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| Iraq |
| Time’s up for diplomacy as troops gear for a final countdown |
| 2003-03-10 |
| Every day new signs of impending war appear. Yesterday all forces poised to attack Iraq were told to switch to Zulu time, an adjustment often imposed before military operations to keep everyone in sync. The announcement sends the chronologically-challenged scurrying in search of an extra wristwatch - 6pm in Kuwait, which is 10am in Washington, will become 3pm Zulu, which reflects Greenwich Mean Time. The clock is ticking. Tick..tick..tick.. Power shoppers flood the aisles, stockpiling items needed for the Kuwaiti desert and beyond. Soldiers scoop up newly stocked packets of Baby Wipes, a commodity as prized as ammunition. A major holding a box of Tide wonders aloud whether he will be able to hand-wash his laundry in the Euphrates River. Robert Woodward of the 101st Airborne Division holds up a pair of swimmer's goggles. "I made a key purchase," he says. "My friends who were stationed in Saudi said the army stuff doesn't work very well." Shopping carts at checkout registers suggest a Homeric catalogue of the dusty life to come: flashlight batteries, Ziploc bags, bandanas, orange lightsticks that glow for 12 hours when snapped, spare bath towels, Chapstick, sleeping mats, Vaseline lotion. Subtle psychological changes can be sensed in the camp. Many now hoard toilet paper. Scavenging is rampant. A length of heavy cord lying on the road provokes an interior Socratic dialogue: can I use that? Will it fit in my pack? In the mess hall, soldiers bound for the field gorge themselves on ice-cream and doughnuts, not so much for the culinary pleasure but to stockpile memories. Soldiers pack the camp barber shop for a final buzz cut, aware that every extra millimetre of hair means hassles in the desert. The waiting room television is tuned to CNN coverage of anti-war protesters in Washington. Large issues - Iraqi compliance or deceit, international support or opprobrium - seem curiously distant. Here the focus is war-fighting, field-craft, survival. Take care, boys. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #11 Johno: Hope you are posted somewhere foreign, distant, and cut off from any support and friends someday. Maybe then you'll realize what these people have to do to carry out what the nation asks of them. I'd be happy to buy you a ticket to Baghdad if you'll act as a human shield you miserable excuse for a herpes virus. |
| Posted by: TJ Jackson 2003-03-11 00:17:56 |
| #10 THANKS JOHNO - btw you can find your CapsLock key on the left of your keyboard |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-03-10 21:32:22 |
| #9 Supporting the homeless is fine, supporting the guys who risk their lives for them is fine as well. The homeless are not immune from terrorist attacks, right? |
| Posted by: tcc 2003-03-10 20:06:31 |
| #8 TRY ADOPTING SOMEONE WHO NEEDS YOUR FINANCIAL MORAL AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT. BUY A BOX OF TOOTH PASTE AND BRUSHES AND GIVE THEM TO THE HOMELESS. LET GOVERNMENTS EQUIP CORRECTLY THE PEOPLE THEY ASK TO DO THEIR KILLING FOR THEM |
| Posted by: JOHNO 2003-03-10 18:57:38 |
| #7 from experience, yes you can mail alchhol, though you have to be very sneaky about it. heh... as for the pressurized items.. its because of fact that the cargo planes aren't pressurized or something, I'm not sure but it has to do with altitude and the expansion of the can't contents. could make the thing explode. -DS "the horns hold up the halo" |
| Posted by: DeviantSaint 2003-03-10 17:23:20 |
| #6 Greetings fellow earthlings, the things that we love to see over here are things like beef jerky, pop tarts, kipper snacks, disposable razors, candy, socks, books, zip lock bags, Tollhouse cookies (no raisins), cards, and letters from children. We sometimes have some free time over here and we try to make it a point to write letters to a childs' class. Anything you send is always greatly appreciated though, some dogfaces don't have anyone back home sending stuff to them. The world we live in over here is pretty bleak, and anything that takes us away from our current situation is always greatly appreciated. Thanks to all who have supported us over here. God bless you and the USA. Fighting for the greater good, we will achieve Victory, Glory, Success. |
| Posted by: Bodyguard 2003-03-10 12:44:21 |
| #5 Cool--thanks! I'm also getting some other links from people on the Military Spouses site: Marine Moms CARE package guide Post Office guide Looks like the only real no-no's are: o Pornography o Alcohol o Weapons o Pressurized items, e.g. shaving cream o Perishable items (21-28 days for packages to arrive) |
| Posted by: Dar Steckelberg 2003-03-10 12:21:54 |
| #4 Good luck, good hunting, get home safe. |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-03-10 12:11:31 |
| #3 You can find a list of what soldiers want/need here. There's no real way to help out a random guy unless you can get one of the ones you know over there to pass a package along. |
| Posted by: growler 2003-03-10 11:32:09 |
| #2 Can't vouch for these guys but the site looks legit... http://operationmilitarypride.org/packages.html |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-03-10 11:19:23 |
| #1 This is interesting... Makes me think of sending a CARE package over to a serviceman with some novels, duct tape, electrical tape, Ziploc bags, and such. Any suggestions? I know the USO is taking $25 donations to send over their version of a CARE package, but they don't say what goes in it. I'd like to know that it includes more than whimsical, homey stuff, but rather something practical that could be used or bartered. The USO site also says the military won't take "Any Serviceman"-addressed mail anymore for security reasons. Fortunately I can get a few names and addresses, but it'd be nice to help out a random GI or Marine, too. |
| Posted by: Dar Steckelberg 2003-03-10 10:01:22 |