Troops Kick Off Thanksgiving, Iraq Style

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-iraq-thanksgiving,0,3861465.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

November 27, 2003, 4:07 AM EST


BAGHDAD, Iraq -- About 100 runners kicked off Thanksgiving celebrations in Iraq with an early morning "camel trot" Thursday through Saddam Hussein's palace complex in downtown Baghdad, past bombed-out mansions and concrete blast walls topped with razor wire.

The runners in the 6-mile and 3-mile races, were mostly military personnel or members of the U.S.-led coalition running Iraq. They were split into a half dozen groups based on age and gender.
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Running blissfully past "bombed-out mansions and concrete blast walls topped with razor wire." Christ.

And past the bombed out craters where 8,000 nameless Iraqi citizens and untold numbers of combatants died. All with the idea of making it a positive press moment for all of us at home so we can be thankfull we're not sitting on top of an ocean of oil.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

1. New Headline: U-S troops kick off Thanksgiving with camel trot in Baghdad

Baghdad, Iraq-AP -- U-S servicemen and women on duty around the world today are still celebrating the uniquely American holiday, Thanksgiving.

Mess halls are serving special turkey dinners. Troops have organized races, football games and even concerts.

In Iraq, about 100 soldiers and U-S civilians began the day with a race through the walled-in complex that used to be Saddam Hussein's main palace and now serves as headquarters for the American coalition. Instead of calling it a "turkey trot," they dubbed in a "camel trot." Participants got trophies and medals retrieved from the building that used to house the Iraqi Olympic Committee.
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In 10 days, we'll be singing christmas carols as we ransack homes in search of WMD.