Barbara Ferguson

Date Added: Sunday, April 20th, 2003

Today is Easter Sunday. One of my hooch mates, a young doctor named Carol Ann Browning, dragged me to sunrise service this morning.  We had to get up at 4:30am to be there at 5am.  We were all very tired.  I think I woke up half way through the service... when the band began!  
 
We then invited one of the Chaplin's (Anglican priest from Wales whose service I've been attending every Sunday) to join us for breakfast.  Then Carol Ann asked me to join her prayer group for one hour.  Then, at 9:30 we went to the Baptist service.  And, at 11:30 went to Father Jones' mass at the British side of this air base.
 
A very busy Easter morning for me, indeed.  But very nice.  Lent and Easter in the desert.  I will never forget the symbolism of all this.
 
Darling, my trip to Tikrit was, again, an adventure. I've been having so many since I've been here, I feel truly blessed.  We were supposed to go up to Baghdad and turn around.  But while we were at the staging ground (again had to leave at 4:30 am, these Marines love their early morning appointments!) they said that the first C-130 was flying into Tikrit, with General Conway, would we (me, the embed, and the 4 PAO officers) like to go with him?
 
Affirmative Sir!  Was the immediate answer.   End of story?  Heck no!  When I arrived at the Tikrit air base, I was interviewing a Lt. Col. on the ground, and asked him who was up here.  He told me one unit, and then said MWSG-37.  Which I wrote down and about half a sentence later realized it was my unit!  My Colonel Anderson and half the group that he brought up with him.
 
He arrived in seconds, leaped out of the Humvee, gave me a big bear hug (as did his Lt. Col. Fred Blish) and they swept me up in their vehicle and drove off to their camp.  Along with the PAO officers, who's mouths had dropped.  They took us up to their camp, where we spent some time catching up on news.  Then Lt. Col. Blish took me on a tour of Saddam's Tikrit palace (read today's story).  These are the photos that were sent to you yesterday.  The palace was decadent and opulent and huge.  I just couldn't get over it.  It actually takes 4 hours to see it all.  I only saw two hours' worth.  Was supposed to see more, but that's another tale of another adventure.
 
While we were in the palace, the C-130 and General Conway took off without us.  Initially dismayed, as we had no change of clothing, or sleeping bags, it all turned out well.  I was given a one-man tent (although the colonel did try to get me to sleep in his tent, with all of his officers.  I gave them a laugh when I said, "Oh yeah.  That'll be a great story when I tell my husband that I slept with 6 men, and they all fell asleep before I did.)
 
Fortunately, my "charm" works with Colonel Anderson and his men (although not with the PAO officers, who are a grouchy group of men, which is quite irritating, but I just keep on reminding myself that I am not their problem).  Soon the whole camp of men were doing whatever they could for me.  One man brought me his jacket, another a pillow.  Two different men brought me hygiene bags -- with tooth brush, soap, tooth paste, etc.  They made tea for me, gave me treats their families had sent them from home, you can imagine the scene.
 
I had originally been worried about sleeping out without a change of clothes, but these poor men had bathed once in one month!  So realized I should be grateful, and that this wasn't a problem.
 
For 3 days I ate MREs and lived with the men.  I have lots of stories to tell you about being with the Tikritis, and translating for the Marines.  They were VERY impressed with my Arabic, and of course, the Tikritis warmed up to me immediately.  It was a very happy time for all involved.  We drank lots of tea with them, while they tried to get our convoys in for meals.  They were very generous, and no one asked for anything (except to have the water and electricity return).
 
Actually, the Lt. Col. wanted me to drive back down from Tikrit to Kuwait with them, but the Col said no, saying it was too dangerous.  I wonder if that's the real reason, or if he sensed his men were too distracted by taking care of, and entertaining, me.  ;-)  I'm older than all of them, except the colonel, but I'm still good company.  I think anyone is -- remember, they've all they've seen for the last month -- at least I brought them new stories, and news.
 
When we left Tikrit, we stopped off in Baghdad.  But didn't spend more than 3 hours there.  I'm glad we stayed in Tikrit, because it was a much more interesting trip.  Every journalist went to Baghdad, but who, I ask you, went to Tikrit?  Toured the palace AND translated for the military?
 
Came back late Friday night, and Saturday morning had an interview with Gen. Amos, who's the head here on the base. We hit it off immediately, and talked for 2 1/2 hours!  (Again the PAO couldn't believe it!)  The general asked me lots of questions about myself, being embedded, and I told him my impressions about Tikrit, and how I thought they must work to get the media, both Arab and American, up to Tikrit to do a walk through of the palace.  Especially now that there are demonstrations in Baghdad asking the Americans to leave.
 
I have to tell you a funny story about dear Gen. Amos.  I came in wearing my cammies, a green tee shirt, my gas mask on my hip (which I'm using as my purse, the ultimate in air base chic), and my boonie hat.  About 10 minutes into the interview, the general said: "You look too good in this outfit to be wearing that damn Navy belt!  Why are you wearing that?"
 
"This is the best we could find at the military surplus store, Sir," I said.
 
He then hollered to his aide, and told him to bring him in a Marine belt piece immediately.  The aide returned in a few minutes with the metal piece, and the general then proceeded to unhook the old belt piece, and replace it with the Marine piece.  But he didn't take off the belt, he did it while it was still on my body!  He wasn't being rude, or fresh, but I was a bit taken aback (and it was in front of the PAO Major Johnson, who just starred and didn't say a word). 
 
The first time the General put it on backwards, and muttered something about how this was like knotting a tie on someone else.  "You can do it for yourself, but it's difficult when you do it for another person."  I teased him, saying that "no stranger has tried to undress and dress me in a long time... Sir."
 
It was a tremendous honor.  I saw him this morning at the sunrise service, and he came up to me and thanked me for my story on the Marines.  He said he got a lump in his throat when he read it.  I could tell he was pleased.  I was quite proud, as you can imagine.  He told me that he sent it out "to a ton of people" and "I'm sure your story is now being circulated to millions of people."
 
He also told me that I might be hearing from him in the future.  "Anything I can do to help,. Sir." I said.
 
The adventures continue.

I must say that I've found that Colonels seem to enjoy teasing me and me giving it back to them.  I've made some good relationships with these officers.  What I think it is -- is that no one dares talk back to them.
 
Colonel Anderson actually told me I'm one of the few women he's ever met who understands "my weird sense of humor."
He also told me, while up at camp (after I complained that the coffee made me was not hot enough, nor had he stirred it properly) that I reminded him why he missed his wife, and also why he did not miss her!  ;-)
 
The next cup of coffee he made me was boiling hot AND he blew over it making noises like a motor boat, which he said was "the cappuccino machine."
 
I'm so blessed with these people. 
 
Today, at the Baptist service, one of the Chaplin's asked everyone to pray for me.  Twice during the service he mentioned my name, spoke about what I've done here, and asked everyone to pray for my safe trip back to my husband and loved ones.  Everyone clapped.  I was so touched I started crying...  couldn't help it.  It was a very moving moment for me.  I wonder at how wonderful these good people have been, and continue to be, to me.
 
I have noticed that these Marines are fiercely proud of their wives.  They speak about them with genuine reverence and love.  It's quite moving for me to see these tough men soften when they speak of their spouses.
 
As it now looks, I'll be leaving Wednesday (and not Monday, tomorrow) simply because my trip up to Tikrit and the interview with Gen. Amos is going to require a few more stories, which I need to finish here on the ground, as I'll never get them done if I leave.
 
Meanwhile, the temperature today has climbed to 109 degrees.   No need to go into details, you can imagine what it's like.  The problem is that it's also very windy, so you're very hot and chocking on dust.
 
Sleeping, or trying to sleep, is a real hassle.  Last night I had to sleep with an allergy mask on my face.  But, as you can imagine, it's hard to sleep when it's so hot... and dusty.
 
But the many acts of kindness continue to bless me.  Today, I was walking from tent city with my shirt up over my face to trying to keep from breathing the dust.  A sergeant walked by, and I wished him a Happy Easter.  He said:  "Ma'am, what you need is a neck garter."   I said something like, "Yeah.  Good idea."
 
Then he said (remember, I never met this man before!) "I have a couple of extra ones.  Would you like one?"
 
I said, "Thanks, but no thanks."  But of course, by that time, he was walking off and insisting I follow.  He went over to a truck, reached into his bag, and pulled out a brand new one, and gave it to me.
Then, Sergeant McKinney walked off, saying goodbye.  I still have no idea who he is, who he's attached to, and why he gave this to me. 

This is a pretty good summary of what's going on.