Deployment to Kuwait, Mandatory MWR Trips

The military funds your plane ticket home for mid tour leave and that's it; you fund the rest i.e. meals, chargeable leave, entertainment, etc. &nbsp;This MWR trip is funding transportation and giving you free time off. &nbsp;They are basically the same. &nbsp;You mentioned that you wouldn't complain if this was your "mandatory" mid tour leave and you had to spend your money on your own personal MWR. &nbsp;However, I get the feeling from your posting that since this is someone else's version you don't really want to spend your own personal funds.<div><br></div><div>It comes down to attitude. &nbsp;You can go on the MWR trip and do nothing, spend nothing and see nothing. &nbsp;Or, you can go into the city and enjoy some time away from the FOB. &nbsp;When I went (2003) the exchange rate was about 1 KD to 3 USD, horrible exchange rate, but went anyway. &nbsp;I spent about $200 and enjoyed my time with three other Soldiers.</div><div><br></div><div>As someone else here mentioned "We are Ambassadors of the US." &nbsp;See this as an opportunity to get out and meet folks and see things you wouldn't otherwise meet and see. &nbsp;I remember meeting a young boy, about 10, named Salim. &nbsp;The conversation went something like this:</div><div>S: Where are you from?</div><div>Me: Texas.</div><div>S: Texas, I know Texas. &nbsp;"Who shot JR?"</div><div>Me: Thinking to myself, Wow, this kid knows the old TV show Dallas.</div><div>S: Do you speak Arabic?</div><div>Me: No, I only English and Spanish.</div><div>S: I speak Arabic, English and Spanish.</div><div>Me: You speak Spanish? Really? I don't believe it.</div><div>-- At this point we have a conversation in Spanish. &nbsp;Turns out this kid's dad was a Mexican engineer who came over in the 80's to develop the oil production programs and married a Kuwaiti woman. &nbsp;Never in a million years would I have thought I would be speaking Spanish to a 10 year old in Kuwait.</div>

Talk to your 1SG about the rule for the MWR trip. If the answer is not favorable go on the trip. Know when to choose your battles, and this is not one of them.

I actually got off post with a contractor and the night life is pretty awesome... No alcohol but lots of shopping. Watch out for the little kids beggin for money. They will probably take you to the towers too and there are pictures of what happened to them during the iraq invasion. Get out and expirence the culture. Take pictures and send them to me. I lost my camera after my deployment in 2006.