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Home Fires: In Balad, Smoke and Fire
By Dan Clare The New York Times
Balad Air Base in northern Iraq was once nicknamed “Mortaritaville” by the soldiers and airmen who called it home. When I was there from 2007 to 2008, mortar attacks were so common and seemingly ineffective that the frequent interruptions were often a welcome break from the daily grind.
For most airmen on base, a trip beyond guarded gates of Balad was unthinkable. Beyond the usual mortar or rocket attack, I know it’s strange to say, one would have to go to the hospital to be sure there was a war going on.
Yet, a dark cloud loomed above us, never letting us forget that we were not on home station.
Balad, like bases throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, burned its own waste. Hundreds of tons of Styrofoam, plastic, uniforms, oil, fuel and other trash went into the air from an open, smoldering pit.
When I first arrived in Iraq, I thought a portion of the base was under attack. We later learned the floating plume was the source of Balad’s signature stench.
At times, the wind would change directions and a toxic cloud would hang low and overwhelm the housing area. It could influence flight line operations, limit visibility and make eyes and lungs burn. It was inescapable. More than once it made me sick. I went to medical for help and was told that my nausea and symptoms were minor compared to people who were coughing up black phlegm and having constant attacks.
Read more at The New York Times
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=11321
Posted by Bob Higgins on Jan 21 2010, Filed under Health, Iraq War, WarZone. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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I was stationed in FOB Spiecher from 2004 and into 2006, I worked for the 42nd ID’s engineer brigade,, when i wasnt outside the wire checking bridges and roadways that were damaged, I was on BURN PIT detail,,, we had a pit approx. 30 ft deep by 100 ft long and 50 ft wide and constantantly having the bases waste dumpled in and burned.. for anybody that was at Spiecher from 2004 thru 2007 knows that the burn pit is pretty much at the mercy of the winds,, alot of times the smoke would not go straight up or away from camp… mostly it would just blow towards the camp… those of us that worked the pit before KBR or someother contractor took over remember trying to cover our faces and get into the little shanty that was built.. not air tight …… it got so bad i started to wear my protective mask… little too late i guess….. I took 1 1/2 years off of the war and went back to Iraq in 2007 this time i was not working a burn pit,,,, I was the senior turret gunner for a Route Clearance platoon,,, you know the nutty guys that drove down the worst roads in Iraq looking for the IED’s and EFP’s that EOD would sometimes come out and take care of…. needless to say I have respitory issues,,,, i quit smoking, and still have breathing issues,, i need inhalents and steroids to get through a normal day… GOD BLESS the SOLDIER