Ted Peterson wrote a letter on Oct. 21 about the “permanent military bases in Iraq” conspiracy theory. That’s exactly what it is — a conspiracy.

Having served in Iraq for a year, I can tell you that these so- called “permanent bases” don’t exist in the form that some of these people would try and have you believe. Anyone who has ever been on a military post knows what a permanent base looks like. Anyone who has been to Iraq can tell you that the bases there are far from permanent.

In Iraq, we set up shop in buildings abandoned by Saddam’s forces. During the bulk of the early stage of my deployment, I was in a shrapnel-scarred warehouse with a rickety tin roof. We scrounged for plywood in order to make walls to divide each platoon’s living area.

We draped plastic from the walls and ceiling to try (quite unsuccessfully) to keep the sand and dust out. Our entire platoon squeezed into these areas with all our gear and had about three to seven inches between our cots. I wouldn’t say that was what you’d call a “permanent base.” If it had been, it would have been a hell of a lot more comfortable.

I traveled all over Iraq during my time there. I saw nearly every place there is to see. I can tell you that what Peterson and others call “permanent” bases consist solely of tents, sandbags, plywood, trailers, Quonset huts and buildings taken from Iraqi enemy forces.

This whole “permanent base” thing is yet another half-baked conspiracy theory being pushed by a bunch of people who have never been to Iraq and probably couldn’t find it on a map if they tried.

James Stanley

Freshman

Psychology