From December 2008 to June 2009, I was on deployment in Iraq to provide strategic support to our military headquarters there. I was stationed at Camp Victory, a huge base next to Baghdad International Airport, and worked with a great team of people in a task force operating out of Saddam's old palace. The hours were long, but we managed to have a lot of fun nevertheless :-) And of course I took a lot of pictures! Below is a selection. A lot more pictures are on my Picasa page.
Please contact me if you want full-resolution versions or if you plan to use any of these pictures.
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Al-Faw Palace was my home-away-from-home for six months.
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The palace's entrance hall, a marble-clad rotunda with a 30m tall domed ceiling, is dominated by this huge chandelier.
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Every inch of the palace's ceiling is decorated with the most intricate relief murals.
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The lake surrounding the palace is home to several families of geese.
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A special breed of large and aggressive carp also lives in the palace lake.
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Across the palace lake, this compound was home to our Australian coalition partners.
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South of the palace, the sand-covered hulks of Iraqi tanks are constant reminders of the battles fought here during the invasion in 2003.
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General Odierno, commander of MNF-I during my deployment
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Camp Victory was a photographer's paradise, if you only knew where to look.
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Alaina relaxing inside the former Baath Party Headquarters
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A tree adds a touch of color to the monotony of sandy hues in front of the former Baath Party Headquarters.
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Anna exploring the Great Hall of the "Victory over America [sic] Palace"
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