| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq-Jordan |
| Hey, Iraq, it's Mardi Gras |
| 2005-02-07 |
| Louisiana National Guard holds nation's first Carnival parade CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq - Louisiana soldiers donned purple, green and gold and climbed onto Army trucks transformed into floats for an early Mardi Gras celebration Sunday, parading through this base west of Baghdad and pelting troops with colorful beads, coins and candies in true New Orleans style. Their parade ended at the mess hall, where they danced to Zydeco music and were served chicken and sausage gumbo, red beans and rice and their first cold beer in four months. The beer, donated by Anheuser Busch Companies, was for Super Bowl parties, but commanders decided to combine the celebrations. The climax of the New Orleans Mardi Gras celebrations usually falls on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Mardi Gras in French means "Fat Tuesday." Many soldiers in Iraq get Sundays off, if their duties allow, so it made sense to hold the parade early. Uniform regulations were suspended for a few hours as soldiers donned jester caps, feathered masks, capes and lots and lots of beads. "You can't have all war and no play. You have to live for another day," Col. John Angelloz, the deputy commander of the 256th Brigade, rhymed in his Louisiana accent. As the parade of 10 military vehicles, covered in streamers and posters, snaked its way through the base, stunned soldiers from other units couldn't help but smile as they were showered in bright, shiny beads, plastic cups and candy. Krewe of Bonaparte, which organizes one of the main parades in Lafayette, La., collected or donated more than 300 boxes of beads, masks and decorations after one the soldiers' relatives, Kim Clay, made an appeal on a Louisiana radio station, said Command Sgt. Major Homer Stelly. Clay's employer, High Pressure Integrity Inc. of Broussard, La., agreed to pay the postage to mail it all to Iraq. But from the costumes on hand Sunday, it was clear that many of the soldiers had brought their Mardi Gras best with them when they were deployed. "You can take the brigade out of Louisiana," said Maj. John-Michael Wells, 36, of New Orleans. "But you can't take Louisiana out of the brigade." |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #10 They're doing actual reporting? I'll have to check it out. (BTW, this isn't just a complaint I have about the T-P; there seems to be a severe shortage of decent investigative reporting these days, when it should be in a golden age...) |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2005-02-07 11:05:27 PM |
| #9 Normally the TP for national and international news just reprints articles from the NYT, the LA Times and the Washington Post, which chaps me no end, but they actually sent a live person over to cover the 256th. |
| Posted by: Matt 2005-02-07 10:29:43 PM |
| #8 You mean the Times-Picayune has actually written something interesting? I'm not used to the idea of a worthwhile newspaper in this state... |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2005-02-07 7:53:02 PM |
| #7 Phil, my recollection is Houma, but I may be wrong. How about we compromise on "the Houma-Thibodeaux area"? The Times Picayune has had a good series of article on the 256th. |
| Posted by: Matt 2005-02-07 6:25:36 PM |
| #6 I thought the five soldiers were from Thibodeaux and not Houma. Anyway, the reports I've read are that the 256th has been doing a stand-up job over there, especially in the Mosul/Kirkuk area. BTW, for those who don't know, I live in Lafayette and work in Broussard; thanks for posting this article. |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2005-02-07 5:51:00 PM |
| #5 Many of these kids are MTV brats, raised by TV and video games... and they have performed so courageously and with so much focus it is stunning to me. And I wholeheartly agree this has been completely under reported by the media too preoccupied with covering Teddy "swim for it" Kennedy |
| Posted by: Capsu78 2005-02-07 4:59:18 PM |
| #4 Agreed. One of the really positive stories of the war that doesn't get much press is that another generation of young Americans has been tested, and has passed that test literally with flying colors. They're not only incredibly brave; they're incredibly competent. |
| Posted by: Matt 2005-02-07 4:38:46 PM |
| #3 Well, Matt -- then I'll be with you at that party!! Tip one for me in their honor -- I've caught a few beads in my lifetime. I know of Houma and growing up in a small town, know of the deep hurt this does to a community. I'm always so amazed at the creativity of this younger generation. Throughout the years, there have always been talk, "would these kids stand up if they had to?" Not only are they standing up, but they are standing tall, and deserve all the fun they can conjure. |
| Posted by: Sherry 2005-02-07 4:33:01 PM |
| #2 And tomorrow we're gonna throw one helluva party in their honor. |
| Posted by: Matt 2005-02-07 4:24:03 PM |
| #1 Sherry, as a New Orleanian I thank you for the post. The sombre side is that the 256th has lost 18 men in the last 60 days, including five young men from Houma, a relatively small town south of New Orleans. (They were part of the crew of the Bradley that was catastrophically destroyed by a very large IED.) |
| Posted by: Matt 2005-02-07 4:01:56 PM |