Another Day in Paradise

Biometric Enrollers, also known as "The Bad Boys from Basrah.”  From bottom left:  Michael Lewark, Michael Neylon, Erik Shepard.  Holding the flag (from left) Jonathan Clarke and Allen Cosby.

By Michael Neylon

It's about two weeks into our surge mission to biometrically enroll the roughly 3,000 people at Basra base, and today is like any other day.  We, meaning the soldiers and my fellow contractor co-workers, love to use the phrase “Another day in Paradise.”

Our day starts off with the loud sounds of our soldier counterparts in the 10th Mountain Division getting up at 0400 for PT and the daily formation to jump-start the day's activities.  For us contractors, we get the luxury of being able to sleep in until 0600.  Once the military gets up, however, there is usually no chance of being able to fall back asleep.  This is because I and the 30 others, mostly soldiers and half a dozen contractors, are all living together in an open bay room, where one's bed is a lovely OD green cot.

Once up, we conduct our daily routine of getting dressed, trying to wake up the other counterparts who work with us, and donning our body armor and Kevlar helmets, as they are a must here.  On this day, we then make our way to our DFAC, or Dining Facility.  Here is where some of the day's most appreciated moments happen; everyone loves to eat.

Though we get three meals a day, we're allowed only one portion per meal and are followed by a long line of fellow soldiers.  You'd better make sure you wash your hands and sanitize them first, or someone in charge will give you a mouthful, and I don't mean of food.  After breakfast, we contractors and our soldier friends rendezvous at our pick-up location in the outside parking lot of our DFAC, from which we ride out to the ECP (Entry Control Point).  This is where our work is conducted and where we make a difference in our mission.

Our site at this location is merely a few trailers surrounded by Hesco barriers for protection.  We also have a little corridor and an open area where individuals patiently wait for us to enroll them.  Here in the heat, patience is a virtue.  Our daily workload usually consists of 80% TCNs (Third Country Nationals) and LCNs (Local Nationals).

We start the process by vetting each person through the Biometrics Automated Toolset (BAT).  Then each person comes to our little trailer.  There, each LCN or TCN is met by one of three enrollers.  We get their paperwork and their form of ID and start the process of enrollment.  First, we enter all the demographic information on each person; this usually consists of details such as one’s height, weight, age, marital status, job position, etc.  Then we collect their biometrics.  In this phase, we collect all their fingerprints, iris scans, and six photos, all to FBI standards.

Once all of these steps have been conducted, we submit the information back state-side to run it through criminal databases.  This ensures that the people can be trusted and that they are who they claim to be.  While the whole process for each enrollment usually is no longer than 10 minutes per person, it can sometimes make for a long day.  If a person’s information checks out okay, the biometric data will be recorded on a chip on a card.  The card is what grants them access to our installation to conduct their daily work on post.  It’s this system alone that has created a well structured form of installation access by distinguishing between those that are friendly from those that are not.
After we enroll all of those LCNs and TCNs that are scheduled for the day, we throw our body armor and Kevlar back on and take a ride back to our drop off point.  After a short walk back to the open bay room that we all call home, we get the rest of the day’s time to ourselves.

Being out here in the desert really limits what you can do, but trust me, living with a bunch of soldiers, you’ll find things to occupy your time.  Whether this consists of a volleyball game or swapping movies, you can always find something to do.  Working and roughing it with our soldiers in a place like this really builds up a form of camaraderie that too many back home wouldn’t know about.

In this small place, you get to know each person’s story—where they come from, how many kids they have, what their dreams are in life.  Jokes and friendly wagers make life a bit more interesting.  Whether it’s a bet over a volleyball tournament and the loser’s team has to shave their heads or a bet where the loser gets smoked by an NCO, these little things can raise a group’s morale and make us forget where we are for awhile.

It’s our break from the situation we live in, and it’s great fun to watch.

This said, another after-work activity we all engage in is working out in the gym.  Being in Iraq, you get to make the most of your time.  After gym comes one of the most sought after times of the day—dinner at the DFAC.  On this particular day, our “incoming” alarm goes off and everyone hits the floor almost in unison.

The blaring sirens and our racing hearts tend to remind us of why we are here and that there is still a threat.  Being on the floor, you can feel the distant thuds.  After the “all clear” call, everyone resumes their activities.  One must remember to not be complacent.  Our mission is an important one, and helping our nation’s best in uniform identify and capture potential enemies brings a sense of pride and satisfaction in what we do.

Just another day in paradise.