Anaconda or Bust, Pt.VI: Homestretch

Let's wrap this up.

So we are finally on the road. Once again I am the #2 Scout vehicle in what is now a relatively short convoy....6 vehicles. We leave Anaconda and travel down the paved, although very rough, road in North Central Iraq. We bathe the road in light so we can detect anything in the road. To our side is the blackness that is Iraqi farmland….a very nice place for someone to hide but tonight they don’t mess with us. We are travelling with our ‘teeth showing’. That is we have our weapons systems trained in all directions, we are tactically spaced and we move with a purpose. If your convoy looks like you are not to be messed with…they won’t attack us (at least that’s one theory).

We pass onto the highway and roll down Iraqi Highway #1, passing ISF* checkpoints in the opposite order we passed them the night before. Our unit makes it to Baghdad without incident. At about midnight we start to drive by the urban areas of North Baghdad. On the roads are other CF** convoys. They are stopped. We find out they are waiting for EOD*** to clear an IED that is found. These delays turn out to be the norm for the night. We don’t find one but others do…and we are stuck behind them, marking time in the Baghdad street.

We pass through my old area of Baghdad…slowly. As we make our way, the radio is alive with some small talk but mainly its communications about what is happening on the routes. When you drive through a city in the night you expect to see the lights of the streets and buildings. Tonight it is dark except for a few porch lights or light generators in the distance. Overall it is dark except for the lights we cast on the road. We pass the Iraqi tanks that are parked on the overpasses. Our vehicles gladly slow down for the tanks and the soldiers on these checkpoints because it is their overwatch that is keeping AQI* from seeding the streets with IEDs.

Baghdad is like this throughout the city…checkpoint after checkpoint sitting in the darkness. We stop for fuel at Camp Liberty, one of the largest bases in Baghdad. While gassing up we find out there is a delay on the route while another unit clears an IED so we wait in Camp Liberty to pass time. After about an hour the all clear is given. There is still about a 6 hour drive ahead of us so we are eager to resume the drive.

We drive….and drive…and drive…and drive some more. Nothing much is going on as we pass convoys, make contact with Army attack aviation (Apaches) who cover our move, and zip down the highway. We have one more stop to make; Scania for breakfast and fuel.

Before we get to Scania the front end of my vehicle suddenly drops. THUD. It doesn’t seem too serious. Could be anything…probably a flat. I radio for the vehicle behind me to come up and inspect my ride. He pulls up beside me and confirms….flat.

Changing a flat tire at night sucks. Changing one at night in Iraq under combat conditions sucks more. Ill tell you about how we pull it off later. This is blog is getting long and you already know how it ends, right?

Anyway, we get back on the road and push down to Scania. Fuel, breakfast, pick up more trucks then head south. It is finally light. After 6 days on the road I finally get to see what we are driving in. The open desert is…well, barren. Not much except the occasional camel heard, goat herd and a few people on the road walking to school or work. Some are just wandering.

After a few more hours, an overheated truck, and a trip where we continually fight sleep….we’ve been on the road for 9 hours….we finally make it back to COB Adder.

The mission quickly winds down. After we secure our weapons, clean out the truck and account for all of our equipment and baggage we are done. My crew drops me off at the hooch and its sleep time. You know what its like after a very long trip. You just want to sit down. I do. Then I sleep for hours. Its just about noon. I’m exhausted, excited because I’ve accomplished a pretty big mission, and I can’t wait to do it again.

I will.


SABER TWO,
out.

*Iraqi Security Force
**Coalition Force
***EOD=Explosive Ordnance Disposal: the bomb squad
*Al Qaeda in Iraq