Early in the morning we arrived at the airbase to fly from an airbase in Kuwait to Baghdad International Airport. We had been up since before midnight and had taken a long bus ride across the desert to get to the airbase.
When we arrived we were restricted to tents to await manifest. They had tight security; even to go to the bathroom you had to get permisson. We passed the time doing what all good Michigan residents do when we have time on our hands....no we didn't eat...we played Euchre....
Finally the time came and we moved with members of other units to the tarmac and began loading the plane. I got a great seat on the wall...the last seat so I could look out the back of the plane.
Once we were all on board they loaded all of our gear with a massive forklift. We had a total of three pallets of personal gear and equipment.
The C-17 is a massive aircraft so it was quite a unique experience as it lifted off the ground. I have flown in quite a number of military aircraft but for some of our soldiers it was their first flight on with the airforce. Let us say that all of the comforts of commercial are gone....no insulation so you see all the wiring and hoses, I sat on webbed jumpseats and kicked my feet up on the cargo.
The battery for my camera had been exhaused by shooting several flash shots and days in the desert, but I looked over my left shoulder and discovered an electrical outlet so I was in luck. I plugged it in and the plane didn't crash so all was well.
The most exciting part was the landing at Baghdad. It was not a normal landing, rather one filled with lots of maneuvering of an aircraft capable of transporting armored vehicles. Now there is an experience. I am happy to say that no one near me threw up so it was a good flight.
We were safely on the ground in Baghdad.
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