Comments on: The Perfume Palace, Baghdad

By: TSgt S

TSgt S — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:12:05 +0000

I am on my way to the Purfume Palace and actually looking forward to it. Sure I will miss my love wife and kids, I am more looking forward to seeing what you all saw and to hopefully make a difference. Sure that sounds like a cliche, but it is the absolute truth. I have been in Washington DC bouncing around the DC area and have spend time in the White House but never have I really served my country…or what I feel as serving my country. I have been in for a while but never deployed so again i am looking forward to this. Thanks for your posts!

TSgt S…
“Smitty”

By: LT Rader

LT Rader — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:25:27 +0000

I attended a Naturalization ceremony there yesterday for one of my Soldiers. It is a very beautiful palace and if you look real close you can see all the flaws mentioned. I lived on Camp Liberty for a few months before being moved to FOB Prosperity (apparently to close it). I do not miss the mortars or rocket attacks (was 25 meters from one). I am writing the CABs and Purple Hearts for some of my Soldiers affected. Thank God, no one was seriously injured.

Currently (04MAR09), I work in 4 heads palace at FOB Proseprity. Talk about shoddy construction. Even though we bombed it pretty heavily, it still stands strong though. When one looks beneathe the marble, one can see the shoddy construction. It was as if they threw whatever they could find in the area (bricks, rocks, wood, aluminum cans, trash, etc…) to build the base then slap marble pieces to make it look pretty.

One thing I noticed the most about traveling around Baghdad is that it is very poor outside of the palaces areas. Even downtown where all the hotels and convention center is located is trashy and just plain primitive. I have gotten to know many Iraqis; Soldiers, police, interpreters and local nationals. Most want to leave Iraq and do not want us to leave. They fear that when we leave (soon) that all will get worse. I pray that this country succeeds and am happy to know that I did my part (patrols, dealing with local leaders, being a Fobbit (I am the XO after all) and just helping in any way I can).

I also wish the media would show the good we accomplished throughout the years.

Peace be with you Iraq.

LT R

By: MAJ L

MAJ L — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:47:09 +0000

I suspect Saddam’s chief plumber was executed! lol

By: luis

luis — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:27:19 +0000

Capt B, spot on with your assessment. Although Mr. Barnett’s article was a good read, your thoughts are more accurate, WRT the structures looking good on the surface, but actually being very shotty, at best when looking deeper.

It seems as though the author spent time at Perfume Palace during my enjoyable stay, but I don’t remember the name.

Anyway, not only was it a good read, but the pictures brought back some fond memories.

LT P
USN

By: Kristina Howland

Kristina Howland — Fri, 02 May 2008 02:19:37 +0000

I was at the parfume palace in 2004 can I have a some recent photos please I am writing a book of my experience when I came home my foot lockers never arrived so I lost a lot do you have the white bedrock or the wood chipper?

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:23:11 +0000

Indeed. I have many pictures of the same sort you have. I worked at Al Faw Palace for seven months and would go around taking pictures in down time. I too heard it was a hunting lodge and walked inside the “flintstones palace”. The Palaces and buildings are nice but the quality is poor. All-in-all it’s a great place to visit… as long as you don’t get hit by the occasional mortar or stray bullet, us FOBITS would say…

By: Maria

Maria — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:53:23 +0000

I couldn’t have explained it any better! I still can’t believe im here to experience this all… wow its going to be a big part of history…

By: Dispatches from Iraq: Like Vegas, only gaudier » Home of the Soul Cookie

Dispatches from Iraq: Like Vegas, only gaudier » Home of the Soul Cookie — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 19:20:23 +0000

[...] midnight.hushedcasket.com/2006/05/17/the-perfume-palace-baghdad/ (marine’s blog about his time here) [...]

By: DabJab

DabJab — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 01:20:59 +0000

Blogging Soldiers…

When you hear the constant media drumbeat of death and destruction when describing Iraq and our soldiers, you can become quite dispirited. When Sen. Murtha says our troops are over stressed and that they are in a quagmire you……

By: CajunTiger

CajunTiger — Sat, 20 May 2006 14:55:58 +0000

Wish I would have known you came to Al Faw…would have given you the grand tour. Did you take a pic in the Throne Chair at the entrance? It is probably the most photographed chair in Iraq…lol

As Jim said, from far it looks amazing, but when you get up close you can see it is really poorly built and very cheap. However it is the only building on Camp Victory with plumbing, so we have working bathrooms which is nice.