Camp Anaconda

From Dubai, Ty flew into Baghdad. He was not in Baghdad long enough to take pictures because they pretty much flew him straight into Camp Anaconda. Camp Anaconda is the training facility outside of Baghdad that all employees of KBR go to in order to finish any further training that is needed before they are stationed in their permanent camps.

This particular camp is heavily secured by our military. Because it is so close to Baghdad and the insurgents are aware that we have civilians staying inside that are in training to be a support to our military in various parts of Iraq, there are continuous efforts made on their part to attack us and put a stop to it. Alarms went off allowing those staying inside the camp to know that mortar rounds had penetrated the barriers and were on the way, allowing them ample time to jump into the nearest bunker or "hit the deck" if there wasn't enough time to get underground. I believe the closest any mortar rounds had landed near Ty were approximately 200 yards away.

Insurgents were also pretty set on still rushing the gates and various parts of the fence even though they knew our military was waiting. Time and time again they'd try, only to be defeated again and again. There is a type of evilness that exists in a certain breed of people that I do not believe many people are aware of or choose to believe in, but even so, they still exist and in a serious way. Those same people not only came onto our turf and killed over 3,000 of our own people in one day, they are still determined to kill us regardless of how many lives they have to lose in order to do so. Although many nations depend on us for help, we are still a very much-hated nation.

And while I hate war itself, I also knew how important it was for our country to take a stand for not only itself but for the Iraqi nation. I was one of those people terribly disheartened and cried the day the war began, wishing there was some way, any way, to avoid it, but I knew some things cannot be avoided and must be done in order to still have some sense of peace in this world we live in today.

This blog isn't necessarily to give you my political views; it is to show you Ty's journey in this land we have invaded, this land that we and the Iraqi people ARE rebuilding. You won't see that on any newscast or talk show. They will only show you the negative, the lives lost, the money it is costing, and you will only see the things that you can use against our President and our government. No, not everything was done perfect. Nothing ever is. Mistakes were made. But the truth is, the same media and politicians that fuel our negativity today for going to war would have been the same media and politicians that would have ran our President and our government into the exact same dirt for not doing something about it had there not been a war and had we not taken a stand for ourselves.

Ty gets to see everything from a completely different point of view, as does everyone else living over there, and I am fortunate enough to get to share it with you. Our military truly rocks and they certainly deserve the recognition for it.

Before I take you on a tour of Camp Anaconda and the people Ty got to meet there, I'd just like you to know his position over there. He is not over there on vacation. He is not living it up, getting lots of sleep, relaxing and taking a break from his life here in the United States so he can make lots of money. And yes, before you even ask, people have been rude enough to make their snide remarks to me regarding this.

Ty is a humble man and wants no recognition for the works he does. He didn't 17 years ago when he was in Operation Desert Storm. But I'm his wife, and this is my blog, and I get to compliment him as much as I want because I believe he deserves it. :)

He is there, along with the other KBR employees as a service to our military. He is a truck driver, plain and simple. He works 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, EVERY single week, and only got a break when he came home recently. He hauls anything from fuel to water to different supplies that our military needs in various camps. There are not only truck drivers over there; there are food service workers, there are office personnel, there are lifeguards, etc. Civilians from the United States and also other foreign countries have been hired to work for different branches of our military in various places so the military itself can do their job and not worry about anything else. They can focus on the task at hand and allow "all the other stuff" to be handled by someone else.

Ty spent approximately 2-3 weeks in Camp Anaconda. I do believe this is the most stressful time he has had there to date, considering the on-going attacks that took place. Below are pictures of his living quarters. They are called hooches. They are stacked on top of one another and are designed so that they can be picked up and moved like shipping containers. They are approximately 10 x 12 feet in size. Those made with plumbing and electricity are called wet hooches; those made with only electricity are called dry hooches. The concrete T-walls you see are designed to protect them from mortar rounds.

The picture below on the left is the inside of the hooch. They usually only have one bed. Extra cots were placed in these because it is a training camp and at times there are heavy volumes of trainees coming through. The picture on the right is the bathroom. There is one bathroom for every two hooches.

Most truckers have call signs or "handles" they go by when on the road. These are how Ty knows most of them, so that is what their names will be when explaining who/what are in the pictures. If I have the story behind the their call signs, I will put that in parentheses.

Meet "Robo" on the right. He is giving a class on the fuel tankers they use in Iraq. The ones on the left are various drivers being trained.

"Big Country" on the left is a TTM supervisor/coordinator. "D-check" (known for double-checking everything known to man) is now a driver in Camp Fallujah.

Ty and "D-check".

Ty, standing in front of an Iraqi tanker.

Ty, hanging out at the TTM pavilion, waiting on his instructions.

Below are various drivers hanging out at TTM "going into the theatre", their area of operations in Iraq. On the right is "Rodeo" and "Murray", both of them I believe are drivers now assigned to Tallil Air Force Base in Southern Iraq.

A memorial for all KBR employees who have lost their lives. This is an Iraqi anti-aircraft gun with a list of the employees' names.

Blackhawk flying the perimeter of Camp Anaconda.

This is a front and side view of an up-armoured Volvo truck. These are one of the trucks that Ty drives. As you can see from the side view, armour is fabricated directly onto the truck itself for protection. Before this is done, it looks like a regular truck you see driving here in the States.

This is a truck that Ty normally drives. It is a special-made International truck that was built strictly for the purpose of driving in combat situations. There will be close-up pictures later on of these particular trucks at Camp TQ.

An Iraqi tanker that we use to haul fuel that was peppered with IED shrapnel. (IED - Improvised Explosive Device)

Sitting at the "bag farm" waiting to download fuel. The fuel they haul is put into big bags or bladders.

Next on the agenda will be Camp Al-Asad, a very brief stay on his way through to Camp TQ. While in Al-Asad, he was able to see the legendary "Abraham's Well" from biblical times and was able to take pictures. I haven't yet decided to blog the two together or do it separately, depending on the pictures and information I have.

Stay tuned.... :)

If you have any questions regarding anything, please feel free to post it in the comment section or email me, I'll be more than happy to answer anything I can to the best of my ability.