First trip off base

A fobbit is a soldier who never goes outside the wire (never goes off post). The word is a combination of FOB (Forward Operating Base) and hobbit, as in Lord of the Rings. Until last week, I was a fobbit.  It's not a big deal, since most of the division staff officers are fobbits. It's just that our jobs don't take us outside the office much, if at all.

I had the chance to ride in a convoy and get off post for a day and I jumped at it. The only problem was to justify getting what amounted to a day off.  I put together a hasty meeting, and my mission was a go. It wasn't really my mission - I was just tagging along with another group that was already going to Kuwait.

The drive was pretty uneventful, although interesting for someone who's never been off post. After the first fifteen minutes, it got pretty boring though. Imagine driving through Nebraska, except instead of endless farm fields, it was endless sand. Throw in a palm tree and an occasional shack, and sprinkle with garbage. There's also the occasional Iraqi Army check point. That's about it.

The best part of the drive was watching the Iraqi drivers pass the convoy. They're used to having a certain distance from Army vehicles, otherwise they'd get shot. Well, some of them still think this way, so they will drive through the gulley that divides the 4 lane highway and just drive on the other side of the highway; against traffic. They just ride the brake and swerve around oncoming traffic.  It was surreal, almost like a movie.

The trip went well, and my meeting was very productive. Even had a chili dog for lunch. But it was good to get home. I think I've been here to long if I'm calling my room "home".  At least I'm no longer a fobbit.