BAGHDAD – The American military needed buildings in a hurry, and it shows six years after the invasion of Iraq. Desks are often made of unfinished plywood. The walls are corrugated iron. The closest thing to plumbing is the portable toilet outside.

And then there’s the al Faw palace. I Corps’ new home is stunningly ornate. The walls, ceilings and floors are marble. An enormous chandelier hangs from the roof. The bathrooms boast gold-plated fixtures. One of Saddam’s thrones is still there.

I met Brig. Gen. Peter Bayer for an interview on the palace’s third floor. The windows of the conference room looked out on smaller buildings on a sparkling lake that surrounds the building.

It’s almost surreal after months of covering the joes working at dusty FOBs. The American military has installed cubicles -- Scott Adams of Dilbert fame could have a field day with this -- and if you keep your head straight, it looks like any other office. Look up, and you see ornate pink, blue and white marble carvings.

Not a bad place to spend a deployment.

BAGHDAD – They just didn't feel like it.

I sat in the rotary terminal at Baghdad International Airport, awaiting a flight to a small base in the heart of Sadr City. I was going to meet up with Army Reserve soldiers based at Fort Lewis who are working in Baghdad’s most notorious slum.

It was to be my last assignment before leaving Iraq. I thought it wasn’t going to be possible to make it out to see them, but Master Sgt. Rob La Tour hammered out an itinerary: fly into Sadr City, do a battlefield circulation, talk to some folks and then convoy back to the airport (near which I was staying).

I started to put my equipment on when I heard the Black Hawk approach. And then I saw it roll right past a few minutes later. It’s likely refueling, I said.

A KBR employee then made the announcement: “They decided not to have any passengers on this flight.”

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