Soldiers Play Tourist for a Day
DVIDS
Pfc. Monica K. Smith, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade
With the exception of a four-day pass to nearby Qatar, most Soldiers do not have the opportunity to play tourist while deployed in Iraq.
On Jan. 15, Chaplains from the Combat Aviation Brigade organized a tour of various locations in Victory Base Complex, giving Soldiers living at Camp Striker and the Baghdad International Airport a chance to do just that.
“We realized that a lot of Soldiers don’t ever get off the (Forward Operating Bases) and we thought a lot of people go to Al Faw Palace and Slayer, but they don’t,” said Chaplain (Capt.) Andrew Shulman, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment. “A lot of people don’t have a reason to leave Striker so they don’t. We said we’d try it once to see if we’d get a crowd and we had to turn people away.”
The guided tour took 23 Soldiers to Al Faw Palace, Uday Hussein’s palace, Victory over America palace, Ba’ath Party headquarters, Flintstone Village and the location where Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith earned his Medal of Honor defending fellow Soldiers.
“We did pray at the site where Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith died and honored all the Soldiers who have gone before us and have passed away,” said Chap. (Capt.) Brian Minietta, 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment. “We wanted to give Soldiers a better understanding of true sacrifice and courage. We wanted to give everyone an understanding of the historical and political background and give Soldiers a bigger picture of what the mission is and what they are accomplishing.”
The tour destinations came from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., when they were based at Camp Striker. Before 2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) left, the CAB chaplains took the tour and learned the history of various locations throughout Camp Victory before leading the tour on their own.
Spc. Karen O’Donohue, HCC, 1-3rd Avn. Regt., went on the visit to become more educated on Iraqi culture.
“I went on the tour because I would feel it was a shame to come all the way to Iraq and leave having not experienced any culture because I’m a very culture-oriented person,” O’Donohue said. “I like history, I like hands-on history, and for a while now I’ve been wanting to see Victory Over America and the flyer said we would go visit Victory Over America.”
The tour was more than five hours long, however Spc. Angelo Torres, Company D, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Avn. Regt., said he was glad he took the time to go.
“It was fun and relieved stress,” Torres said. “I realized that Iraq still has a little bit of beauty.”
Responses like those from O’Donohue and Torres is what Minietta says he was hoping for.
“I think it was cool for the Soldiers to not only see the sights but to get a little understanding so it was educational,” Minietta said. “Plus it was fun to run around a little in the Flintstone building. I think it was definitely a good break. We saw Soldiers smiling and laughing, just breaking away from the everyday here, so it was a success I think.”
The chaplains plan to organize a Camp Victory tour each month. Soldiers interested in participating in the tour can contact their respective unit ministry team chaplain or chaplain’s assistant.
“If the demand is high, we’re definitely willing to do it more than once a month,” Minietta said.
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