Personal favorite

[pbuchh7715]

Greetings,

 

Hope this turns out well. A bring-back from al Asad Airbase in '03-'04...well, with quite a bit of other stuff that I've been trying to document on film over the past decade but just making headway. I found this along with two discarded uniforms in a forward building at the main gate of al Asad Airbase in MAY03. I had several other hand painted banners that are now in the hands of my dad, brother and personal friend. This one was unique and a challenge to aquire.

 

Best,

 

Peter

 

[pbuchh7715]

Greetings,

 

One more. The entire rig also came from al Asad EXCEPT the shoulder boards. This was actually in a pile of two uniforms and equipment in a room...it was in a pile...along with pretty much any personal belonging deemed fit to leave behind so I could have cobbled together something.

 

Best,

 

Peter

[gwb123]

Excellent examples, especially the banner. Thanks for sharing.

[Strac]

Your Saddam banner is an especially great bring back! Any idea what it says? It would make quite a display piece with a collection to match.

 

Shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union I acquired several large communist banners for next to nothing as a joke (bright red with heavy gold trim, gold designs and lettering in language/propaganda enthusiastically praising unity and self-sacrifice, showing Lenin in profile on them, etc). Since I do not collect that sort of thing I gave them away eventually.

 

And now all these years later, those sort of banners run in the many hundreds of dollars and sometimes even more! So I'd hang on to Saddam if I were you. Plus you found it yourself, which makes it even better.

[pbuchh7715]

Greetings,

 

Thanks for the compliments. In regards to translation this is the one piece of many items (including a lot of maps and documents) I sent home (70 boxes in various sizes...really...70 boxes) that I did NOT get translated. I had a friend who, at the time, had a staff member that was born and raised in Iraq who translated a buch of stuff for me but I did not find the box in which this was packed until she moved on. Regardless, the image generates a negative reaction. I had it hanging in my hootch when in-country and one of the locals who came to work in our building at al Asad actually attacked it with his shoe. It was difficult to explain that it was a souvenier and I wasn't a fan either with the language barrier....but a pack of cigarettes goes a long way

 

Best,

 

Peter

[Cap Camouflage Pattern I]

Great stuff, thanks for sharing. I've been trying to get an Iraqi helme but they're running around $90 right now.

[badash5946]

Great stuff, thanks for sharing. I've been trying to get an Iraqi helme but they're running around $90 right now.

Best to just suck it up and buy now - they'll be $150 later.