7TH ENGR BDE COMMANDER REPT VOL 18A

File: 970815_sep96_decls58_0013.txt
Page: 0013
Total Pages: 49
Subject = 7TH ENGR BDE COMMANDER REPT VOL 18A                             

Parent Organization = ARCENT      

Unit = VII CORPS   

Folder Title = 7TH ENGR BDE-COMMANDER REPT-VOL 18A -FORWARD AND COMMANDERS PERSPECTIVE                         

Document Number =          1

Box ID = BX000313







                The roads were heavily congested with convoys, and Saudi
           drivers. one quickly learns the Saudis have no roadway rules, no
           speed limit and passing, blinking of lights, blowing of horns,
           and total disregard for safety seems the accepted practice. When
           a Saudi decides to pass it matters not if there is oncoming
           traffic. One either moves over, drives out across the desert, or
           crashed head on. A favorite trick is to pass the car in front of
           you that is already in the passing lane passing someone else.
           Frequently someone from behind will attempt to pass all three.
           The oncoming driver may be faced with four cars or trucks bearing
           down on him .... and no place to go. The roadsides are littered
           with old and recent wrecks. They are never moved. A thousand
           years from now some archeologist digging in the desert will
           wonder, 11 .... what the hell happened?"

                Saudi Arabia is not necessarily a pretty country and
           certainly not very clean. As one leaves the more affluent port
           areas the rundown facilities and absolute disregard for ecology
           or sanitation becomes more apparent. When something breaks, is
           finished, or is no longer useful it is merely tossed aside--
           wherever. There did not appear to be any organized collection of
           refuse but rather the random discard of trash around houses and
           work areas.

                Driving inland from the port one began to appreciate the
           vastness of the land, its almost undistinguishable terrain
           features, and infinite openness with no apparent lifeforms. The
           first couple of hundred miles are filled with endless sanddunes,
           dry, dusty, and barren. The traveler has a subconscious urge to
           drink water frequently whether or not he or she is thirsty.
           Security is having both hands wrapped tightly around the water
           bottle. Later, some of us could not believe how "flushed" our
           kidneys would be as we poured down the liquids.

                As the endless drive continued the pressures of the World
           seem far away. The desert takes on a fascinating beauty of its
           own and for brief moments one forgets why he ha$ come to this
           alien place. The small villages are dust covered, drab, and
           generally, by western standards, dirty. Life is harsh. The men
           are grizzled, bearded, and windblown, dressed in their native
           clothing. At various times in the day they can be observed
           praying, always to the west toward MECCA. Their prayer calls are
           chilling and haunting. Women are almost never seen and if so,
           for only a fleeting glimpse as they quickly move indoors, always
           covered from head to toe. It is rare to even see a woman's eyes.
           Saudi culture is an interesting contrast because women are
           clearly second class citizens with no privileges whatsoever.



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