By Second Lt. Addison Pennington
1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Red Bull Infantry Division
CAMP VIRGINIA, Kuwait – Our first trip to Kuwait City began on a chilly morning on the 15th of January 2012. The wind was still, which actually was a blessing. The temperature was cold enough that our breath could be seen rising into the air, and would you know it, my only civilian sweater needed to be washed. My mood had already been somewhat soured before the trip had even begun because of this fact. However, I still looked forward with anticipation to the trip ahead; as it was a good reprieve from the daily rigor I had become quite accustomed to at Camp Virginia.
There were a total of eight of us that were going on this trip and our moods all seemed to reflect the same excitement. None of us had ever been into the city before and we had all hopes that our experience would be worth the troubles the morning had already brought.
The ride into the city started off slowly. The scenery was the same for awhile, endless desert with very few signs of life. It changed rather quickly once we drove for about twenty minutes. Homes and buildings began to spring up out of the dust from nowhere. I was taken aback by just how absolutely beautiful the buildings were. Some of them were actually made of marble. The mosques had towers that would reflect the sunlight, and they were everywhere. It seemed the farther we drove into the city the more extravagant they became.
Once we reached Kuwait City, any memories of our base had all but disappeared. We were in a thriving, gorgeous, and wealthy city. There was no dust to be found here, only green palm trees and floral arrangements along the busy highways. The architecture of the city was enough in itself to allow for a sightseeing tour, but our first of three destinations was the Kuwaiti Towers. The Kuwaiti Towers were located along the Persian Gulf and they consisted of three separate towers. One was a monument, one a restaurant, and the last was a water tower. The restaurant also held a lookout platform which was continually traversed, completing its’ cycles in about 30 minutes. From this area, we could see the Gulf and the city as it sprawled out along the coast-line.
The second location of our tour was the Kuwaiti Aquarium. This was in itself a pleasant visit, but seeing the field trip that was there with the elementary children reminded me of home. I was somewhat of a hit with these children, as they all wanted to wave to me and smile as they walked by. It really didn’t seem foreign at all. It was as if I was in a building back home in Saint Paul. The last of all our destinations provided the best meal I have had in almost a year. We wet to a buffet style restaurant, and the food was marvelous. We all sat a round table freely talking and eating, and it almost seemed as though we could just get into our cards and drive home.
We felt so completely refreshed when the trip was over. The displeasure of the morning and the home sickness that I had been feeling since we left Minnesota was gone. As we walked back into our Company’s area, I was greeted with questions about the trip and if it was enjoyable. I think that my response was surprising to everyone that heard it. “If there is another trip, I am going.” This trip turned out to be an incredibly enjoyable moment for us and it almost felt like we were right back home, if only for the moment.
Date Taken: | 01.15.2012 |
Date Posted: | 03.25.2012 08:01 |
Story ID: | 85757 |
Location: | CAMP VIRGINIA, KW |
Web Views: | 38 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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