Story by: Pfc. Mike Pryor
BAGHDAD - When Sgt. Eddie Rodriguez and his fellow paratroopers in the 82nd Airborne Division were rolling towards Baghdad at the outset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, they camped in schoolhouses, warehouses, bombed-out buildings, and on the desert floor. Almost two years later, Rodriguez is back in Iraq with the 82nd. But compared to last time, the place where he's staying now is a palace. Literally. It used to be one of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's homes.
"Hey, it might be nice to live the good life for a while," said Rodriguez, Company D, 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, about his new surroundings.
Rodriguez' battalion is one of two from the 82nd that deployed in early December to Iraq to provide security and support for the country's upcoming elections. The unit is stationed in Baghdad's International Zone. Because of the nature of the battalion's mission, each of its companies is based in a different section of central Baghdad. These sites will be the paratroopers' new homes until the end of the deployment.
The palace where Delta and Charlie Companies are based is in the area of the International Zone known as Camp Prosperity. That name seems appropriate. The road to the palace bisects a shimmering man-made lake lined with green palm trees. The columned entrance resembles some ancient Greek temple.
Inside the palace, however, it's a different story. The hallways and rooms are a maze of plywood boards dividing the paratroopers' living quarters. Cots, ruck sacks, and all the other equipment of an Army at war are stacked against the walls. In the building where Saddam Hussein once slept on silk sheets, paratroopers wrapped in their sleeping bags watch DVDs and play card games on the floor.
It's a kick to be living in the home of the man he helped topple from power," said Staff Sgt. Albert Triplett of Delta Company.
"It's pretty cool," he said. A few hundred meters away, an immense statue of Saddam's head sits in the dust, surrounded by concertina wire. It, and three others like it, were removed from a building when Saddam's regime was defeated. Now the statue lies in the dirt, its eyes gazing off into the distance. Occasionally, a paratrooper will stroll over, snap a picture, and then head back inside to relax in what was once the dictator's palace.
Meanwhile, across the International Zone at Camp Honor, Alpha Company doesn't have it so easy. The Alpha Company paratroopers are stationed in an underground garage in between a former Baath Party conference center and a 1st Cavalry Division forward operating base.
The conditions are what you might call austere.
"We live in a hole. There are bums in California who sleep better than we do," said Staff Sgt. Jereme Ayers, a squad leader with Alpha Company.
Yet in only a matter of days, Ayers and his fellow paratroopers have given the garage an extreme makeover. By stringing poncho liners, tarps, and blankets, they broke the space up into sections. They've gotten the power running, brought in space heaters, and made themselves at home.
That's part of the job of being a Soldier, said Sgt. Kristopher Clark, a team leader with Alpha Company's 1st Platoon.
"Every time we move, we just have to start over," Clark said.
Besides, no living arrangements could be tougher than what the 82nd's paratroopers experienced during their last deployment to Iraq, Clark added.
"[Last time] we stayed out in the mud in a field," he recalled. "Anything would be an improvement over that."
| Date Taken: | 12.22.2004 |
| Date Posted: | 12.22.2004 10:42 |
| Story ID: | 743 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 26 |
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