Topic: Posts While on R&R
Assuming everything goes right, I will be back inside the Green Zone by Thursday morning. After arriving at the airport, I have to kill the rest of the day at Camp Stryker waiting for the late night Rhino bus run. Camp Stryker a very dusty Army camp right next to the airport that offers very little entertainment. There is a small post exchange (like 7-11), a Subway, and a barber shop. That's about it.

Sadly, the higher ranking foreign service officers don't have to spend the day at Camp Stryker. They can jump onto helicopter and zip right into the Green Zone. Meanwhile, the "common worker bees" have to wait for hours at the camp and take the slightly more dangerous Rhino bus run in the middle of the night. Consequently, senior foreign service officers don't really understand why everyone else is complaining and saying that the trip to and from the airport gives them second-thoughts about even taking their R&Rs.