Rep. Emerson's Mideast journal- Part 2

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson of Cape Girardeau recently visited the Middle East. She kept a daily journal. Here is the second installment.

By Jo Ann Emerson

Sunday, Nov. 9: From the Marka Airport in Amman, Jordan, we left for Baghdad this morning. Some Iraqi soccer players were on the plane with us. They were returning to Baghdad after playing the North Korean national team.

I am impressed with the constant vigilance of our service members on duty. They are very determined men and women. Four National Guardsmen are manning the radar from the flight deck of the USS Nashville. They are from Reno.

When we were flying 10 miles from the Syrian border, the Syrians locked on to our plane with surface-to-air missiles. This stopped as we veered westward, but we are told that this happens all the time. Even though the Syrians know the standard route, they also like the United States to know they are watching. It was kind of unnerving, but it also seemed like they were showing off a little.

Once we got into Iraqi skies, the pilots and navigator put on body armor. As we descended into Baghdad, the plane did what is called a corkscrew. Just like it sounds, the plane dropped in altitude by spiraling down around the airport, where the defense systems could monitor the airspace and make sure the plane was most secure. The G-forces were incredible, and it was quite a landing. I am very glad we made it safely. That was probably the scariest thing we have done yet on the trip.

At the airport, we were briefed by U.S. AID and airport officials. There are 363 Iraqi employees in the airport. Seven private-company employees are working on renovations. Most of the repairs are from neglect to the airport over the years, not from the war. The runway was bombed by U.S. planes, but it was quickly rebuilt when ground forces moved into Baghdad. Then the airport was used to bring in supplies for the coalition forces.

The airport still needs things like lighting approach systems. The control tower is being worked on by the Royal Australian Air Force. The airport is still acquiring fire trucks, and 85 firefighters have been trained to date. Amazingly, this is the first time the firefighters have had training of any kind.

A lot of work has already been completed at the airport: power generation, water sanitation, terminal repairs, training and an assessment evaluation for security. The next step is to get planes operating for civilian service. The Coalition Provisional Authority has postponed civilian service once and may try again after the first year, depending on how the security works in practice.

From the airport, we boarded Blackhawk helicopters with three to four members of Congress in each one. There were two gunners sitting in the front of the Blackhawk, constantly watching for indications of unfriendly fire. The helicopters flew low and fast, weaving from side to side. It was a very eerie feeling.

We landed at one of Saddam's palaces that we have heard so much about. The palace is not as opulent as I had seen on TV, but much, much larger than I thought. Aside from being massive, the palace is very imposing. Just to think about Saddam living there like a king while so many people suffered under his regime gave the palace an eerie feeling. Outside, there are all of these large towers with Saddam's head carved into the top. In one room, Saddam had a throne underneath a painting of missiles pointed at Jerusalem. Above everything else, I thought this was extremely tacky, to say the least.