For those of you who have not figured it out yet, the word "kabal" means camp. We have several of these kabals in Kuwait (can't disclose the actual number due to security reasons). Four of the kabals were named to commemorate the tragedies of September 11, 2001: New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. There are several pads in each kabal, and several tents on each pad. The medical platoon resides in tents two, three and four on pad 1 in the New York Kabal. Our Battalion Aid Station is tent one on the same pad. On this web page, you'll get a glimpse of what life is like in the kabal. |  | ||||||||
 | This is a common sight around the kabal at least once per week. Usually on a Sunday evening, the local authorities and/or the chain of command sponsors a special, theme dinner. Anything from Chinese cuisine to Italian dishes to TexMex delights. I wonder what's for dinner this time... | Here is SSG Keith McGilvery with the answer. He is grilling/burning or just pretending to cook some good old hamburgers and hotdogs. Yummy! Regardless of the seemingly endless line, few in the kabal would pass up such a delicious meal! We spend enough of the week tolerating square eggs for breakfast, MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) for lunch, and canned foods for dinner. |  |
 | Here are some of the guys willing to invest a wait in a long, hot line for some good chow: 1LT Joseph Estrada has his back to the camera, SFC Stanley Hawkins is facing in the same general direction, SSG Dwayne Bell is directly behind him, CPT Anthony Schultz is facing in the opposite direction, SSG Patrick Street appears to be cheesing for the camera, and some unidentified soldiers follow. | This is our main dining area for pad 1. Not exactly the same appeal as the dining table at home, but it suffices. If you look hard enough, you can barely make out the green screen behind these unidentified guys. This was installed to help keep the flies out... it doesn't work. |  |
 | Here, some of the troops are taking a much deserved break on some of our makeshift furniture. That table is actually an emptied spool of cable. The benches are homemade. The soldier on the left is SSG John Wriston; the one on the right (wearing the knee brace) is SSG James Norwood. I apologize for being unable to identify the other soldiers; they don't get sick often enough. |