10 Things I Like about Basrah
1. Not being allowed ORP for an overnight stop in the desert.
2. Three shirts and a 5-day laundry turnaround.
3. The same packed lunches we get in UK, including donkey dick sausage rolls and choccy bars in July.
4. The marvellous transit accommodation at TDA4.
5. Checking your bags in and then having to carry them.
6. Stray bullet within 500m of a building. 5 killed (when the RAF Regiment ran them over responding to the incident).
7. Having to brief a US headquarters (including units that were in Somalia) that the Sea King IRT's callsign is Super 62....
8. Not being able to get desert flying suits because they've all been issued to air stewards.
9. Double the pleasure when you submit SORs to NSE as you always have to resubmit after the first is rejected because the desk officer didn't read it properly.
10. Aircon rooms allocated to those working in aircon offices, not those who work outdoors or fly non-aircon aircraft.