients – that are waiting to be moved from this base to other points throughout the Middle East, so that’s why there’s always something open – people are always coming in and leaving. We went to the dining hall – washed up, and headed inside for what is probably the best midnight snack I’ve ever had. Prime Rib, Turkey, Cornbread Dressing, Gravy, French Toast, Bacon, Sausage, Biscuits, Fresh Fruit, Ice Cream…. I didn’t eat ALL of that, of course. But really, there’s nothing I can imagine I would have wanted that wasn’t there. After we ate – we decided to go and check out our accommodations. Tent P4 it was – and it’s hard to explain the tent, because it’s more like a canvas dormitory. We shared the tent with about 20 other guys. We all had bunk-beds. The tent was air-conditioned to the max – in fact, we were cold, which is really impressive in the desert. We didn’t get much sleep because it was so cold, and because of the time difference, but over all, a very nice night with accommodations and food that very much exceeded our expectations.

 

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