The US Will Never Leave Iraq

Originally posted by The Blind Eye
reply to post by dragonridr


Figured id inform you from someone whos seen these things and not off a website

Camp Anaconda/Balad Airbase

Balad airbase is the second busiest airport in the world, trailing only London’s Heathrow Airport. Camp Anaconda is the largest U.S. logistical base in Iraq. The camp is spread over 15 square miles and is being constructed to accommodate 20,000 soldiers. There is a 24 hour gym, lighted outdoor basketball courts, Olympic-sized swimming pool, as well as a chandeliered cinema for the troops. “The closest some troops here come to experiencing the Iraq seen on the evening news is the miniature golf course, which mimics a battlefield with its baby sandbags, little Jersey barriers, strands of concertina wire and, down at the end of the course, what appears to be a tiny detainee cage,” wrote Tom Ricks from the Washington Post.

Was an Iraq military base most of the expenditures are merely upgrading the facilities the Iraqies all ready built.
...

Al Asad Air Base

About 120 miles west of Baghdad, near the Euphrates town of Khan al-Baghdadi, Al Asad Air Base hosts 17,000 troops, a Burger King, a Pizza Hut and a car dealership, and an internal bus system. The Bush administration requested $39 million the FY 08 budget for new airfield lighting, air-traffic-control systems and upgrades allowing al-Asad to plug into the Iraqi electricity grid — a typical sign of a long-term base.

These are just outside the base on the way into the base. They are iraqi businesses nothing to do with the base its self.In fact the iraqi businessman that opened the pizza hut all ready owned the burger king before us troops got there. Oh and just a minor bit of thought should have made you go somethings wrong here do you think military personnel are going to buy a car when they cant bring them back to the States and have access to hum vs come on!!!!!!! Again your source is misleading you.

Green Zone (Baghdad)

The Green Zone in Baghdad includes the main palaces of former President Saddam Hussein. The area at one time housed the Coalition Provisional Authority; and now houses the offices of major U.S. consulting companies and the U.S. embassy—by far the largest embassy in world history that approaches the size of the Vatican, or six times the size of the UN compound in New York.

And finally the embassy the reason its the largest embassy is its housed in the grounds of a palace built by Saddam Hussien and there counting a barrier erected to stop rocket attacks which can be removed quite easily.The reason it was built is the Iraqies took over the main palace as there seat of government that used to be the embassy. eventually many of these buildings will be turned over to the iraqies since they are used to help run the country and you'll see the embassy shrink considerably in the capitol.

Having never been to Iraq your doing nothing but gleaming 3rd hand information without ever having seen the area.There fore id say you really don't have the expertise to discuss this topic but thanks for playing.

Ps most of the money being spent has alot to do with upgrading airport facilities they were inadequate to handle even large commercial jets!







[edit on 1/11/10 by dragonridr]

Originally posted by dragonridr
Having never been to Iraq your doing nothing but gleaming 3rd hand information without ever having seen the area.There fore id say you really don't have the expertise to discuss this topic but thanks for playing.

I'm not "playing"...and you are... ? ... a professional journalist who has researched all these camps in person... or are playing/claiming such? Sorry i'm not drinking the cool-aid and neither is anyone else. I suggest paying more attention to what is really going on, versus what all the spin doctors are "playing" to the collective patriotic heart/ego.

reply to post by The Blind Eye


Ah yes....Balad/Anaconda..

I just returned home (less than a month ago) from my second deployment to Balad. It is no longer LSA Anaconda/Balad AB. The Anaconda part is no longer applicable due to the drawdown under President Obama.

As was stated by another poster, Balad was a base for Saddam Hussien long before we got there. In addition, it was also where the Iraqi Olympic team trained. Rumor had it, more than one Iraqi athlete is buried under the stadium field.

The majority of the buildings on the base are Iraqi construction. This would include the theater with the chandeliers, although we DID build a mortar resistant shield over the theater.

Our housing/bathing facilities were all prefab trailers....easily dismantled.

The main gymnausium, both pools and the stadium....Iraqi Olympic team facilities under Uday Hussien.

The outdoor basketball courts? Interlocking plastic "tiles" over a concrete slab.

Yes, we did build the base hospital...and it will be used by the Iraqis when they take the base back in the not too distant future. However, a good eighty percent of what we set up....is temporary. To call what we did in Balad "setting up a permanent base".....is stupid.

As for the crack about the sandbags on the minature golf course being the closest anyone at Balad got to the war....well lets just say that I am quite thankful for having the T barriers and the sandbags inbetween where I was and where mortar/rockets would land on several occasions.
Side note...just where in the heck was the minature golf course at? In my two trips I never saw it.

Enough said, never mind what the investigative journalists have to say of the matter, if Swamp says it's so, you know it has to be true. Remain in lock step with our government's every move, always assume the best of intentions, they have never lied to us in the past and therefore would never ever lie to us now or in the future. God bless America and hell with everyone else.

reply to post by The Blind Eye


I see you ran out of "facts" to debate with. Amazing how often that happens when somebody points out the truth.

"housing" in Balad

cache.virtualtourist.com...

Another view..
www.edenthrillers.com...

Yet another view....
zacharycrook.com...

Here is "Pizza Hut"

cache.virtualtourist.com...

Base movie theater...

briannomi.files.wordpress.com...



[edit on 12-1-2010 by Swampfox46_1999]

reply to post by Swampfox46_1999


Again the banter you initiate is a huge waste of time and effort, not to mention exhausting and frustrating.

I could go into a whole credibility issue with your sources and posting record, but why present the obvious... and to speak of matters that are or should be "obvious"; if you don't call the bases we have in Deutschland and Japan since WWII "permanent" then what do you call them? ...and what makes you think we won't leave behind the same presence in Iraq?

Originally posted by The Blind Eye
reply to post by Swampfox46_1999

 

Again the banter you initiate is a huge waste of time and effort, not to mention exhausting and frustrating.

I could go into a whole credibility issue with your sources and posting record, but why present the obvious... and to speak of matters that are or should be "obvious"; if you don't call the bases we have in Deutschland and Japan since WWII "permanent" then what do you call them? ...and what makes you think we won't leave behind the same presence in Iraq?

Now that its been shown your facts by your journalist to be wrong and in fact there are very few permanent structures built now you go to making suppositions. Well we did it here what makes you think we wont there is not a valid argument.Situations change administrations change. When confronted with the truth you resort to attacking people.Im done with your childish game people can see you for what you are. I was trying to tell you the truth but you would rather believe a bias journalist because it coincides with your agenda.And trust me when i say this most people on ATS will never take the word of a journalist seriously.

reply to post by dragonridr


"childish game" playing?

Nice distraction from answering the following questions:
(Funny how you can quote it but not bother answering it.)

...if you don't call the bases we have in Deutschland and Japan since WWII "permanent" then what do you call them? ...and what makes you think we won't leave behind the same presence in Iraq?

The answer to these questions will show the logic you use in determining our true intentions/plans. Again as i said before, better that we just cut our losses and agree to disagree... from my perspective, there's no point in schooling someone who is determined to be in denial.

reply to post by The Blind Eye


AH yes....he must be a truther as well....

I have never once said we do not have "permanent" bases in Germany or Japan. I pointed out that the majority of the construction done at Balad, is temporary structures and that the majority of the items listed in your article (pool, theater, main gym etc) were built by the Iraqis under Hussein.


BTW, as it was our first day back at work since our deployment to Balad, I asked the guys if they had seen the miniature golf course in Balad. After the laughter stopped, nobody could recall seeing anything like that in Balad.

So since the us has been in iraq since the seventies, they aren't going anywhere?

Is that what you mean? In some form or another, since the seventies.

It sounds alot like something bush, jr. would say.......?I can still smell the sulfer in the air.