BACK TO IRAQ: Soldiers get a kick out of base

BAGHDAD — Fort Carson soldiers complain about their jobs, about being away from home and about missing their families here at Forward Operating Base Prosperity.

But ask them about the place they live, and you’ll hear only praise.

With its swept streets, plenty of sights to see and well-stocked gift shops, troops have taken to calling the joint “Disneyland.”

“This place is the best,” said three-tour veteran Sgt. 1st Class Marco Escobar of Compton, Calif., as he watched other soldiers from Fort Carson’s 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment play touch football Saturday in front of the bombed-out palace the unit uses as headquarters.

Before the war, the place was the most opulent of the dozens of palace complexes Saddam Hussein built for himself.

It still has the trappings of Saddam’s power — tall trees, sweeping architecture and artwork, including a stone carving that depicts U.S. bombs killing Iraqi babies.

Now it’s part of the Green Zone, a vast complex along the west bank of the Tigris River that’s home to the Iraqi government and U.S. diplomats.

The artillery battalion guards the place from insurgent threats, searching every car and person coming in for weapons.

Prosperity isn’t as safe as a theme park. Alarms blared Saturday morning to warn of a mortar attack.

It’s a ripe target for insurgents to vent their rage against Americans and the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government. Threats against the place from al-Qaida in Iraq and other groups are a constant.

Soldiers work long shifts at the gates and escorting officials around Baghdad.

In their off-time, they have the perfect place to relax, soldiers say.

“A lot of them are on their third or fourth deployment,” said Sgt. 1st Class Chad Sanders of the Western Slope town of Delta. “They like it here.”

Prosperity has everything from clean sheets to coffee shops for the soldiers. The ground floor of the palace includes a cavernous gym.

The chow hall has metal silverware and real plates — things unseen elsewhere in the war zone.

Soldiers live in single-wide trailers broken up into barracks rooms where amenities include cable television and optional Internet service.

Even the landscaping is pristine by Iraq standards.

“Having good living conditions definitely affects the morale of the soldiers,” said Warrant Officer Matthew Hoyt of Brandon, Fla. “Having good food and a good roof over your head makes a difference.”

The whole battalion is making use of Saddam’s structures.

Artillery batteries are based in former government buildings complete with marble floors.

The mechanic shops are in a building with tiled walls, nicer than the workplace they would have in the U.S.

“It makes it a lot easier,” said Spc. Teddy Owens of Dardanelle, Ark., as he changed the engine in a Humvee.

The battalion is part of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, which went from Fort Carson to Iraq in December. The brigade’s battalions have been spread across Iraq from Mosul south, and its 3,600 soldiers live in conditions that vary widely.

At Camp Taji, where three of the brigade’s six battalions are stationed 20 miles north of Baghdad, soldiers live in warehouses and face a daily battle with mud.

At Camp Liberty, the brigade’s cavalry squadron has nice digs, but troops still deal with mud and long walks to the chow hall and other amenities.

In Mosul, where one battalion is stationed policing a city 225 miles north of Baghdad, soldiers have good conditions, but face daily mortar attacks and intense fighting in what has become Iraq’s most violent city.

“This is the place to be right here,” said Sgt. Justin Folts of Billings, Mont., as he worked in the marble-floored medical clinic at Prosperity. “It’s a big difference for where we were on our last tour.”

Capt. Dan Hoeprich, who commands an artillery battery, said the quality of life at Prosperity takes soldiers’ minds off the daily grind of war and loneliness of being half a world away from loved ones.

“It does make it easier,” the Baltimore native said. “I’m not as concerned about soldiers’ mental health and well-being here.”

Watching soldiers slug it out in touch football, Escobar said the relative safety and amenities give soldiers something they don’t have elsewhere in Iraq.

“They can relax and play ball here,” he said.

CONTACT THE WRITER: Tom Roeder can be reached by e-mail in Iraq at tom.roeder@gazette.com