Sand and Grit

So, what happens when you get two days on the ground because you can’t see more than half a mile in any direction?  Nothing.  No one moves, not even the bad guys.  This entire God forsaken country was covered in dust for two days.  I guess it was one big sandstorm. 

I discovered one more thing about our helicopters though, they are not in any way, shape, or form sand proof.  Even with all the windows closed and sealed as tight as they will go, my helmet and gear was covered with a layer of dirt.  It left an outline in the seat when I moved it.  There were sand dunes on the litter pans I had to sweep out while the crew chief swept off the controls and instruments so the pilots could see their stuff.  I ended up moving my gear inside to keep it from turning to mud/concrete.  I spent a good hour dusting and beating the dirt off all the medical equipment, just to cover it with a blanket and hope for the best.  I’ll probably end up tearing everything apart if I get a day off.

Its the same at this time every year.  Your lungs get choked, your sinuses swell, you cough mud, and you need a Shemagh just to move around because the stuff gets everywhere.  You can feel it gritting in your teeth, somehow it even gets inside sealed food containers.  Its not even summer yet when things really dry out, but at least then the big winds seem to die down.  Did I mention that this isn’t sand like in your playground?  No, its more like small rocks and sandpaper grit, so it hurts when it hits you.

This wonderful sandstorm was followed up by what you ask?  How about a torrential downpour in the form of an honest to goodness severe thunderstorm.  The kind that streaks orange, white, and blue lightning from the static and dust in the air.  In Iraq the storms rain mud, not water.  So much dust in the air the water just knocks it down.  It poured for hours last night, the generators were going in and out so even power was precarious.  Heck, my steel shoebox of a living quarters was shaking.  I think it lasted most the night too.  It rains here, but I hadn’t seen a storm like that in forever, even in the states.

Anyway, so by this morning it had mostly blown over.  There were some blue skies, a cool fast wind still blowing some dirt, but most of it had turned into that ubiquitous Iraqi muck.  Its a weird form of mud that’s literally sticky and is reminiscent of overly thin concrete.  If you have experienced it you know exactly what I mean.  Its what happens to moondust when water is added and no matter how careful you are, you will end up with it stuck to everything.

I did manage to save my flight gear from the rain/mud, and the rain seems to have actually helped by keeping the dirt/sand out of the helicopters.  However, they are coated in streaks of khaki mud where the rain/mud ran off.

So that’s been my last few days, and for all its worth, its still better than being shot at.