Mar 25 2008
Easter on FOB Marez
On Easter morning, I went to the sunrise service on FOB Marez. It was held in the Community Activities Center (CAC) which is a large tent-like structure erected on a concrete pad. The basic structure is a steel frame with a canvas cover stretched on the exterior. Inside the CAC are miscellaneous activities dedicated to the morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) for the deployed soldiers. There is even a theater. I guess I don’t get out much since all of this was a surprise to me.
The service was led by the Chaplain for the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, the main US Army unit on FOB Marez. The Chaplain’s assistant was having a tough time getting the soldiers to sing the worship chorus “Celebrate”. Very shortly, everyone was wide awake after the blast from an IED shook the entire tent. The Chaplain had us all go out to the bunkers until we had more information. Within about 2 minutes of going to the bunkers, we received the “All Clear” and went back inside. The rest of the service proceeded without incident.
After the service, I went to the DFAC and had a big breakfast of an omelet, hashbrowns, and a biscuit with gravy. Later in the day, I found out that the blast was from an SVBIED (truck bomb) attack against an Iraqi Army compound on the west side on Mosul. In a previous post, I described my visit to that compound. Reports put the death toll at 12 Iraqi soldiers KIA with another 42 seriously injured.
Some days, it’s hard to envision the solution in Iraq. But as Jesus said himself, “with God, all things are possible.”
Yes nothing like an Organizational...