Photo By Dustin Senger | U.S. Air Force Cpt. Kevin Hudson, from Columbus, Ga., gives Army Pfc. Gilbert Harris,...... read more read more
By DUSTIN SENGER
Area Support Group Qatar public affairs
CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar – After leaving military commitments in Iraq, U.S. Army Spc. Paul Harris, from Valdosta, Ga., arrived in Qatar, on Dec. 18, to participate in the U.S. Central Command Rest and Recuperation Pass Program at Camp As Sayliyah. Soon after Harris arrived, Area Support Group Qatar staff quickly sought him out, to locate the program's 150,000th participant.
Army Col. David G. Cotter, ASG-QA commander, recognized Harris as the program's milestone participant, on Dec. 20. Afterward, Cotter and Harris joined morale welfare and recreation staff to honor all the troops that arrived in Qatar, on Dec. 18, surpassing the monumental number.
Since the program's inception in 2004, ASG-QA has relentlessly recharged troops serving throughout the U.S. CENTCOM area of responsibility – spanning from the horn of Africa to central Asia. Qatar is a peaceful and prosperous Arab-Islamic nation off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. It's conveniently located to support Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom war fighters, since travel time can be minimize for a brief respite from military operations.
Harris is a slim, modest Soldier in his early twenties, now almost a year into his first deployment to Iraq. In May, he was able to go home to see his wife and three-year-old son for almost three weeks. Harris is quick to recall his son's strong southern drawl when he asks, "Daddy, are you still shooting the bad guys?" He told his young son the deployment is to help children in Iraq, but the child's awareness of world events continues to amaze his parents.
Even after a trip back home, the daily dust and grind in Iraq easily becomes exhausting all over again; especially after hearing you have just been officially extended. He was in high spirits about being able to further break up his long deployment and come to Qatar for a recharge.
"I am in the infantry," said Harris. "We deal with all kinds of stuff – improvised explosive devices, snipers, small arms fire. You always have to plan for the worse but hope for the best. In training, you learn what to do in combat. In Iraq, you learn how to do it." To avoid detection and surveillance, infantry men are constantly changing their daily routine. Sometimes they have several movements in one day, other times they have none – then many in the middle of the night. Harris admits it gets exhausting.
The Soldier learned quickly about staying alert. During his first month in Iraq he was attached to a small unit of Army scout snipers. They had just finished setting up an over watch in Baghdad. Only a few hours after sunrise, they started to take enemy fire from a vehicle overpass. Simultaneously, an improvised explosive device shook the area – only a few hundred meters from his location. After calling it in, he witnessed the Iraqi police respond by ramming into the vehicle – filling it with bullets. According to Harris," it was pretty wild." Unfortunately, he later learned how quickly outcomes can turn deadly for U.S. troops in Iraq.
"I ain't going to lie, I was burnt out," said Harris. "With all my gear and water, I can easily carry 75 pounds of equipment every time I step out the door. That's how much a basic rifleman can carry in Iraq. With the crazy schedule, it doesn't matter if you just got back from an eight-hour patrol; if an explosive goes off, you have to respond to it." For this Army infantryman, the real enjoyment isn't found in the restaurants, networked computer gaming terminals, the newly furnished eight-lane bowling alley or the live performances provided at the Top-Off Club at Camp As Sayliyah. These on-post attractions, as well as the off-post cultural tours and shopping, are highly appreciated venues but they are not the highlight of his four-day pass. For Harris, it's doing nothing that matter most.
"The best thing is not having to worry about anything," said Harris. "If I want to, I can sleep the whole day. For some, it's the venues and being able to have three beers at night. For me, it's not worrying about anything at all." Harris is also grateful to send the news of his relocation back home. "My wife has been real strong – more than I could have ever asked of her. She raises our son while maintaining her full-time job. My trip to Qatar is a release for her as well. She doesn't have to worry about getting a phone call, she knows I am safe."
"I was riding in a vehicle through Qatar with no equipment, no rifle – it felt great!" said Harris during a trip in Doha, Qatar's capital city. "It felt good, but I caught myself still looking along the road sides, scanning roof tops – it becomes a habit. Even when I was back home, if I saw something in the road I would swerve to avoid it. One thing I can say for the Army's training, it gets drilled into your head. Once an explosion goes off, you react like clockwork. A Soldier knows what to do even if it has been awhile since training or a real-world incident." The U.S. CENTCOM Rest and Recuperation Pass Program can provide war fighters from Iraq with a new look into Arabic communities, without the threat of violence. "In Iraq, you automatically do not trust Arabic people, even if you are actively trying not to be ignorant. In Qatar, my first impression was to keep my eye on everyone but this is a fully functioning country. Qatar has beautiful monuments, buildings and polite people."
"If you go to Qatar, you know you got hooked up," said Harris. "It's only four days and obviously people will want more – if it were five, they would ask for six. It's never really enough but I feel relaxed. It's plenty of time to reflect and recharge, but it isn't so long that we forget there is still a mission to finish when we get back.
| Date Taken: | 12.20.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 12.20.2007 11:24 |
| Story ID: | 14875 |
| Location: | CAMP AS SALIYAH, QA |
| Web Views: | 541 |
| Downloads: | 472 |
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