Standing in the middle of an excited crowd as the national anthem is sung just before the WWE wrestling show kicks off; Camp Victory

Goofy faces during movie night with Fran & Joe; Camp Victory

Becky, Wallace West, Dwayne Robbins, John O'Brien, Brandy Brasher, Nyah Simmons, CPT Callahan, and Ivan Thuringer; Camp Victory

American Idol winner David Cook does a meet & greet after putting on a USO show for the troops

It's an Iraq family reunion! Tom, Robby & Fran hanging out in our trailer; Camp Victory

Robby, Fran, Tom & Joe share a meal at our Baghdad hooch

Joe, Tom, Robby, Fran & Becky strike a pose on Saddam's throne (a present from Yasser Arafat), an obligatory must when visiting Al Faw Palace

We had to spice up the marble decor of Al Faw Palace during our guided tour for Fran & Tom

Tom, Becky & Robby posing in front of Iraq's largest chandelier; Al Faw Palace

Brandy & Becky in front of the more commonly monikered "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" (there actually is no tomb or body, so it really should be called the Monument of the Unknown Soldier); International (Green) Zone in Baghdad

Becky, Kelly, Brandy, an Iraqi soldier, and Robby strike a pose at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier; Baghdad

The Hands of Victory triumphal arch, an entrance way to a large parade ground in Baghdad. The arch is created from 2 crossed swords weighing 24 tons (cast from the guns of dead Iraqi soldiers), and at the base of each arm are a collection of captured Iranian helmets

Driving under the Golden Dome Gate in Baghdad's International Zone

14th July Circle statue (built in honor of the 14 July 1958 military coup led by Iraqi General Abdul Karim Qassim to overthrow the existing monarchy, eventually leading to the Republic of Iraq); International Zone in Baghdad

Entrance to FOB Prosperity. Notice the gunner's position in the top right arch? Apparently, a gun is trained on everyone entering this base in case they are perceived to be a threat

Date palm tree parking lot; FOB Prosperity

View of FOB Prosperity's As-Salam Palace

Dennis Haysbert (aka SGM Jonas Blane on "The Unit" or President Palmer on "24") poses with Becky during a USO tour; Camp Victory

What an awesome sight! 4th of July re-enlistment ceremony at Al Faw Palace; Camp Victory

Got to love the rivalry...Army fans moved an Admiral's entire office down to the first floor of Al Faw Palace during the days leading up to the Army/Navy game; Camp Victory

Interior view of "Victory Over America/Iran" Palace

View of Flintstone Village, which Saddam had built for his grandchildren as a playground

A picturesque mosque, as seen from the balcony of Victory over America/Iran Palace

Posing on the rooftop of the Victory Over America/Iran Palace (Saddam's brothel aka "Perfume Palace" is in the background)

Interior view of Victory Over America/Iran Palace

Becky strikes a pose in a "throne" left in the remnants of the Victory over America/Iran Palace

Interior view of Al Faw Palace. There are over 60 rooms and nearly 30 bathrooms (Becky worked here for nearly 4 years); Camp Victory

GEN Petraeus and Becky; Camp Victory

Everyone crammed in like sardines with not a seat to spare

This sign sure doesn't exist anymore. Every statue or signpost referencing Saddam has since been removed

Camp Victory's pretty mosque

Robby checking out Camp Victory's sights on bike

Mosque minaret; Camp Victory

Entrance to mosque at Camp Victory (sadly, this was off limits to non-Muslims)

Bas relief of soldiers in battle on a building at Camp Victory

Becky poses with Max Martini (MSG Mack Gerhardt) and Robert Patrick (COL Tom Ryan) from "The Unit"; Camp Victory

If you squint hard, you can just make out the "Saddam" lettering before "International Airport"; Baghdad

A snapshot of the dismal Iraq air fleet

Swimming pool at the Republican Palace; Baghdad

Getting to meet our Commanding General, GEN Petraeus

Group photo of the Tongan soldiers who guarded Al Faw Palace

Massive flag folding ceremony, Al Faw Palace

Another view of the Hands of Victory triumphal arch; Baghdad

Becky crammed in the back of a pickup truck to visit the MiG-23 graveyard; Balad

Becky on top of an abandoned T-72; Balad MiG-23 graveyard

A junk yard full of abandoned T-72 tanks (soviet designed tanks that came into production from 1970 onward, and are the most widely produced post WWII tank); Balad Air Base

A HMMWV with a clearly marked "danger" sign in English and Arabic (so that civilian traffic does not get too close during convoys); Camp Victory

Becky, Melissa & Kelly during a photo session; Al Faw Palace

Eric, Becky, Kelly & Melissa striking a pose; Al Faw Palace

Overlooking BLDG 58A, aka "the Juicer" from the 2nd balcony of Al Faw Palace; Camp Victory Complex

Kelly & Becky clowning around with Melissa, rooftop of Al Faw Palace

Partially demolished buildings on "lost lake"; Camp Victory

No queue at the Baghdad international airport!

Becky buying Duty Free items; Baghdad International Airport

US, British and Australian flags signify the coalition forces working at this military flight terminal

An armored personnel carrier at a military checkpoint helps to control entering traffic

Military checkpoints are no joke...read all signs and heed!

Close up view of the Golden Dome Gate; Baghdad

Another view of the Monument of the Unknown Soldier (the white, green, red and black cone represents the Minaret of Samarra and was designed from the ziggurats of ancient Mesopotamia)

Becky with a national guard unit at the Hands of Victory monument; Baghdad

View of the helmets of 2,500 Iranian soldiers killed during the Iran/Iraq War, overflowing from metal nets at the base of each hand, Hands of Victory triumphal arch; Baghdad

Captured Iranian helmets embedded in the ground beneath the Hands of Victory arch (apparently this was done so that the helmets would forever be "trampled" by vehicular & foot traffic); Baghdad

View of Al Faw Palace as seen through a helicopter window

Becky with a huge grin after a helicopter ride

It's a Clark reunion as Fran, Becky & Tom get a rare chance to link up; Camp Liberty

Robby taking a break from his normal routine; Camp Victory

Becky catches a few rays by the pool, Camp Victory

View of the massive step pyramid known as the "Ziggurat of Ur", the best preserved in all of Iraq and Iran

The gunner's view; helicopter ride to another base camp in Iraq

A spectacular sunset over Baghdad

Soldiers taking a unit photo; Al Faw Palace rotunda

Robby & Becky get a visit from Santa; Baghdad

The Tongan marines & Becky; Al Faw Palace

Robby, Becky & Jeremy (our friend from Bad Kreuznach, Germany) have a reunion in Baghdad

Most people think of a sandy desert when imagining the Iraqi countryside but there are some areas (such as this region we flew over by helicopter), that are quite lush and fertile

View of the Iraqi countryside as seen on a helicopter flight from Baghdad to Balad

Helicopter view of the sprawling Camp Victory Complex (the monstrous sized Al Faw Palace is in the middle of this photo)

Artificial lakes surrounding Saddam's private hunting reservation

Morale, Welfare & Recreation (MWR) facility; Camp Victory

Inbound soldiers getting ready to fly to Iraq; Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait

A chandelier hangs from this dome inside Saddam’s Al Faw Palace

Main entrance to Al Faw Palace; Camp Victory

Al Faw Palace looks rather impressive at first glance, but take a closer look and you'll notice the shoddy workmanship; Camp Victory

Massive archways, Al Faw Palace

A former pigeon cove which was taken over by bats; Dodge City North, Camp Victory

Artificial lake side view of Al Faw Palace, commissioned by Saddam Hussein to signify the Iraqi ownership of Al Faw Peninsula after the Iraq/Iran war

Chandelier hanging just inside the main entrance to Al Faw Palace; Camp Victory

One of the many mini-palaces that are strewn throughout the Camp Victory complex (built for Saddam's relatives)

Peter, Jorg, Brandy, Becky, poor unsuspecting Dwayne, Larry, & Chris; JOC Bridge madness at Camp Victory

Becky, Tish & Brandy playing with baby geese; Camp Victory

Where's the food? A hungry goose anticipates an easy meal; Camp Victory

Fran & Robby link up at Basra

Robby holding up Iraqi dates (quite tasty too); Camp Victory

Becky feeding the Al Faw Palace geese their morning cereal; Camp Victory

Sunset over Dodge City North, with the bat tower silhouetted; Camp Victory

Dave & Becky checking out the MiG-23 graveyard

This is where the ill fated Iraqi air force goes to die; MiG-23 graveyard, Balad

A colorful bus stop; Balad

Becky next to a Homer Simpson blowup doll as soldiers decorate their living areas for Christmas; Balad

A graffitied MiG-23 sits forlornly by itself; Balad

The SPAWAR gang getting Iraqi "moon dust" all over their shoes & clothes; Balad

Chrys smiles as he enters a mobile PX; Balad

Soldiers tasked to beautify the T-wall barrier near the Balad DFAC

A soldier partaking in a "beautification" project, painting a T-wall near the Balad DFAC

This Fat Bottom boat isn't going anywhere fast; Balad

The SPAWAR gang at the Iraqi air force MiG-23 graveyard; Balad

Becky & the Filipino crew

GI humor on how prices jump dramatically once soldiers roll into town

Bags getting palletized for an outbound flight; Iraq

Lake view of the mosque on Camp Victory

Rosie comes to visit Fran & Becky!

It's girl scout cookie time! Sean, Greg, Dave, John, Bossie, Ivan, Larry, Gil, Coleman, & Becky pose for a thank-you photo for Barb from JIEDDO

Acting silly with the JOC Bridge team (Woods, Coleman, Becky, Ivan, Pam, Collins, Larry, Dave & Gil); Camp Victory