From Green Bay to the Persian Gulf Preston's Desert Storm Letters

Weds, 29 May 91
Camp Redeye
Zakho, Iraq

Dear Donna,

I'm sun burnt, tired, sore, and sick of fucking Kurds. Like I told the girls in the letter I wrote them earlier today, we really got dumped on numbers-wise today. We in-processed 3x more Kurds from Camp 3 than they were supposed to send us. I'm about to crash hard; if I can't finish this letter tonight, you'll know why.

... (next day) ...

Another long, Kurd-hearding day and barely enough time to write at the end of it. Today we moved over 2000 Camp 3 people into Camp 2. We are so busy with the transfer that I hope it doesn't delay our departure next week (the U.N. isn't exactly rushing to take over from us, and it seems like every time we do a good job we end up being given more work).

General Powell visited Camp Badger (the one where I do my Kurd-herding) today. Was it on the news?

I learned two new Kurdish phrases today: Ahz midrit bier means "I want a beer" and Ahz gelek hazhta kehm means "I love you very much." :-)

That April 27 letter gives me a stiffy every time I read it.

McMurry's Notes

• My experience in Zakho was not entirely bad, it's just that by the end of May my attitude was deteriorating, along with most everyone else's. I did have some good times with the Kurds. While I was working at Captain Len Beekman's food distribution site in Camp 2, a couple of Kurdish workers made us lunch. They made unleavened flour cakes, into which we rolled rice, meat and veggies -- a Kurdish burrito! For people without much food, it was incredibly generous and a damn good feed.

  If I had to do it the feast all over again I would, but did I pay for it the next few days ... I got Saddam's Revenge so bad that I couldn't work for fear of straying too far from the latrine.

30 May 91

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