SOUTH OF BAGHDAD, IRAQ: A massive desert sandstorm brought Operation Iraqi Freedom to a grinding halt today.
The northward movement of the Marines 1st Division stopped while a fierce desert hurricane whipped up 50 to 70- mph wind gusts south of the Iraqi capital.
"It's like being in a sand blaster. I've lost layers of skin today," said Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter Carl Prine who is traveling with the 1st Marine Division. The swirling sand has chewed Marines' skin raw, their faces covered with sandy grime, at times bleeding.
The sky went from clear in the morning to a burnt amber as the storm moved in.
"Now, it's a blackout," Prine said. "You can't see two inches in front of you."
The rain adds another layer of misery as it mixed with the airborne sand and dust.
"Not only do we have sand, we have rain. It's like being hit with big wet frogs being shot out of a cannon," he said.
Marines, toughened for any weather, continued their patrols around the camp perimeter using night-vision goggles and global positioning equipment.
"You have to listen. You can't go very far, but you listen. We walked a perimeter about mile around," said Prine, who just returned from a patrol with the Marines.
The unit searched for a security truck, but, unable to see, turned back.
"I literally walked into a tank. My head smacked into a tank." Prine said, as a testament to the zero-visibility conditions there.
The Marines haven't moved in more than a day. Some are using the time to catch up on much-needed sleep as helicopters and fighter jets fly above the storm canopy.
The Marines know that their advance northward will continue as soon as the weather breaks. But now, the troops wait, guns ready.
"There's still a war going on, it's just at a different pace," Prine said.
