Food for thought

Okay some things to consider when going on an IA to Djibouti, Kuwait, Iraq or Afghanistan. First of all no pornography at least if you bring some be clever in hiding it. Not only are you military and not supposed to possess it but it’s illegal in a lot of these countries and can get you placed in jail.

A lot of the power outlets here run off 220 so a variety of American electronics cant handle that much power, so I recommend you either buy or mail yourself a transformer that can convert it to 110. The plug in’s are also different from American one’s so purchase adapters that can plug into the sockets here so you can plug in those products that can handle 220(I.e. your laptop for example). Without these plugs you won’t be able to run any electronics. They can be purchased in Djibouti as far as I know, I did not see any in Kuwait and I can’t speak in regards to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sunscreen, yeah I know logic would dictate that it’s a no brainer but you would be surprised how many do not think of it. Wait till you get to theater until you buy an iron. No you don’t have to iron your uniform but some prissy Sailors still like to iron the uniforms they wear despite the fact they are in 1. A dessert and 2. A combat zone.

Do not buy or bring a Camelbak you will be given one during your training. If you are going to Djibouti we have wireless internet in our CLU(pronounced CLUE’s) however if you are in Echo or Foxtrot you won’t get a signal on the wireless unless you have an antenna which will amplify the connection. You can purchase them out in town and I will post the name once I get it. However you can also find them online at: http://www.ccrane.com

For those who are going to Djibouti you can also earn your Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal while you are here by doing community work out in the nearby villages and neighboring countries. From what I gathered you need from 70-120 hours to qualify for it.

I’ve also heard you can earn a Humanitarian medal but I will check into it so as it stands that is just gossip. There is a P-3 squadron here so it might be possible to earn your Aviation Warfare qual while here. Also there are colleges on base that will teach you in classes or via online.

If you are on the HOA side(note there is the HOA side and Camp Lemonier side) you qualify for Joint Service medals and will most likely get one. If you are Camp Lemoiner you will get NAM’s or NCM’s if you are lucky. People have been known to walk out of here with a CO LOC for the end of tour. Remember you do get a NEC from your training with the Army that singles you out as an IA.

Phone cards are a good thing to have. I recommend checking out: http://oif.spawareurope.net/index.htm
They have insanely cheap phone cards for military members especially if you are deployed to Iraq/Afghanistan you will look at about 9 cents a minute at most. Costs may vary depending on which parts you are located at. AT&T also has reasonable phone cards but they are not the best.

Do keep in mind though if you have a DSN number you can use it to call long distance for free. All that you have to do is find your local DSN operator (like a major local base in your area code). For example I am stationed in Bangor, WA so I would call Bremerton, WA and from there they can forward my call to a number in that area code. You can find a directory online of different DSN dispatchs to call. Once I am able to find it, I will post the number for one in Illinois that will forward you to any area code however the thing with this number is your phone calls are limited to 30 minutes.

If you live on the West Coast like myself you are looking at a 11 hour time difference. I.e. it is 2205 in Djibouti it is 1105 in Washington. Same time zone while in Kuwait.

If you are going to Djibouti bring your check book! There are no ATM’s on base and you have to go to Disbursing to get money in Djiboutian Francts. In order for this to happen you need to give them a check. You are limited to $200/day and $500/week. The NEX does accept ATM cards. Speaking in regards to the NEX it sucks. They run out of supplies quickly and are not quick to get them. So it might behoove you to have some harder to get things forwarded to you. Cleaning supplies go rather quickly here such as swiffer’s, brooms and mops.

On another note the air stinks here. Locals dispose of the garbage by burning it, so the rank odor fills the air. Some people place ionizers(check out Sharper Image) on the AC units to get rid of the odor. You will notice it and it will drive you nuts. Also bring stuff to deal with mold you get a lot of moisture in your CLU from the air conditioners so it molds easily. They have mini fans in the back of the unit’s however it can only do so much. Some people also leave the AC off for a day and let the fan dry it out with the help of the outside heat.

You cannot carry backpacks around in Kuwait and Djibouti. So try to avoid brining one other than your laptop bag. There was a situation not too long ago when someone snuck an IED onto the base in Kuwait and because of that the rule now stands. As far as I am aware it applies to Camelbak’s as well.

The food in Kuwait is awesome! It is the best food I have ever had in the military. Djibouti not so much. Here the water is bad as is most places in the Middle East. Bottled water is placed everywhere for your drinking pleasure and at all costs do not drink the local water. It will not kill you but it will turn your stomach into liquid and you will spend a lot of time on the toilet(trust me I found out the hard way). Brush your teeth with bottled water. Get use to battle showers as they call them or Submarine showers as I know them as. This consists of 30 seconds or so to get wet. 2 ½ minutes to soap up and rinse off. Some places they give you 5(such as Kuwait) in Djibouti it’s 3. They say that by taking 3 minute showers you can save 700 gallons of water a month.

Bring heavy duty sandals such as Croc’s, they will be a godsend for you. Do not open your CBR bag when you get it. One it will save you a pain going through customs and you won’t have to pay the government money for opening it. When it comes to keeping things if it touches your skin it’s yours to keep is the standard philosophy. The exceptions to this are canteens, sleeping bags, the Gortex jacket and pants you will get. Also you will get an Army Fleece that is the King of all fleece’s as far as I am concerned. I fully anticipate Mortal Kombat between my wife and I when I get back over this fleece.

It would be wise to bring a diggit(leatherman) and a flashlight(preferably with a red lense) because you will find yourself in many a situations wishing that you had one. I know I did. You will get a summer and winter(gortex lined) dessert boots. The gortex one’s are good for while you are training in fall/winter/spring weather because they are more comfortable and warmer. However do not wear them in theater.

Do not expect to see any new movies while you are on deployment. You will only get to see the movies as they come out on DVD. They release them to the military earlier than the general public so you might see them before you can buy them. But again nothing new in the theaters(boo hiss I get to miss my Iron Man and Batman movies).

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to learn a few basic phrases in Arabic before you come here. If you are interested in buying jewelry remember in the middle east gold is fairly common and cheap. In Africa as is diamonds but do exercise caution that you don’t purchase a ‘conflict diamond’ because they are illegal and will land you in hot water.

Also most bases are no salute zones, Kuwait as far as I know is the exception to this rule. Even Fort Jackson was a no salute zone. In regards to your Army training pack locks and use them. In the case of Fort Jackson those unfortunate people who got reactivated would process through there as would the National Guard since the Navy rents the facilities there. So thieves are a common occurrence.

If your tour is for a year you get 15 days of R&R in which you can travel somewhere. I do not know if it includes home I am willing to wager it doesn’t. If you are a 6 mother you will get 96 hours of R&R which you can spend in the AOR. Which includes such places as Bahrain, Qatar, Djibouti, Ethiopia to name a few and if you are real lucky Egypt. Some places not allowed is Somalia Lebanon and Israel(boo hiss to that too).

As I discover/learn more useful information I will pass it along to you.

P.S. if you are a Djibouti IA get a No Fee Passport, it takes about 3 weeks for turn around you just need a photo(get them at Wal Mart/Walgreens) your birth certificate and the paperwork. You need one and if someone at your command tells you to wait until later THEY ARE WRONG!

P.S.S. Submit a travel claim regularly not only for sakes of paying your Government Travel Card but you also get a per diem rate of $3.50/day ontop of your Hazard Duty Pay, Imminent Danger Pay, Family Separation Allowance and your Tax Free(which you have to spend at least one day in theater to qualify for the month).


In terms of heat in Djibouti think of a hair dryer on high in front of your face and that would be the summer here. Things are changing here in October AFRICOM is going to be established in which JTF-HOA and Camp Lemonier will fall under this command instead of CENTCOM. Also this is becoming a PCS place so it might fall of the map in term of IA's.

Also even though it is considered a hazard duty place this is not an actual warzone like Afghanistan or Iraq. The mission here is centered around humanitarian work instead of war.