General Doug Pritt: Dubai Media Interviews

This is a special page set up to follow General Douglas Pritt's deployment to Afghanistan as Commander of the Joint Task Force Phoenix. Doug is a member of the Salem Kiwanis Club. We await the safe return of Doug and his troops.

Brigadier General Pritt (l) reviews troops while Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski (m)
and Lt. General Russel Honore (r) look on. Photo Courtesy of First U.S. Army

TASK FORCE PHOENIX WEB SITE
GENERAL PRITT'S BIO

SPECIAL PHOTO COLLECTION FROM DUBAI Photos Provided by General Doug Pritt

The following update was received from Doug on January 27, 2007:

Dear Family and Friends.

I made a quick trip to Dubai for media (TV and Newspaper) interviews just before Thanksgiving. My Aide, Lieutenant Tim Merritt and the Task Force Public Affairs Officer, Lieutenant Cathrin Fraker accompanied me on the trip, LT Fraker planned the trip with some assistance from our higher headquarters. The purpose of the trip was to tell our story about training the Afghan National Army to the media in this area of the world with a focus on the Arab speaking media outlets.

I was in Kandahar for meetings so we left Afghanistan directly from Kandahar for Qatar on an Australian C-130. As luck would have it our route of flight was directly over Dubai so I was able to see the city from the air before we flew there the following day. The pilots were very familiar with the route and pointed out the downtown areas and the artificial Island being built in the shape of a Palm Tree. Dubai was impressive from the air and it would prove to be even more impressive on the ground. I know you are thinking why fly past Dubai to turn around the next day and fly back. The answer is the proverbial you can't get there from here. Only certain countries can fly directly from
Afghanistan to Dubai and there are further restrictions on the type of military aircraft that can land at Dubai. Needless to say we didn't meet all the requirements so we spent the night in Qatar and flew to Dubai the next day.

We flew in a Canadian lear jet from Kuwait to Dubai and I will admit it was a special feeling to be flying in an aircraft dedicated to our little group, landing at an International Airport with large commercial aircraft. When we landed, a 747 was waiting for us to land before it rolled down the runway for takeoff. We taxied to one end of the airfield where we were picked up in a Lexus and driven to the executive terminal. When we arrived the customs team didn't know what to do with me because I was in uniform and they had instructions not to let people into the country wearing uniforms. LT Merritt and LT Fraker were both in Civilian clothes so they had no issue with entry. We were being met by the team responsible for media coordination and they had a facilitator with them who spoke with the customs people and explained the situation. I agreed to change clothes in the restroom to appease the customs agents. Once I changed we proceeded directly to the awaiting car at which point I was asked what I had done with my uniform. I said it was in my bag and asked why. Our escort said the customs agents were still trying to decide what to do with my uniform because they had instructions not to allow my uniform in the country. I needed my uniform for the interviews so we quickly sped away before the agents could figure out what action to take.

The architecture of the buildings in Dubai was amazing. Dubai is a very modern city and we were told one fifth of the worlds inventory of cranes used to construct sky scrapers are located in Dubai. Construction is taking place everywhere. Modern buildings with unique designs are everywhere and
more are being constructed in every available space. The city looks as if every architect who wanted to design an award winning building has done so in Dubai.

In addition to the building construction, there are several islands being constructed just off shore. Two of these island complexes are in the shape of palm trees. One is in the shape of the earth so you can
purchase your own country when you buy land there.

Traffic is terrible, as the planners for the city didn't include any mass transit system. There were crowds everywhere in the shopping areas and just like Hong Kong, you can find anything and everything in very small shops located next door to their competitors.

The crowds were not restricted to the roadways and shopping areas. The waterways were crowded as well. There were small shipping boats tied up six deep along the edge of the river located a few blocks from the hotel where we stayed. The hustle and bustle around the boats was amazing to
watch because the crews would stack their cargo on the very limited space along the sea wall and then load it into the boat by hand. There were a few loading cranes on some of the boats and a few vehicle mounted cranes on the landing but I didn't ever see any of them loading or unloading the boats.

Dubai is just like any major city in the US or Europe and English signs were everywhere.

We had two exceptional dinner meals during our brief stay. The first night we went to a Moroccan Restaurant. Our outdoor table overlooked the hotel that was right on the beach and the waterways used to transport people to their rooms. We also had a perfect view of one of the most famous hotels in Dubai shaped like a sail. This is the hotel where Tiger Woods used the helicopter landing pad, near the top of the hotel, as a driving range to hit golf balls into the ocean. The meal consisted of some delightful fish in a tasty sauce. After dinner our hostess took us to a rooftop lookout where we had an even better view.  Our second memorable meal was a dinner cruise on the river used to transport goods into and out of the city. We were able to reserve the exclusive use of the upper deck area on the boat where the three of us had a private dining experience. It was an open deck with pillows on the floor and a table about a foot off the floor. We had the best views on the boat and the crew brought us food and drinks during the entire trip. It was a delightful evening and made Afghanistan seem like a land far away.

The interviews with the media were fun and while some of the questions were tough, the people interviewing me were more than fair. The most common question focused on the location of Osama. My impression was everyone thinks because we work with the ANA we are in charge of looking for him. I can't remember how many interviews I did but it was nonstop all day with no break for lunch. One newspaper interview included three people asking questions nonstop, which was a first for me. Every TV interview was conducted by a very attractive female reporter or anchorwoman. The studios were very impressive and at one major news network the station manager took time to escort us on a complete tour of the facility. As I walked into one of the TV Studios, I was met by a young man who said "I really enjoy reading your updates and I particularly liked the part about holding hands with the Afghan National Army General". I was somewhat surprised and wondered how he had access to my updates. After I left the studio, one of the people escorting me asked him where he had found my updates and the young man said it was from the Salem Kiwanis website created by a friend. One of the TV interviews was done in Arabic, so when I was on TV my voice was a woman's voice in Arabic. It is interesting to see yourself on TV answering in another language let alone in a female voice. So much for masculinity. One of the TV stations had 31 Million viewers and we were on during their most watched time slot, the 7 PM news hour. The interview was also replayed at several other times so I guess the day was a success and we were able to tell the viewers the accurate story about the progress of the Afghan National Army.

One of the shopping malls has an indoor ski area. So thanks to the extra efforts of our escorts, we were able to go by for a brief look at this unusual attraction. I was not disappointed as the slope has an impressive vertical drop and the entire area has a very well controlled winter environment. There is a children's play area and learners area for skiing and snowboarding. The other aspect of visiting the mall that made a lasting impression on me was the international make up of the people. The wide variety and styles of clothing and varied appearance of the people was amazing. The mall has the same layout as major malls in the US and many of the same shops and chain restaurants.

This was my first opportunity to wear civilian clothes and not carry a weapon in almost six months. It did feel a little strange at first, but the transition was easier than I expected. Based on stories other people had told me about constantly looking for their weapon, because they felt like they were missing something, we left our weapons and body armor in Qatar. We all get conditioned and after six months of carrying a rifle I think it would be more difficult than just carrying a pistol, as I do.

As we traveled from one area of town to another, we had the opportunity to see a large number of camels and horses. The Cab driver told us they were race horses and camels. He said the richest horse race in the world is held in Dubai each year. I was surprised at the number of animals and
the large number of ranches right on the outskirts of town. We also traveled by two very green golf courses on the edge of the city along with a wildlife refuge filled with Pink Flamingos. The transition from city to desert was abrupt which I am sure is one reason they are now working to protect the environment and as a result they are starting to build vertically.

The trip back to Afghanistan was an equally enjoyable event as we traveled on a C-21 to Kuwait to meet Major General Rees, The Adjutant General for the Oregon National Guard. General Rees was traveling to Afghanistan, along with 3 other Generals to visit the National Guard Soldiers and Airmen deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. They would all be staying at Camp Phoenix over Thanksgiving, so we flew to Kuwait to meet them and escort them to Afghanistan. In typical military fashion they had been traveling all day and night so we didn't let them have any rest before we loaded them on the plane and took off for Afghanistan.

I have attached some photos of the trip, so if your system has the ability to download photos I have included a picture of me on the diner cruise, the Sail Boat Hotel, me in a rug store comparing prices with Afghanistan prices, a Mosque and two pictures of me being interviewed in TV studios.

Love Doug