BATTLING HEAT - Sgt. Timothy Lee battles Kuwaiti heat that rises past 120 degrees daytime. Lee is one of the California National Guard troops joining in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

AV National Guard troops land in Kuwait

Soldiers begin preparations for Iraqi Freedom Mission

By DENNIS ANDERSON
Valley Press Editor

CAMP LIBERTY, Kuwait - The eagle has landed. That is to say, about 200 or so American eagle-spirited Valley troops of the California National Guard landed in Kuwait early Saturday, ready to play their part in the aftermath of Gulf War II.

Instead of Tranquility Base, these several hundred soldiers landed at a dust-blown moonscape called Camp Liberty, one of several major staging areas for the Iraq war in northern Kuwait.

"This looks more like 'Mission to Mars' than a California Guard mission,' said Lt. Brian Holste, maintenance officer for the 1498th Transportation Co.

The unit arrived in Kuwait City and immediately boarded buses with curtains to shield the soldiers from public view for operational security purposes. The buses carried the unit up the Kuwaiti highway Saddam used to invade the oil-rich kingdom a dozen years ago.

A few hours after arrival, the infantry-trained truck drivers climbed down from the buses equipped in full battle gear, flak vests, chemical protective masks, Kevlar helmets, M-16s and light machine guns called Squad Automatic Weapons.

"They look so tough," a flight attendant said a few hours earlier as they climbed down from a chartered Boeing 747 that carried them from Travis Air Force Base in northern California to Kuwait by traversing Egypt and the Saudi Arabian kingdom.

A sandstorm greeted the troops as they assembled in front of a tent encampment that would be home base for the troops in weeks ahead.

Marching off into the blowing wind and dust, Sgt. Timothy Lee remarked, "It looks like we've joined the Foreign Legion."

At the "Victory Dome," an air-conditioned mess hall that daily serves troops returning from the recent combat in Iraq, the menu was burgers and "freedom fries" along with continuous servings of bottled water that quickly turned hot in the 105-degree plus temperatures of early summer in Kuwait.

The Guard truckers, whose mission is to drive 91,000-pound giant transporter trucks that carry armored vehicles or containers filled with humanitarian relief supplies, were greeted with the news that, although major combat is over, there is still a low-intensity shooting conflict in play.

"A couple of guys from a Cav (armored cavalry) unit took rounds the other day," Staff Sgt. Roberto Gonzales said. "There's a lot of stuff going on up the road in Iraq."

Still, the threat condition at Camp Liberty was diminished enough to allow the troops to remove their flak vests and move about the massive complex of tent cities without their flak jacket "battle rattle" and without having to carry their personal weapons.

"Tell my wife Cindy it's pretty hot, but that we're all alright," Cpl. Ron Buckles of Lancaster said.

Hot was a mix of blast furnace temperatures and moist air that demolished the energies of troops who traveled nearly 20 hours by air.

The camp that serves as a base for thousands of troops on their way to Iraq or returning from the recent combat is a complex of motor pool yards, tents and little else. But in the eerie nostalgia for home propagated for troops deployed overseas, there was a Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors and a Subway submarine sandwich stand parked amid the swirling dust devils and banks of chemical toilets that leaked a hot, rancid odor.

All the troops continuously consumed vast quantities of bottled water.

"I made it through the first day, and the troopies around here tell me that if you can make the first day, you can make the days to come," one guardsman said.

Driving past the rows of tents, the troops also pondered the purpose of concrete bunkers. Originally built as shelters for Scud missile attacks, the gravel-lined shelters now offer a slight respite from daytime temperatures that can soar past 120 degrees.

Camp Liberty is considered one of the less austere bases in the Kuwaiti archipelago of installations supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"The camp is neither as nice as I hoped it would be, and it's not as dreadful as I feared it might be," said Spc. Jeremy Deckard, a military intelligence specialist.

Troops of the Guard Unit unloaded hundreds of boxes of bottled water, hundreds of cots and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

The unit is scheduled to haul armor back from the battle front or deliver food and medical supplies needed during the reconstruction of Iraq.

About one-third of the unit's several hundred soldiers hail from Antelope Valley communities.

"I'm just glad we made it this far," Spc. James Edson of Palmdale said.

Victor De La Fuente, a probation officer from Lancaster, echoed that sentiment. "It's really hot, but we really are OK."

In weeks ahead, the unit plans to work along the main supply route that was used to carry combat troops into Iraq.

"We jumped through knothole after knothole to get here, and we are finally here," said 1st Sgt. James Norris. "Now, I'm gonna start taking bets on how long it will take people to say, 'Hey! First Sergeant! When are we gonna go home?' "

The unit is estimated to be needed for at least six months.