A soldier carries his laundry Saturday morning at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqouba, Iraq. Central Iraq received about seventh-tenths of an inch of rainfall on Thursday and Friday. (Charlie Coon / S&S)
A soldier carries his laundry Saturday morning at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqouba, Iraq. Central Iraq received about seventh-tenths of an inch of rainfall on Thursday and Friday. (Charlie Coon / S&S)
Sgt. Kevin Wigger of Fruitport, Mich., and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Troop Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, brushes the dried mud off his standard issue desert boots on Sunday at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqouba, Iraq. (Charlie Coon / S&S)
BAQOUBA, Iraq — Sunday was a day of spring- cleaning and drying out for many soldiers throughout central Iraq after last week’s downpours turned many bases into mud pits.
About seven-tenths of an inch of rain fell in Baghdad from Wednesday afternoon through Friday afternoon, which represented about 70 percent of the month’s normal rainfall, according to Air Force Master Sgt. Shawn Peno of the 42nd Infantry Division’s weather office in Tikrit.
“This is a significant amount of rain we received in a short period of time,” Peno said late Friday afternoon, and the rain was still coming down.
Sunday’s sunshine allowed soldiers at Forward Operating Base Warhorse to open their door, sweep the dirt out of their hooches, shake out their floor rugs and brush off the dried mud from their boots.
“As long as you have a change of boots, you won’t have a problem,” said Staff Sgt. Leonard Willis of West Palm Beach, Fla., and 203rd Forward Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
“I remembered it downpoured twice in Kuwait back in 2003,” said Sgt. Kevin Wigger of Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Troop Battalion. “But nothing like this.”
Wigger spent the day cleaning out his hooch and brushing off his boots.
“The 1st sergeant is coming [to inspect] at 15:30.”
