Killing Time

Unfortunately, the name of the game here at Al Udeid is killing time. If you are not stationed here, this place is pretty much a holding area while you wait for an airplane that is heading to your deployed location. So every day our chalk commander (the guy in charge of the group of people heading to our base) calls the terminal to find out if there is a plane scheduled. If there isn't, then we wait until the next day and try again. In the meantime, you find ways to pass the time, and there is plenty to do here.

The huge tents with 50 bunks that we all sleep in are air conditioned 24/7 by portable coolers. It's great during the day for getting out of the heat, but at night it is freezing cold. I finally caved yesterday and asked the linen people for two extra blankets, and they allowed it. You always have to be in uniform when you are outside, and PT uniform suffices (shorts and t-shirt) but you have to tuck in your shirt, and wear socks and shoes - even to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The only exception is when you go to the shower, you can wear flip flops. Speaking of showers, they are grouped together in pre-fab trailers. There is a limited water supply, so you have to take "combat showers" (or what Arnie would call "Navy showers"): turn water on for 6-9 seconds, turn it off, wash with soap, shampoo, etc., then turn water on again to rinse off, then that's all you get. Plus, it's pretty nasty in there, too.

Then back to the tent to change and put back shower kit and then off to breakfast. All you have to do is scan your ID card, then you can go through the line as often as you want and take whatever food you want, too. It's not too bad. Additionally, all over the base there are huge stacks of bottled water like what you would see at Costco. You can walk up and grab one whenever you want to have some water to drink. The downside, obviously is that they get hot in the sun, but if you take it inside with you, they cool down pretty quick. Speaking of drinking, unlike Iraq, Qatar allows you to drink alcohol, but limits you to 3 drinks a day. They keep track of this using an alcohol ration card. Yes, seriously. When the bar opens in the evening, the line stretches back for about 50 yards, and you can wait about 15-30 minutes sometimes. You show your ID, your ration card, and pay for your drinks. On military bases in the desert, they don't use coins, so if you get change back from buying your drink (or anything else, for that matter) you get little cardboard cirlces that look like Pogz that say "25 cent gift certificate."

During the rest of the day, there is wireless internet, movies, the BX, gym, a pool, billiards, chess, video games, and a few other things to keep you busy. As fun as all that stuff sounds, it gets old pretty quick, and frankly I am ready to move on to Iraq. Partly because I want to get started with what I came here to do, partly because I know that there is someone in Iraq waiting for me to get there to replace him so that he can go home, and partly because like I mentioned earlier, I only packed enough stuff for 72 hours, and after tomorrow I will have no more clean socks and underwear!