Making the best of Christmas in Baghdad

Second Lt. Denis Wagner will spend Christmas in the bull's eye of a hostile city, thousands of miles from loved ones, with the strong likelihood that his unit will receive random and deadly mortar fire.

But, he has to admit, holidays on Bandit Island won't be that bad.

The 1,400 troops of Unit 1-37 Armor, nicknamed the Bandits, consider themselves a little extra blessed this holiday season. They are stationed on a picturesque island, which was a former holiday spot for Baghdad's elite, surrounded by glittering lakes, waving date palms, and fancy facilities like a recreational room and a dining hall.

"We'll still have to deal with the enemy, and the enemy doesn't take holidays," says Wagner, polishing off a hot meal in the cafeteria, where several televisions are tuned to CNN. He adds, "But we will have a big Christmas feast."

Holidays without the creature comforts of home will undoubtedly be difficult for all 140,000 troops stationed in Iraq. However, given the variety of living arrangements, it's considerably less difficult for some than others.

While some troops could spend Christmas night in a Humvee in the desert, swilling from water bottles and munching frozen soldier meals, the Bandits' head chef, Keith Siney, is planning a feast to rival Thanksgiving, including 2,000 lobsters, 480 pounds of beef, 40 turkeys, and six kinds of pies.

Bandit Island's proximity to the airport and Baghdad center has enabled troops to import equipment for a phone center to call home, a computer lab for Internet shopping, two gift stores for holiday purchases, and Federal Express service to ship back to the US.

It's not as good as home, but "it's definitely different from any other places," says Wagner, who has served seven years' active duty. Wagner is from Iowa, but his four children and wife are living on an army base in Germany.

Across Iraq, military commanders say they will do their best to bring the holiday spirit to the troops. While some soldiers are spending their third or fourth Christmas with fellow soldiers, many others are away from home for the first time.

There are typical holiday military traditions, including military commanders pulling kitchen patrol to give the soldiers the day off, comedy shows, fun runs, concerts, and Christmas caroling.

For the most part, it falls to individual units to organize activities. Soldiers in northern Iraq, those who have seen some of the heaviest fighting of late, may well be running missions on Christmas Day, or called into combat. Internet and phone service are sporadic.

While technological advances zapped into barracks do bring soldiers into closer communication with home than in any past conflict, most say holiday activities require a personal - not electronic - touch.

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