Exiting Iraq, last US truck seeks help in Journey

Soldiers in the last US military truck to drive out of Iraq on Sunday sang hits by the rock group Journey and discussed a wide range of topics to stay sharp on the trip south to Kuwait. The "Mine Resistant, Ambush Protected" armoured truck, commanded by Sergeant First Class Hilda McNamee, departed from Contingency Operating Base Adder in Iraq, now known as Imam Ali Air Base after being handed to Iraqi control, and crossed the Kuwaiti border at 7:38 am (0438 GMT) on Sunday. "We'd been up for the past probably 48 hours pulling security and doing various details" with only minimal rest, she said, "so we sang '80s songs ... we sang a lot of '80s." McNamee specifically mentioned Journey, the group responsible for 1981 hit "Don't Stop Believin'", but did not name any of the songs the truck's passengers belted out. The soldiers also talked about topics ranging from the earth's orbit of the sun to rocks to kidding each other about events from the deployment -- anything "to keep up, to keep awake," said McNamee, who was on her second tour to Iraq. "One thing we were talking about in the (truck) was how ... when we're old, we'll be able to tell people, oh, we were the last soldiers out of Iraq, like literally the last truck," said Specialist Brittany Hampton, who was on her first Iraq deployment. "It's awesome, it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing," said Hampton, who is a combat medic. But "I'm glad it's done, glad it's over." It feels "very, very good" to be in Kuwait, McNamee said, noting the trip went smoothly. "Mission completed," she said. "It's always good to complete something."