These desert boots were issued to me in 1995 when I was sent on Temporary Duty Assignment back to Dhahran Air Base, Saudi Arabia, the same base I was at during the Gulf War. The USAF Security Police set up a permanent presence at that base, and when the 1st Security Police Squadron (Provincial) moved out in March 1991 they sent other Security Police units in to fill the gap. Hence was created the 4404th Security Police Squadron (Provincial) which was in operation until the Air Force ceased operations at that location in 1996 after the Khobar Towers bombing. They moved the unit to Prince Sultan Air Base, a more remote and much more secure location, operating there until they ceased operations entirely and closed the unit down. When I was deployed TDY in 1995 they issued me three pairs of Desert Camouflage Uniforms (DCUs) and this pair of jungle boots.
This all came in handy when I was sent TDY to Jordan in 1997, and it was during that deployment that these boots earned their relevance to me.
I've always been a history buff, specifically about the War Between the States era in US history, but I'm also a fan of history overall. That's why I found the TDY to Jordan particularly interesting, educational, and downright fascinating. The Jordanian Air Force Base where we were stationed was close enough to both Agaba (yes, THAT Agaba, of "Alladin" fame) and the ancient city of Petra that the Morale, Welfare, and Education branch set up tours to both cities. I made it to both, with one of the fascinating things on the trip to Agaba being that you could stand on the beach and see three different countries.
But what I found the most fascinating took place on the trip I took to the ancient city of Petra. We were told on both trips that we would be doing a lot of walking, sometimes in sand or on broken ground, so we should wear the appropriate footwear. So naturally I wore my desert boots on both trips. It wasn't too bad in Agaba, but Petra was another thing entirely.
My group took a walking tour of the ancient city, a tour that led us through dwellings carved into the sides of mountains, some of them very high up while most were at ground level. Back in those days the higher up on the cliff you were the wealthier you were, so that was an indication of prominence and wealth. We also saw what was called "Ceremonial Rock," a big flat rock elevated pretty high up that overlooked the road we had just come down. This location was where the wealthy had their funerals, or more specifically, their cremations. The flat top of the rock was still blackened from the countless fires that had been there during the countless cremations.
Yeah, that was kinda spooky, but interesting at the same time.
We also walked past the ruins of a building that was identified as being built by the Romans around 300 BC or so. It took 50 years to build, but it was still there two thousand years later!
The best part of the trip, however, came when my group arrived at the entrance to a narrow canyon that led to a temple. We were all surprised to see that you could actually rent horses and ride down through the canyon, and we were blown away when the Jordanians told us that this was the canyon featured in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," and that the temple at the end was the one shown in the movie. So naturally we all rented a horse and did our best Indiana Jones impressions as we rode down the canyon to the temple.
And the temple flat blew me away. It was huge, just like in the movie, and the guide told us that it was hand-carved out of the solid rock of the cliff face. You could see the hand holds carved into the face of the cliff leading up the sides where the workers had used them to get up that high. It was absolutely beautiful and awe-inspiring to say the least. The inside was vastly different than the movie, though - it was nothing but one big square room with a stone altar at one end with two smaller adjoining rooms, one on each side. I later found my way up to the ledge where the distance shot of Indy and his group arriving at the temple had been taken, with a small plaque there telling me about it. Of course I took a picture, but it's not a digital picture so I don't have it available to post here.
But here's the part about the whole trip that fascinated me most, and the part that explains why the boots play a part in all this.
Remember the road I told you we were walking down on the walking tour? Well, as it turns out that cobblestone road was built by the Roman Legions, and was still in use. When I discovered this it stopped me in my tracks. I looked down at my boots and the road, pausing as I realized what was happening.
I was wearing US military issue desert boots while walking down the same road that the Roman Legions had built and had walked on wearing leather sandals - more than two thousand years apart.
Call me sentimental or overly dramatic, but that thought just blew me away and has stuck with me ever since. Yeah, I'm that kind of person.
I use the boots now as my summer riding boots for my motorcycle. They're very comfortable and a hell of a lot cooler than my leather biker boots, and I'll wear them until they wear out.
Then I'll tuck them away with my other military clothing I still have from my time in the service where they'll stay until it's time to let my son figure out what to do with them when the time comes.
Hopefully that won't be anytime soon.
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