Summers in Baghdad hot — in many ways
Originally published in Cumberland Times-News on July 15, 2005
Editor’s Note: Phil Smith, a 1963 graduate of Ridgeley High School, moved around the United States until the mid-1990s when he became a consultant in developing countries. His work has taken him to Kazakhstan, Russia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Currently residing in Moscow, he has kept journals of his travels. The following are excerpts from those times.
Baghdad, Iraq August 2004
And again! Another trip to the vacation spot of the Middle East. Downtown Baghdad in August. Dusty, hot (in more ways than one), and cozy.
This trip started in Moscow at 12 C (about 54 F) as I traveled out to the new Domodeteva Airport to catch the Emirates Airline flight to Dubai. The flight took about five hours from the time we boarded. Got into Dubai and it was 100 F with humidity of about 90 percent. My glasses immediately fogged up when I walked out of the airport to get into the limo to go to the Le Meridien Airport Hotel.
After the wake up call and the complimentary coffee, I got ready, checked my emails, paid for the room ($161) and left in the Mercedes limo for the airport. Again my glasses fogged up when I went out the door.
We arrived in Kuwait an hour late because of some customers being transferred from another flight. The driver from the British Embassy took me and another fellow, who I had met two years ago in Montenegro, to the military airport for the flight to Baghdad. The driver had my body armor and helmet which I had left with the embassy the last time I was going out.
We arrived at the military airport about 10:30, checked in and waited to be called for the flight. They don’t announce a schedule because they don’t want the bad guys in Baghdad to know when they will be flying into that airport. So we waited a few hours in the dry heat. I read one of the books I had taken along and sat under a tree in the smoking area. It was about 40 C (105 F) in the shade. Not too bad so far.
At about 2:30 they called us to line up and gave the final instructions for boarding the plane – a Hercules C-130. We had to wear the body armor. OK to carry the helmet instead of wearing it. Got our mandatory ear plugs and sat in the belted/strapped seats. There is no air conditioning and the plane had been sitting on the tarmac for at least four hours. Just lovely as we all wiped sweat constantly.
The flight to Baghdad takes about 1 1/2 hours. Not rough and the landing was one of those where the pilot dove into the airport from a banking right turn. More than one way to surprise the boys with the rocket launchers. We were met at the airport by our security folks and driven through the Red Zone into the Green Zone, oh, excuse me, it is now known as the International Zone. The guy riding shotgun actually had his machine gun cocked and ready during most of the trip. Seems there had been some problems during the last week or so and they didn’t want to take any chances.
The first day here and we already could hear more gunfire than the last trip. The next morning we had our security briefing at 8 am. All the gory stuff about the incidents during the last few days. One included catching a car bomb before it exploded at the entrance to the Ministry of Finance -where we will be working.
The work is more interesting. This time it will be with the Ministry of Finance working on the budget process and helping various ministries get their reporting organized so the government can do some proper reporting at the end of the year. I will also be working with the Election Commission to help them set up the accounting and reporting for the 390,000,000,000 Iraqi Dinars they will be using to pay for the election. That’s only $260,000,000.
I could do a lot with that and have some left over!
So this trip will be for 30 days and it has already been more interesting than last time. The national conference to elect delegates was held here the last three days.
They are in the convention center next to the place we live. We have been under a total lock-down with strict security rules and must wear our body armor and have it, along with the helmet, beside us at our desks where we work.
Today was the nearest any of the mortars have landed this time or the last. They were at the entrance to the driveway and parking area where we have our cars. Two of the guards were hurt when a mortar hit their gate. Another one hit the Al Rasheed Hotel today. The folks are doing everything they can to disrupt the national conference. But I don’t think they will win.