E-mail this page Reader Comments (below) A crossroad of cultures

By BILL NEMITZ, Staff Columnist Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Nobody, not even a pair of visiting journalists, can leave Camp Navistar on a convoy into Iraq without first doing the "rollover."

"The number one rule is don't panic," said Chief Warrant Officer David Cheney of Castle Hill as he readied the large contraption that simulates a Humvee rolling over. "That's the biggest thing -- don't panic."

Easy for him to say.

It goes like this. Wearing full body armor, a Kevlar helmet, goggles and fire-retardant gloves, you climb into the back seat of what looks, on the inside, like a typical armored Humvee.

After buckling you into your heavy-duty seat belt, Cheney turns a switch that rolls the entire vehicle -- once to the left, then once to the right, then a full 360 degrees.

Then, from the upright position, he rolls it 180 degrees and leaves it there. Upside down.

Your job:

First, the moment the vehicle starts to tip, scream "Rollover!" and brace your hands against the ceiling. Second, get out of your seatbelt -- balancing on your helmet against the roof.

Third, twist and turn yourself around until you're standing on the roof.

Finally, open the door -- remember, the latch mechanism now works in the opposite direction -- and calmly get out.

Surprisingly, it's not as hard as it sounds -- at least once you realize you've somehow turned around and are now facing the rear of the vehicle rather than the front.

Watching Cheney put his visitors through their paces, 1st Lt. John Gates of Topsham, acting commander of the 1-121 Field Artillery's Alpha Company, noted the "rollover" might have applications outside a war zone.

"Chief and I are trying to think how we can make this a carnival ride back home," Gates said with a broad grin.

Brace yourself, Old Orchard Beach.

It's no secret around Camp Navistar -- or at any other U.S. military installation in Kuwait, for that matter -- that Kuwaitis are less than thrilled about the heavy U.S. military presence on their soil.

Thus, the presence of a brand-new mosque just outside the perimeter of Camp Navistar is widely perceived by soldiers here as a not-so-subtle reminder that they're living on foreign soil.

Five times a day, a loudspeaker atop the mosque blares the Muslim call to prayers directly into the camp. Some soldiers say they don't even notice it anymore; others hear it in their sleep.

Soldiers from the 1-121st Field Artillery Battalion have a simple way of communicating with the civilian drivers they escort into and out of Iraq.

Since few of the "TCNs" -- third-country nationals -- speak English, the soldiers use a picture book to communicate the basic rules of the road.

A few examples:

Man holding a fuel nozzle: "Make sure your gas tank is full."

Man with groceries: "Carry plenty of food and water for your trip."

Truck after truck after truck: "Drive in single line."

Truck door with window up and button down: "Keep doors locked while traveling in Iraq."

Good idea.