MAKING LIFE BETTER

Fresh strawberries from California. Stationary biking to the beat of rap music. Free Internet. And within gunsights, indoor basketball courts and maybe some cappuccino bars.

What a difference a year makes.

During the Iraq war and the ensuing months, U.S. troops invariably ate MREs - packaged military rations - showered with bottled water and slept in packed, sweltering tents or on the cold desert floor.

Now, settling in for the long haul, the lifestyles of American soldiers are getting major upgrades. The world beyond the concertina wires may be just as dangerous as last year, but within military bases across Iraq, "Little Americas" are acquiring better food, more recreational activities and comfortable living quarters...

Despite nightmarish transport and supply problems, the up to 10,000 meals a day served include steaks from Australia, shrimp from the United States and ice cream made in Holland. The breakfast buffets would put many a luxury hotel to shame and, Moore says, feature "crisp American-style bacon, not the thick, salty European variety."

"They said we would be eating a bunch of MREs, but the food here is better than in Germany," said Pvt. Angel Lopez, a soldier from the 1st Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade.

Lopez had just finished e-mailing friends in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, from one of the 11 computer terminals with free Internet access. Telephone calls to the United States and most other parts of the world cost only 5 cents a minute.

The computer and telephone booths are in an aircraft hangar that was once part of a parachute training center for Saddam Hussein's fallen regime. It also houses a gym with an array of exercise equipment, a television and games room and a bazaar where Iraqi vendors sell carpets, DVDs and paintings of desert scenes. There's even an artist to paint family portraits from the soldiers' photographs...

Not all soldiers in Iraq benefit from the improved living conditions. Following the unwritten rule of most armies, the further away from headquarters one gets, the more basic things become.