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Posted by Susan Cothern, Class of 1963 on 10/11/2004, 6:35 am Sorry I can't write everyone individually as often as I would like, but my time on the net is limited, as are my resources. For those of you who just came in, I am at an American base called QWest by my employer (KBR), and originally named Camp Endurance by the Army, in Northern Iraq. I am working at the rec center/gym, in the department known as MWR (morale, welfare, recreation). This is a pretty isolated base, so we rarely get enemy action (I have yet to hear a shot fired in anger). We are not near any cities or I live in one half of a "container" that looks like the big shipping crates that get loaded on ships, or like a railroad car. My boss, Kendra, lives in the other half, and we share a connecting toilet/shower. The soldiers live in similar I have been here just over 2 weeks. Been in country for 3. Civilians are not allowed off of the base, so the only pics I can send are of living quarters, my work area, and an occasional something en route. I have the basic ones, but can only send a few at a time because of my internet setup, so will do that. If you would like to see more pictures of the area, my son Brian, who is stationed at the Palace in Mosul, puts pictures on the net every week. If you would like, he can put you on his notification list. Some of the soldiers travel quite a bit, and he collects pictures and posts them. He is scheduled to go home next month, so I don't know who will keep up his job, if anyone. The countryside here is pretty bleak. Just dirt and rocks for many miles. I came to this base by helicopter - my first helecopter ride! We saw a few heards of sheep, and a few tiny villages. And 3 vehicles on the roads. (One at a time). It is moving into fall here, so has cooled a good deal from the summer heat. It does get hot occasionally, but it is not too bad. Our buildings and containers are all air conditioned, and it works just fine. One day I was out in it rather more than usuall, and I thought it was kind of hot, was wondering if it had broken 100. Got word from a thermometer that it was 126. That was about like 100 in Denver. It is so very dry here. Have been in one dust storm. The soil here is compacted and dried in the summer, but so fine that when the wind blows, the air fills with dust. It "browned out" the world in front of me, and visibility was about 20 feet. It passed after a while, but there was so much dust in the air for the rest of the day, that it looked like evening, and no sign of sun. Nearer sunset, I could look straight at the sun, it was so filtered by the haze. We have cooled water in the DFAC, gym, and rec center, and bottled water is delivered to our rooms regularly. I have never drunk so much water in my life! And still I sometimes think I have not drunk enough. I must go to the bathroom about once an hour. That is what it takes to stay hydrated here, though. The second day I was in country, I ran into Brian who was returning from his leave, and I think I got a bit dehydrated that day. I didn't realize how sick it can make you feel. Don't want to do it again! I do miss my diet Pepsi. Can only have 2 sodas per meal here, and they don't always have diet, and when they do it is made somewhere in Arabia, and is just not the same as American. You can ask Dana for my mailing address. We get our mail when a caravan comes, but we never know when they will be coming - it is not every day. Although it is very quiet here, war-wise, the roads are often not safe, so we often have shortages of one thing or another, but since there is variation in it, we do not suffer much from it. This is an interesting exercise. Not a bad life, either. Conditions are better than I expected them to be when I signed on, and I think they will continue to improve. Let me know what you are up to & how things are going at home. Will attach more pics to a future mailing. Love,
Message modified by board administrator 10/11/2004, 6:40 am
"Hello!
big towns, but are about 50 miles south of Mosul on the map. I came through Camp Diamondback on my way here, which is just out of Mosul, and I thought that was where I would be assigned, but when I arrived there they informed me that I
wasn't there yet. We have no BX on this base, so there is just nothing to spend any money on. My family is really great about gathering and sending things that I need.
containers, but theirs are located in a different area of the base. Everyone eats at the "DFAC" (dining facility), and the food is actually pretty good. We work 12 hour shifts/7 days a week. Most of the American civilians are supervisors. The real work is done by TCN's (Third Country Nationals) from assorted countries. Since we are near the Turkish border, a lot of our people are Turks. (All of the TCNs at my facility are). Some of them speak English. 
Susan Cothern, Class of 1963
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