I landed at Kuwait International Airport around 1:00 P.M. on 7 October. (It had been 1 week since leaving home.) Many of my colleagues from the UDC were on the same flight. We all gathered in the Food Court next to Starbucks waiting for someone to come and invite us on to a bus to our next destination. I went into Starbucks and bought 5 bottles of water. It came to almost $8.
As I looked around the airport, taking it all in, it reminded me of being in Korea somehow. Yes, the people, the way they dressed and the way they behaved was very different but there was something about the architecture and ambiance that said I was in the old Kimpo airport or the Dong Daegu train station. It was as if I was in a familiar place from another time.
Eventually someone in civilian clothes (a soldier? a contract guard?) came up to the group and wrangled us into several small buses for the ride to Ali Al Salem (Ali Al Sa-LEEM).The guy was armed with an M4 as were all the escorts located in each of the busses. He did not bring his weapon into the airport. I guess they were doing everything on the DL.
Ali Al Salem is a Logistics Support Area (LSA). Lots of stuff here – an airfield (the other side of Kuwait International), supply depot, replacement center, and various and sundry other things that support our war machine in the region. I believe some soldiers from Fort Riley were there at AAS from the 1st Sustainment Brigade. I saw several soldiers sporting their patch (they don’t wear the Big Red One).
After we got off the bus it was time to in-process. We lined up like cattle and moseyed / shuffled on – “Go into tent number #1 to get your ID card scanned in, go to tent #2 to check with your LNO (Liaison Officer).” LNOs are people that represent your unit or command at certain locations. They help you if you have problems or questions. And finally- “Go to tent #4 (skip tent #3) to get on a fight manifest to you next destination.” By the time this was all done it was late afternoon / early evening.
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