Patrol Base Haswah has down-home feel

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Army Pfc. Roy Muffler, 21, of St. Louis, guards the afternoon's grilled treats. Company D, 2d Battaltion, 502d Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort Campbell, Ky., has managed to carve out a relatively pleasant existence since they arrived at their Haswah, Iraq, patrol base in October.


Patrol Base Haswah has down-home feel
By Michael Gisick, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, January 29, 2008

HASWAH, Iraq — They barbecue in the dirt yard every two or three days.

They had to shoot their dog — that’s a somewhat unfortunate story — but the old girl was up and about again the next day, following them to town.

After three months at Patrol Base Haswah, an old police station about 30 miles south of Baghdad, life for this infantry company from Fort Campbell, Ky., has taken on something of a country rhythm, complete with a platoon of grinning Iraqi police officers in the role of mischievous neighbors and a choice of dip or cigarettes, steaks or burgers.

“This is the first patrol base I’ve been at that I actually liked,” said Staff Sgt. Jason Dollar, a 32-year-old native of Sikeston, Mo. “All the other ones you were either getting mortared, shot at or you didn’t have anything.”

As if to demonstrate the present bounty, another soldier brought Dollar a bag of Jolly Ranchers, which Dollar handed over to an Iraqi police officer who had been begging for candy on behalf of his three kids.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52007