Jason Elam's Diary from Iraq: Day 1; Broncos kicker visiting U.S. soldiers
WOW, what a flight! After a non-stop from Denver to Frankfurt and then right on to Kuwait, we finally arrived last night and checked into our hotel here in Kuwait City.
Last Edited: Thursday, 31 Jan 2008, 3:11 PM MST
Created: Thursday, 31 Jan 2008, 3:11 PM MST
By JASON ELAM
After a short night, we headed out to Camp Arifjan at the southern end of the country.
As we drove down the main highway, we could still see many of the oil platforms that Saddam Hussein had lit on fire immediately after the liberation of Kuwait during the first Gulf War.
Fortunately, Kuwait has turned things back around, and today the country produces a staggering 2 million barrels of oil per day.
Upon arrival we were briefed by the Deputy Commander of the Camp, and, thanks to Tyndale Publishing, I was able to hand out copies of my book Monday Night Jihad.
We then headed north to Camp Buehring, near the Iraqi border. On the way, we were met by the ever-so-common sandstorm. These gritty blasts can easily cripple the operations side of the bases here in the region.
Then, to make matters worse, we encountered the dreaded camel jam. That’s right – out of the fog of blowing sand came close to 100 camels galloping through the desert.
Our guide told us each camel is worth the equivalent of $30,000 US. That got me thinking a bit. So, if I can’t be found on the gridiron this next season, you may be able to find Jason ‘Camel Breeder’ Elam in the nearest Kuwaiti Bedouin village.
After clearing all the obstacles, we finally arrived at Camp Buehring with just enough time to be briefed by officials before we headed off to the DFAC (Dining Facility – and yes, there is an acronym for everything here).
After lunch we hung out with many of the troops transitioning either into or out of Afghanistan or Iraq. I conveyed my own appreciation and that of so many of you back home who love, support, and pray for these warriors.
From Camp Buehring, we were to head to Camp Virginia but the base was shut down due to a threat. So, we headed to our last base for the day, Camp LSA. We did another “meet-n-greet” with the troops, who were mainly from Oklahoma. They had just arrived earlier this week for a one-year tour. We enjoyed our time with them, but jet lag was quickly catching up to most of us. So, we soon returned to our hotel in order to pack up for our military transport into Iraq tomorrow.
Without a doubt, it’s a completely different world over here. I will continue to blog when able, and will also do my best to be an ambassador of encouragement to all of our troops. Blessings to all.