Real life -- The grass is greener on the other side

Soldiers are notorious for adapting.  An incredibly harsh environment that the soldiers have had to adapt to is that of Iraq.  Much of Iraq is desert or wasteland, especially in the southwest and central provinces.   This article is about how a couple of soldiers brought a little of home with them.  You might consider this their own “grass roots” campaign.   

In 2005, an email in numerous variations circulated about a soldier growing a small patch of grass outside of his tent in order to give him some feeling of home.  This email origonally started from an article by the Salem Statesman Journal called "Longing for Green" that ran on December 31, 2004.  It was about Warrant Officer Brooke Turner who asked his wife to send him some grass seed because he missed the green he was accustomed to in Hawaii and before that in Oregon.  She mailed her husband a care package with the packet of grass seeds, a small hoe, as well as other goodies.  Though his initial project failed, he persevered by purchasing seven 1-foot-by-3-foot patches of sod from some Iraqi civilians on the post.   When the picture was circulated on the internet, it caused some controversy because it is dated 2001.   The picture was proven to have been taken in mid-July 2004 and the incorrect date/time was attributed to an incorrect date setting on the camera.    

A post from his sister-in-law had this to say about the photo:

“Ok, let me put some minds to rest. I started this email because that is my brother law and I am very proud of him. He has not set the date on the camera obviously a little too busy. But, he is stationed in Faji (spelling? not sure). He has been over there a year in January. This is no Haux! He is a live person working for the Army (although lately the email has changed to "marines"). Another thing, there was a comment "why would someone in combat be wanted grass?" Ok, they cannot just run to the local mall on their day off, they can't go to the bar with a buddy and have a "tottie". They are stationed in a secure area, where they spend their day off. If you will notice, he still is carrying his gun while tending his grass. So, I hope I put everyone's mind to rest with the time stamp on the camera and the authenticity of the picture."  

Another picture that was circulated on the internet was of a grass plot on an Air Base in Doha, Qatar (http://www.weekspace.com/Qatar/qindex.htm).  Snopes (http://www.snopes.com) was sent the following letter from a soldier that was there: 

"I lived three months of my life (fall of 2002) two tent rows from that grass.  It was the only grass on the whole base, and though I don't know who planted it originally I do know that the soldiers who rotated through that tent each became caretakers of it.  They watered it from their water bottles, trimmed the grass with scissors and kept it shaded in the summer with a tarp awning over the front of the tent (many of the tents had such awnings, but this tent had a more elaborate one while I was there) to protect it from the 135 degree summer sun.   The grass is real, and really is a comment on how we (US soldiers) work to make the best of things when we deploy in defense of our country and your freedom. "  

Of course, when all else fails, soldiers can always imagine:

References:

http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/grass.asp

http://www.weekspace.com/Qatar/moredecoratedtents.htm