Sinai, August 12, 2003 -- Sergeant First Class Michael Landee of the Iowa National Guard has been with the Multinational Force and Observers in the Egyptian Sinai since June. When asked how he feels about being here, he brushes off the hardships with a smile and some light humor.
"We don't have any deserts in Iowa," he says, "or beaches. When its time to go back, I'll tell my friends they aren't missing anything."
The MFO is a multinational force of eleven different countries including the United States, Fiji, Columbia, Uruguay, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, France and Italy that is composed of about 3,000 military and civilian personnel. The force and observers, totaling 1,900, are under the command of a Norwegian military officer. The U.S. once assigned a battalion, approximately 860 personnel, to this duty. However, with the heavy war requirements on the Army, the force is now less than ten percent of the original size.
Sgt. Landee's outpost is near the North Camp, less than 30 miles from the Gaza Strip. He and his squad man the outpost for about a month and report on any movement on each side of the border.
"Its a fairly quiet place," Sgt. Landee explained during the tour of his area of responsibility. "We have a few contacts that occur, but most of the time there's very little going on. I mean, who would really want to be out here?"
The MFO was established in 1982 as a result of the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty and it provides an international peacekeeping presence between Israel and Egypt. The nations involved rotate troops through the assignment and most use the chance to provide desert training to their personnel.
Earlier in the day, a couple Israeli army jeeps stopped by the post and the troops spent nearly half an hour socializing and telling stories. According to Sgt. Landee, such visits are not uncommon.
"Both sides do it. One day its the Israelis, tomorrow it may be the Egyptians. We don't mind it all since it helps break up the monotony."
The Iowa National Guard soldiers, part of the 1-133rd Infantry, realize that they are doing their job to free up regular Army forces for duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Like the Balkans, this duty was transferred from regular Army units to the National Guard.
"Its rough to be here for six months," Sgt. Landee explained. "But my Grandfather was in Europe for three years, so I guess I can't complain. Besides, I don't have anyone trying to kill me and I don't have to storm a Nazi line." He looked off into the desert and smiled. "I'll be real happy to see a corn field when I get back."