Duty in the desert: life in Bahrain

All Hands, Sept, 2003 by Shane T. McCoy

IN THE SUMMER, TEMPERATURES ON THIS ISLAND NATION CAN be as high 140 degrees. It's an oppressive heat that takes away your breath and burns your skin as soon as you step out the door. There are no mountains, no rivers and no forests. So, why do so many Sailors stationed in Bahrain decide to extend their one-year duty? Why would anyone continue to live in the hot Middle East any longer than they must?

For some, it's being in one of the few locations in the world where you are completely operational.

"WHEN THEY SAY 'TIP OF THE SPEAR,' THEY MEAN HERE. This is where the fight is," said Intelligence Specialist 1st Class Derrick Thomas. "There is never really any exercise going on. If you're working, it's real."

"We're right in the middle of everything here," said Operations Specialist 1st Class Noaviah Thompson. 'I've been to two other duty stations, and neither gave me the opportunity to learn as much as I have here. I came here for a one-year tour, extended for a year, and then took another billet in the same command and extended for one additional year."

In Bahrain, life is also good for families. The Department of Defense Dependents school (DODDs) is among the best in the world. In fact, more than 60 percent of the students are non-DoD family members from more than 30 countries, who pay to attend. Students not only receive a great education; they also get lessons in life's diversity and learn more about other cultures than most people will learn in a lifetime.

"This school is incredibly unique, not only because of the diversity," said John Gilbo, one of the assistant principals at Bahrain School. It's a DODD school, but the difference here is that there's a smaller student-teacher ratio, so our students get a lot more individual attention from the teachers. We've got schools back home where you have 3,000 to 5,000 students. Here, we only have 340 students in our high school with a staff of 67 teachers."

The smaller classes, the students' drive and a well-developed sense of competition have paid off.

"Probably 98 percent of our students go to colleges or universities. And that's not just the United States of universities back in Lebanon or Jordan. But, they also go to Canada, Europe and England," said Gilbo. "Some students even attend the Ivy League schools like Princeton, Brown, Harvard and Columbia."

While the school is great and students have a bright future, there are many other reasons Sailors stick around. One is the quality of life.

Sailors who accept orders to Bahrain, receive a number of special incentives including: a cost of living allowance, imminent danger pay, combat zone tax relief and savings deposit program eligibility.

"In San Diego, my husband and I lived in a tiny one bedroom condo," said Thompson. Here we have five bedrooms, three stories, a swimming pool and a yard. It's nice, very, very nice."

"Sometimes, it's hard to believe that I come home, push my automatic garage door opener and drive my BMW into my garage," said Thomas. "I walk through these pillars into a huge house with a big-screen TV, go upstairs and sleep in my king-size bed. It's a little overwhelming. It's going to be hard to go back to the United States and live in normal conditions."

Thomas was just married, and this is his first home with his family. He is unsure about getting too comfortable in the Bahrain lifestyle, knowing that he is only going to be there a short time and will soon have to face the realities of what he can afford back home.

Though it would be easy to spend all your time at home in Bahrain, there is no need, and if you did you would miss a lot.

There are hundreds of restaurants with any type of food you can imagine. The shopping is amazing, also, with several modern malls and the souks. If you don't know what a souk is, you're missing out. They are sprawling open-air markets with everything from material to make clothes (they will make them for you for next to nothing), to a watch or a stuffed camel.

Bahrain is also well known for Gold City, where you can get a great deal on silver and gold. When you wander through the shops in Gold City, you'll find most have stickers from the many Navy commands that have had long-standing relationships with the vendors.

The people of Bahrain, most of whom speak very good English, are surprisingly kind to the U.S. military, many times kinder than in some places in our own country. As long as we respect the local customs and beliefs, Bahrain will continue to be one of the best places in the world for Sailors to be stationed.

McCoy is a photojournalist assigned to All Hands