Iraq and Rolling with The Effects

The Effects recently completed a tour of playing for American troops in Iraq and Kuwait.

Read up on their adventures after the jump and check out some of their pictures here.

Iraq and Roll

Yes, we actually went to Kuwait and Iraq. Not only to kick some ass but to also play some good old fashion Rock ‘n Roll. It was a trip that none of us will ever forget.

We took off to Minneapolis for a little training for a few days. After making our tweaks and changes to the sound system we departed on the 14 hour plane ride. As we were preparing for take off, Topher (bassist) had a little inside scoop on Delta. His mom has worked at Delta for quite a few years. We all made good friends with the crew and got bumped up to first class. It was so awesome we wanted to live there and never leave. Hot towels, free booze, food, fully reclinable chairs, movies, games and anything else you can dream of… kinda like heaven. Then we stepped off the plane in Kuwait and it was the exact opposite, hotter than hell.

After a nightmare at customs, and losing a few boxes of CDs, we were picked up and taken to camp Arifjan. Camp Arifjan was a huge base that resembled a small American city. We checked in and got our IBA’s (individual body armor). Everything in the military is abbreviated (or abbreved). Our first show was about an hour and a half drive across Kuwait to camp Virginia. The first show took a little getting use to but was still a success. We gave away a few hundred CD’s and hung with the troops. At the end of the night we retired back to Camp Arifjan for a few hours rest only to wake up at 4:30 AM to catch a plane to Iraq.

We arrived at the LSA - Ali Al Salem (airport base in Kuwait) to take off to Iraq early in the morning. Because of a sand storm, we were delayed for the day. We got checked into a tent which luckily had AC. The next day we awoke at 7:00AM to find that it is over 100 degrees in our tent. We blew out our AC. We didn’t really mind since we planned on leaving that day, but once again our flight was pushed back. Long story short we were delayed for 3 days and we moved into 3 different tents. Outside was miserable and cabin fever set in hard. Finally after missing a few shows we got a flight into Iraq. We flew into Balad on a C-17 which is a huge hollow jet with seats along the wall. When planes fly in and out of war zones they go strait up and down to avoid being shot at. The trip was like a roller-coaster making our stomachs drop. It was a sweet ride except for the dude about 6 people over who threw up in his water bottle and on his pants. After arriving in Balad again we only had a few hours to sleep before a double-header of shows the next day.

We woke up at the crack of dawn and jumped on a Blackhawk Helicopter. It was all of our first time on any helicopter, not to mention one armed for battle. All of our gear was on one and us on another. There were two pilots in the cockpit and two gunners hanging out the windowless doors with there eyes peeled and guns loaded. We touched down at a tiny F.O.B. (forward operating base), called Camp Caldwell. These FOBs don’t get very much entertainment so they were very appreciative. The temperature was approaching 120 degrees for our 1:00 show on a stage with no cover from the sun. As hot as it was, we tried not to complain. The troops are out there all day every day in a lot more clothes and armor than we are. It was probably the hottest we’ve ever been but we only played 45 minutes. As soon as we were done, we gave away and signed CD’s then hopped back on the blackhawk and headed for camp Grizzly.

Camp Grizzly was an old military base of Sadam Hussein’s. We flew in and took a short nap before we sat up for that nights show. They had just built a stage for the base and were excited to have entertainment. There were only a few hundred soldiers there total and half were on duty when we played. Even though it was an intimate show on a huge stage, there were a few soldiers having a good time drinking some non-alcoholic coors. That night was the best sleep we’ve ever had. We had played two shows in 100+ heat with only a few hours sleep. The next day we woke up around 7 or 8 to leave only to be sand stormed in once again. This time we didn’t mind so much. We got to check out some M-wraps and humvees. We also watched Forest Gump, Labyrinth, and Naked Space. We left the next day at 1:00AM on the blackhawks again. Riding the blackhawks at night was really bad-ass because the crew all wore night vision and looked like cyborgs. Since we missed another show we went back to Balad so the Marines could pick us up and take us to camp Ramadi.

The whole time we were in Iraq we never slept past 7 or 8 AM. So as usual we woke up early to spilt for another double-header. The Marines picked us up in a Chinook, which is a larger helicopter with two big propellers. We were in a group of 4 choppers, all with 50 caliber machines guns on them. We flew over what they call a red zone, which means it is more dangerous. I pity the fool who messes with us. They wouldn’t stand a chance. We arrive at Camp Ramadi right by the Euphrates River.

We didn’t spend a whole lot of time at Ramadi. As soon as we got there we started setting our equipment up. After that we had about thirty minutes to kill, so we bought some awesome souvenirs at the hodgy shop. It was another mid-day 120 degree show, and the sun was so bright that we couldn’t see the lights on our guitar tuners. We only did a 45 minute show, but our gear got so hot in the sun that things were warping and melting. As soon as we were done we loaded up on a huge helicopter called a Super Stallion and took off for a show that night a Al Asad.

We were in flight over a barren desert and all of the sudden there was what looked like a river of trees. It was run off from an oasis in the middle of the desert. We came into land at Al Asad and were told that the oasis on the base was Abraham’s Well. This natural spring had been flowing since near the beginning of the Bible. It was one of the oldest historical markers on earth. Al Asad was once a huge Iraqi military base that the USA had taken over. It had a soccer field where the old Iraqi olympic soccer team practiced. Sadam’s son had the whole team executed on that very field for losing a few years back. The whole place was creepy because of Sadam’s old gang. By the time we got there we were extremely worn out from the Ramadi show so we took a nap. We made our way to the auditorium to set up for the show that night. The auditorium had a big stage and a balcony where Sadam use to sit at the edge. There was a big American Flag as the backdrop on the stage which looked really cool. It felt good to play a show inside after the last three hot ones. Once again we were suppose to split early the next day, but it was too windy. We had to cancel our last two shows and just chill another day a Al Asad. We did get to see all the sights on the base like freaky underground Iraqi chambers and old busted up russian planes. We got the hang with the Colonel who played drums, and he hosts a jam session for the troops once a week.

We took off from Iraq the next day for Kuwait in a C-130. A C-130 is a big propeller plane that refuels other planes in mid-air. During flight the crew let us check out the cockpit and showed how everything works. We touched down in Kuwait where it was hotter and ever… 130 degrees. We made it back to Arifjan to check in our IBA’s and equipment. We went to the Kuwaiti airport around midnight and took off on a 13 hour flight back to the states. We didn’t get to ride first class on the way back but it didn’t matter. We were all just happy to be going back to America.

Being proud of America and what America stands for is not the most popular thing these days, but we have a better outlook now. We all have a new found respect for the Armed Services. We were honored to have the opportunity to play for the troops and country, and we would do it again in a heartbeat.