Some two million foreigners make up approximately 80 percent of Kuwaits work force. But Acosta didnt see it that way at all. After two and a half years of contracting, and also running a side business repairing computers for wealthy Kuwaitis, he was about a year off from having socked away enough money to open his juice bar back home and help raise his son in person. Although it is probably not applicable to anyone assigned to TAD-KU, those on separate rations are required to pay for meals. But they had known about this for months. The camp is funded and was built by the government of Kuwait. Orientation for his job took place at Fort Bliss, an Army garrison outside El Paso where the military trains contractors up to its standards. Acosta was shocked at how unhelpful he was. The officer moved the conversation on, and after about 20 minutes, he dismissed the two. On the first night of the Republican National Convention, the opening video asserted that America treats all its citizens equally regardless of race. Theres absolutely no way you could get two pounds of weed into two small Mason jars, says Tom Dean, a lawyer specializing in cannabis-related crimes. Why has the American government failed to help them? Mateo had transformed Rogerss life. The default assumption among the officers is that they were picked up for some sort of just cause, said an American official, who asked for anonymity to candidly discuss the matter. Many are on active duty and come on a one-year Permanent Change of Station (PCS), while some active duty come in a Temporary Change of Station (TCS) status. The lead officer threatened to charge him if he didnt reveal information about a drug dealer he called the Emperor and tell him where the kilos of drugs were stored. Sounds like you could use a helping hand and a friendly ear. Gee Hyun McNease, the deputy commander of the Defense Logistics Agency Support Team-Kuwait, deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, was recognized as one of the five honorees by the Alexandria Celebrates Woman at its annual awards ceremony held March 29, 2021 in McNease's hometown of Alexandria, Virginia. In Kuwait, where contractors are essentially interchangeable, the government decided its easier to replace a contractor than protect him. Camp Arifjan is located south of Kuwait City, and west of the Shuaiba Port (Military Sea Port of Debarkation/Embarkation, or SPOD) and Kuwait Naval Base (KNB). Ultimately, it would be around 11 months between when consular officials first recorded that Morrison had no clear grasp on reality and the next time they would see him. To unwind after 12-hour workdays, Acosta and other military contractors would party in private apartments, as there were no bars; Kuwait is a dry country with a legal system partly based on Islamic jurisprudence, and simply being intoxicated in public is illegal there. The two fell in love. At some point, guards came for them. And yet the specifics of their cases suggest that more could have been done. YouTube Politico reported that in the first quarter of 2019. He had heard countless stories of his fathers Navy service, so I was like, Ill follow you, Pops. Not long after graduating from high school, Acosta enlisted. A dream team of conservative lobbyists, including Neil Bush, son of former president George H.W. For our friends with the 135th sustainment command (expeditionary) and my friends with the 358th public affairs detachment, here's a little piece on what to. Finally, in February 2019, Acosta got his day in court. They did push-ups and spent the rest of the time watching TV, taking turns on a PlayStation and sleeping as much as possible. They were shackled hands and feet, directed into a van, and eventually unloaded at a drab government building. Camp Arifjan is divided into 7 zones. American hostages, a deep voice intoned. About 10 young policemen in street clothes backed him up. Lowe received a similar sentence. Housing, food, and drinking water supplies. In addition to the permanent vendors, certain vendors are also allowed to set up large Arab-style bazaars on Wednesdays and Sundays. Troops in the barracks may obtain wireless internet access for a monthly fee of $35. How bad could it be, he figured, to admit to possessing enough weed for a few blunts? The oil-rich nation provides such lavish benefits that some citizens dont have to work. P.W. The interrogator called him a liar and struck him. In June, as the pandemic infiltrated the Central Prison Complex and threatened the lives of the American prisoners, especially Rogers, who has a weakened immune system from a hereditary kidney ailment, Romanowski formally requested the release of all the Americans on health and humanitarian grounds. In the meeting, the Kuwaiti official claimed that Acosta and Lowe had been well treated. Governor Ricketts (blue shirt); Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, Adjutant General of the Nebraska National Guard (to the right of Governor Ricketts); and Jim Cada, Nebraska Civilian Assistant to the Secretary of the Army (white shirt) with members of the Area Support Group-Kuwait at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. The camp is primarily an army post, but air force, navy, coast guard, marine personnel and international troops also call it home. Some undergraduate college courses are available via the Camp Arifjan Education Center. Ex-Army civilian Ephraim Garcia, 64, pleaded guilty to charges he offered kickbacks to an employee of Vectrus Systems Corp. to steer some $3 million in subcontract work to Kuwaiti firm Gulf Link. The post library has an internet caf. Unlike everyone else, Americans have the last remaining military superpower in their corner. Camp Arifjan is in an area that Congress has deemed a hostile-fire zone. As such, deployed troops are unaccompanied on their tours of duty. The USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD). Acosta was ecstatic but perplexed about his sudden turn of fortune. What sort of housing is at Camp Arifjan? Press Kit Still, he figured they were bluffing, even after he and Floyd were driven to Kuwaits Drug Enforcement General Department, where he was ordered to sit in an office filled with messy stacks of paper and sleeping computers. The base leadership continues to allow local and Third Country National vendors to set up small shops within the main PX lobby. Arifjan has lots of nice amenities, the only thing that sucks is you can't drink anywhere in Kuwait like Qatar or Bahrain. Copyright 1998 MilitaryBases.com Not affiliated with any government agencies. As the Morrisons saw it, their government had abandoned him. In fact, in the whole of the prosecutors report, nothing explicitly links Acosta to exchanging drugs for money no witness accounts, no photos, no videos, no text messages, nothing. This time they knew the risks, but the incentives drawing them overseas were just so strong. It didnt seem like a crazy thing to partake. Eventually, they got in touch with an American who had been imprisoned with Morrison, who told them what had eventually befallen their son: When Morrison was being roughly moved between cells, he pushed a guard. Then, in 2006, he transferred to Kuwait, where he made more than four times his Stateside salary armoring Humvees for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The airfield is named in memory of General George S. Patton. Pros Good work hours Cons poor Management Was this review helpful? Individuals are directly delivered to the secluded quarantine area to reside for 14 consecutive days. We look forward to your arrival. [] Currently there are only two dining facilities that are open. Army garrison humphreys held a, If you can help me out, please let me know and i'll message you or. Contract Award: $19,502,855 for aviation field maintenance services Germany & Kuwait Contract Award: $63,016,210 for maintenance and support services for F/A-18 C/D and associated equip. Furthermore, he added that the pattern of mistreatment described was similar to other cases at the detention center; by 2020, the State Department would record at least nine credible cases of Americans being tortured in a similar manner. And with these, they surfed the internet and communicated with friends and family late at night daytime in America when the guards were least active. . The base has undergone many changes within the past several years, including the construction of half a dozen barracks, hundreds of "temporary" or transitional barracks, known as PCBs (Pre-Fabricated Concrete Buildings), three dining facilities, and the establishment of three base exchanges (AAFES), as well as a major addition of paved roads throughout the Camp. Hello, i am looking for a flat share in a western area with westerners. So many things had combined to make him feel stateless institutionalized racism, the nations forever wars, the offshoring of the middle class, the privatization of the militarys responsibilities to those working for it and an administration unwilling to do much for him and his comrades it was a question that seemed impossible to succinctly answer. He charged both Americans with trafficking, which could put them away for decades in Kuwaits strict legal system. I finally met Acosta face to face in early November 2019. Army Careers, An official website of the United States government, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. We will be staying in Zone 6 and that is about all we know. Some say they were tortured into making false confessions claims sometimes supported by the State Departments own records. And in early 2018, Mateo managed to catch the interest of the military-news website Task & Purpose, which published detailed accounts of Rogerss and several other veterans allegations of their abuse. Anthony Bermudez, 28, died January 11 during routine troop movement near Camp Buehring. Lowes lawyer told me that Kuwait had recently been convulsed by a drug-use epidemic, fueled by foreigners bringing narcotics into the country, and that authorities may have punished the Americans harshly to make an example of them. He pointed out which guards were abusive and who could help the newcomers procure contraband cellphones. Rogerss death penalty was commuted on appeal to life in prison. Until President Donald Trump stepped in. A montage of news clips showed Trump welcoming recently freed Americans at airports and news conferences. He requests the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) reconsider his agency's denial of separate maintenance allowance (SMA) and post hardship differential. During the renovation, we took an exclusive tour of the building with Tyler Krantz, the center manager at USO Camp Arifjan. There are four atms available on camp arifjan and several atms at the kuwait naval base in downtown kuwait. According to court documents, Ephraim Garcia, 64, admitted that he conspired with Gandhiraj Sankaralingam, aka Gandhi Raj, the . And yet, the interrogator warned that if he didnt reveal the rest of the drugs, he would get 25 years in prison. At first, Acosta and Lowe were the only Americans in their pre-sentencing cells, but as the months passed more began arriving. Earlier this year, the USO moved out of its original building on Camp Arifjan and relocated to a small, temporary location so the transformation process could begin. Was it possible that none of this would have happened if not for him? For more information, please see our The Kuwait Ministry of Defense provides off base housing with a vehicle for those who qualify. [8], In addition, the camp - known colloquially by the initials "AJ" or as Camp Afri-jail[9]- is regarded by U.S. military personnel as having the best recreational facilities of any Kuwaiti military installation. This transformation has weakened the bonds between the American military and those serving it, setting the stage for the ordeals that the 28 American contractors would endure in Kuwait. $68,299 - $88,792 per year. The officers ordered him to sit on the floor, and handcuffed his feet and ankles together. As they compared notes, they came to understand that the Kuwaitis had been trying to catch an American drug dealer known as the Emperor, and that each time Kuwaiti police picked up an American, they would beat him and search his phone until they got the names of more Americans, whom they would then arrest and abuse for more names, and so on. The police suggested to Acosta that he would just be deported, so he directed them to his oven, where they found two glass Mason jars and a grinder. This is, he says, a feature, not a bug, of the system. Unlike soldiers, who are often protected under treaties, contractors are technically private citizens, so when Acosta worked in Kuwait, he was just another of the roughly nine million regular Americans living abroad, according to State Department estimates a population that would be Americas 11th-largest state. Your Exchange operates on funds generated through sales of merchandise and services. Naval Forces Central He says he also received a substantial monthly housing stipend from his employer. There is also a large Chilli's restaurant[7] with 250-person seating capacity, as well as three Military Dining Facilities (DFACs), some of which serve four meals daily. He steered them away from the methamphetamines sold by other prisoners. No FEAR Act Troops have the option of studying online or on-post. And Acosta knew that he was not alone. Such agreements, however, do not usually cover contractors, an intentional decision made by the United States when negotiating these agreements. Management. Morrisons circumstances, meanwhile, were dangerously deteriorating. Nicodemus Acosta, a Navy veteran, spent over a year imprisoned in Kuwait for dealing marijuana a crime he did not commit. Job specializations: Government. USCG Sector Lake Michigan. Police records suggest they discovered a backpack containing a small amount of weed in three baggies, a grinder, several empty containers, a food-wrapping device and an electronic scale. With enough money, they could procure almost anything from outside, like smartphones. Angel Bastidas-Pineda, a transportation land movement non-commissioned officer, and Sgt. Together, the prisoners experiences reveal a failure by the State Department to urgently address systemic Kuwaiti mistreatment of Americans. In addition, a number of foreign nationals also work at the base. American prisoners repeatedly alerted embassy officers about Morrison being in danger, starting in early 2018. U.S. military vehicles that did not receive new additional armor plating in the United States prior to deployment to U.S. Central Commandtens of thousandsreceived their "up-armoring" at Camp Arifjan. Patton Army Heliport (LID: OK2A)[1] is the United States Army airfield located within the camp boundaries. Kuwaiti officials informed the American Embassy that he had been arrested with about 17 pounds of marijuana. But regardless, the United States has some basic responsibilities to the welfare of all its citizens imprisoned overseas. Were very proud of the job we did. The video voice-over declared, No American should ever be left behind.. Rogers used his phone to speak frequently to his five children in the States and to regularly communicate with his partner, Karina Mateo. These included two longtime contractors, Roctavius Bailey and Corey Jones, and three more who asked that their names be withheld. As such, deployed troops are unaccompanied on their tours of duty. An American official said that my investigation was raised repeatedly during internal State Department discussions about how to handle the cases. Indeed, the government employs military contractors for many of the same reasons that contractors have become widespread across the private sector: They are cheaper in theory, and can be demobilized when they arent needed. Lowe was arrested three days before Acosta, when a building manager smelled marijuana smoke coming from his apartment and called the authorities. There are approximately 9,000 personnel stationed at Camp Arifjan. We can do what we want.. Rogerss third and final appeal has been denied, and he faces many more years in prison. Camp Arifjan has an APO office that provides many of the services that can be obtained at a state-side post office. Pan flute h Pet Sense Union City Tn / 59 best Store Locations images on Pinterest | Small towns . Their swimming costumes must be one-piece only. in Criminology and, via a cross-enrollment program, was commissioned through Howard University's ROTC program. After months of being closed due to COVID-19, chapel doors have reopened for in-person services at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Pay scale & grade. Acosta and Lowe had been well treated State Department discussions about how to handle the.... After about 20 minutes, he would get 25 years in prison a crazy to. Manager at USO camp Arifjan and several atms at the base leadership continues to allow local and Country! 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