|
Catching Up with Coach Randall in Iraq - Blog Three
June 26, 2009
Day 8 Anyway, we departed from Kuwait on a C-17 heading to Camp Balad. Wow, that plane was huge! The whole process was pretty neat. We had to be a part a the roll-call process, and then we were bussed over to the aircraft. This was a totally different experience than the C-130. I did get a chance to go to the cockpit, but I was not able to stay long where it was a short flight. Dang, I was so ready to fly that plane! By the time we landed, we missed out on doing things on that base as well. We basically arrived there and went to sleep. Tomorrow will be a pretty busy day. This place actually has so much history. This base belonged to Saddam Hussein. That's right! We actually took it over when we caught him. When the troops came over then and dug, they found a bunch of jets and helicopters underground. I really wish we would have had more time to visit this historical place... By the way, this is the biggest U.S. base we have in Iraq. There are an estimated 50,000 troops and 20,000 contractors on it. Better go and get ready for another busy day of travels. Our goal tomorrow is three bases in one day. We'll see how that goes... Day 9 We were planning to be around here for a few hours before we had to catch our next flight. This is when it hit home for me, in terms of how mentally tough you have to be in order to withstand all the conditions that you go through over here. They live in a tent-like area, and they have 20-30 roommates. There are a total of 250 soldiers on this base. With talking with the soldiers, you can sense how close they are with one another. You are isolated out there in the middle of nowhere. My heart has the upmost respect for this base in particular. They do not have the resources other services have. While we were there, the generator went out, and the selection of food in the dining hall was very limited. What was cool was that they were really excited to meet us. It was truly an honor to meet them and put a smile on their faces. After lunch, we pretty much toured the area and mingled with the troops. They were very appreciative of our efforts to come all the way over here to visit. To end the trip, they had a half of a basketball court, and they wanted to shoot around with us. This was an outdoor court, and like I said before, it was extremely hot (125 degrees). Anytime our troops wanted to play, they hoop it during the day when the heat is piping hot. They can't play at night, because that's a target for the enemy to attack us. I went out there and shot around with the troops. I was not going to let heat pass up any experience to share a moment with our troops. I had a ton of fun shooting with them. The court was right next to the runway where the Blackhawks land. We played for about half an hour. Our Blackhawk actually landed while we were playing, but we didn't want to stop playing. But, it was time for us to say our last goodbyes and thank them for the great experience. Brain, our tour manager, informed us that we were going to cancel going to one the bases because of weather. We hopped on the plane and took off. On pervious Blackhawk rides, there wasn't much to see when you looked out the window. It is pretty much sand, and every once in a while you would see a different city or see some greenery in areas. This flight was pretty special though, because we were alongside the Tigris River. I've heard so much about this river growing up as a little girl in church Sunday School. I had no idea I would be flying alongside it heading to our next base, called Camp Warriors. Oh my gosh, the river looked so beautiful! One of the captains that I met on the tour said that all the bottled water we have on the bases actually comes from the Tigris River. Camp Bernstien and Warrior are very close to one another, so the trip was only about 20 minutes. Both camps are located in a city called Kirkuk. I know I mentioned this before of how blessed I am, but who would have thought I would be at Camp Warrior? Not me! Camp Warrior is the home of the Tuskegee Airmen. What an honor to be on this base. I wish we would have had more time to explore the base. That sun really kicked my tail. I'm exhausted from being out there in it and playing with our troops. I refueled my body with some water and Gatorade, and we got a chance to eat (of course) and rest for a couple of hours before we did our clinic for our troops. When we arrived at the gym, there were troops shooting around. They were ready for us. You could just see it in their eyes. They were planning on giving us a show. Instead, the PRO's decided to show them how the game is supposed to be played... LOL! We did our normal drills, competitions, and of course played 5-on-5. I have to give you more details about this game though. The troops scored five baskets in a row on us. What was great a well was that this was the first trip to have a female participate in the clinic. She had game too, which made it pretty special! I have to be honest here. We cheated our way to victory. We normally go to seven by ones. We just extended the game to 11... LOL! We ended up winning the game, and the troops loved it. I really enjoyed it myself as well. Following our clinic, the troops had their league game. We stuck around to support them, but we didn't stay as long as we would have liked, because we had a flight to catch. I really wish I could get frequent-flyer miles for the Blackhawks I've been flying on. I would have earned a free flight by now! Day 10 One last stop, and we complete the Classic Hardwood Tour. We hop into the Blackhawk heading over to Camp Mosul... just a side note, I will never complain about not riding in a Blackhawk. I'm Blackhawk-experienced out! Mosul is one of the biggest cities in Iraq. About two million people live there, and right now it's probably the most dangerous place. It is the biggest "hot spot." More history: Saddam Hussein's son built a palace in the middle of Mosul in the shape of a pyramid. When he was killed, all the Iraqi people went in and raided the entire palace. Today it is a demolished building that is just sitting there. As we pulled up to the base this was a huge base, like Balad. Soldiers and contractors were everywhere. We had a debriefing before we exited the bus to go to our rooms. They wanted to give us a heads up about the location we were at. They mentioned we would here bullets and other ammo going off in the middle of the night, but not to be alarmed. We were not being attacked. It's just our troops going out on their missions. My eyes were bulging out my face while this was being explained. All I was thinking was "God will protect us!" This area is an extremely "hot spot." After he assured us we were going to be okay, we exited the bus and had a few hours to rest before we went and ate dinner. I told y'all that all we do is eat on these tours! The food was great. We had a huge selection, and yes, I got my apple pie and ice cream. We had a few hours before we went to the gym (hope my ice cream digests!). As we walked out of the dinner service, our sergeant informed us this was the dinner hall that was bombed. Outside the cafeteria there was a monument of the soldiers and contractors we had lost. Looking at the monument, what hit me the most was that the people who were killed ranged from 20-61 years old. Wow! I live by this today, you never know when it's your time, so you better live life to the fullest and find some way in your heart to put a smile upon someone's face. I thank God for everything and all the wonderful things he keeps showing me! Anyway, I did have time to take a quick cat nap before we headed to the gym. We put on our clinic, and like always, had a great time with the troops. We took pictures, signed autographs... we did it all. Most importantly, we survived. It has been a grueling trip, but we touched a lot of soldiers' hearts, from those that knew basketball, to those that had no clue of who we were. We gave them a piece of home. Now it's time to get home. Kuwait here we come. Then off to the United States! Reflection To the people on the tour: Special shoutouts to: |
