by Pfc. Matthew McLaughlin

CAMP VICTORY, Baghdad-During summer leave, I had plans to go on a cross country trip to see the historic sights and natural wonders of our great country. I got my road trip; I just didn’t get the right country.

Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division completed a four-day convoy from Kuwait to Baghdad July 19. The trek covered almost 400 miles of difficult and potentially dangerous terrain.

When traveling long distances, company along the road can make or break a trip. When traveling through Iraq, it can be a matter of life and death. Fortunately, I was traveling with elements of 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment from Fort Riley, Ks., 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment from Fort Drum, N.Y., and 58th Combat Engineer Company from Fort Irwin, Calif. Friends who like to travel in tanks and armored humvees usually make good company.

The sun had yet to awaken on our first day in Iraq. Oil refineries appeared sporadically, lighting up the horizon with balls of flame. It was the first sign that we were no longer in the barren desert base in Kuwait that the 2nd BCT Soldiers lived and trained in for nearly a month.

The sun eventually cracked the surface of the Earth and rose steadily. Soldiers call it BOB (Bright Orange Ball) and it is truly a magnificent sight to see. The heat became intense and I wondered how anyone could live in such conditions.

Small makeshift huts, some looking too small for even one person, dotted the road that was only paved in sections.

Lt. Col. Hugh O’Conner, 2nd BCT executive officer, said the highway between Kuwait and Corps Support Center Scania, the last stop before Baghdad, was the major source of income for the region. The convoy frequently had to drive off of newly paved roads so workers could lay down new pavement.

Occasionally, we would pass small collections of market-huts decorated with soda cans and wrappers. One man was selling old Iraqi money in exchange for American currency. There was little time to stop and we sped on to our destination.

Children would gather along the road in the most desolate parts of the country. They lined the road to wave to the Soldiers, occasionally give a thumbs-up and, most noticeably, pleaded for food and water. No houses or parents were within sight and Soldiers questioned where the children came from.

As we rode toward CSC Scania on our third day of travel, we crossed the legendary Euphrates River.

Soldiers peered out their windows to catch a glimpse of one of the rivers where civilization began.

It looked filthy. A small building along the side had large pipes running into the river, for what purpose I’m not sure. I wondered if the river that sustained Iraq for thousands of years was always like this, or did man pollute it to death?

After crossing the river, vegetation dramatically increased – for a desert wasteland, that is.

Shepards herded sheep, camels and cows through patches of greenery. Farmers produced salt in small half-dried ponds. Large piles of salt rose above the water and Iraqis stood on the piles to bag it.

O’Connor said the Roman Army paid their soldiers in salt from middle-eastern nations. It struck me that not much changed in the past thousand years in the area.

The convoy made its final resting stop in CSC Scania before the drive to Baghdad. The next leg of the trip would be the most dangerous. Soldiers referred to the road between stops as “IED alley” because of its reputation for improvised explosive device attacks. Despite the threat, the Soldiers did not appear frightened. They seemed in the same festive mood that they had been at every stop.

Walking along the convoy line, I could hear music playing and see Soldiers laughing with each other as they cleaned their weapons. A few tossed a football when they were done. They definitely seemed prepared for the next day.

“They’re pretty loose, pretty calm,” said 2nd Lt. Devrim Brown, 1-41 Infantry. “So many of them have been here before, they’re used to it. We just have to be aware of our surroundings at all times.”

The convoy left before daybreak again and Soldiers looked alertly out of their vehicles for possible attacks. Soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division escorted us on the trip and patrolled the skies with Apache helicopters. Skeletons of cargo trucks, a recurring sight along the entire trip, lay rusted on the ground. Despite the foreboding signs and a long line at the gate, we made it to Camp Victory without incident.

“It feels good to be here and get situated,” said Pfc. James Heath, 58th Engineers. “I saw lots of things that you don’t see in the states. There was a lot more to see than just the desert.”

Upon reaching Camp Victory, we will attach to the 1st Cavalry Division to conduct combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The road trip is over. Nearly a month of preparation is behind us. Now the real story can begin.