Fighting dust and heat, these soldiers have the X-Factor... (with pictures)

HEARTS are pumping as the Black Hawk helicopter races through the night over Iraq.

Figures that I can just make out in the black of a cramped chopper cabin are nervously facing forward.

The rotor blades cut through the air as we fly over the settlements of Basra Province.

The pilot, co-pilot and two American side gunners, using night-vision goggles, look out for enemy positions.

It is an eerie and nervous flight for those members of the 9th/12th Lancers on board.

Silently they wait for touchdown at their base by the side of Iraq's busiest port of Umm Qasr – a gateway to the world for the people and commerce of the country.

As the Black Hawk finally lands and the soldiers disembark with their kit and their most important cargo – the post from home – there is audible relief.

It's another safe landing.

Through the haze and dust of the 40-degree Iraqi morning the following day, our convoy of three Vector armoured personnel carriers negotiates the roads en route to Camp Bucca.

The US camp, which lies five miles across the flat, featureless desert from Umm Qasr, is home to 15,000 troops and more than 20,000 prisoners of war.

On the way, we pass lorries carrying cargo from the port northwards towards the cities of Basra and Baghdad.

One lorry bears the scars of war with the driver, lazily smoking a cigarette, seemingly unconcerned by the bullet holes that have peppered his windscreen some time in the past.

The lookouts that guard Camp Bucca notify the barrier guards, who let our convoy through to a meeting with local sheikhs, to discuss rebuilding plans for the area.

While the senior officers are whisked off to the meeting, junior soldiers take the opportunity to stock up on supplies at the camp's busy market.

It's like a Saturday afternoon in Derby city centre, except the shop managers carry guns and there are no sale signs around.

The static Burger King van is doing a roaring trade while Iraqi stallholders offer everything from carpets and rugs to traditional clothes.

The dollar is the accepted currency here and it is certainly king in this remote part of southern Iraq.

The superstore sells luxuries such as iPods, laptops, watches and clocks as well as soft drinks and traditional Iraqi clothing.

One soldier eagerly downs a Starbucks cappuccino, saying: "I love coming on patrol to Camp Bucca.

"I wasn't much of a fan of coffee before but every time I come here I have to get one."

Trooper Daniel Blackie is another member of the Lancers who enjoys coming on patrol to the giant US base.

The 19-year-old former Tupton Hall School pupil, from Chesterfield, is on his first tour of duty with the Lancers, having joined the regiment under a year ago.

He said: "Camp Bucca is like a different world to what we have in Umm Qasr.

"We may only be a few miles apart but what they have here compared with us is amazing.

"There is a Pizza Hut, a Starbucks, a shoe shop, ice cream and you can buy all kinds of gifts if you want.

"We just don't have that sort of facility."

Trooper Blackie followed his uncle, Eddie Lenihan, into Derbyshire's cavalry regiment.

With 11 months' service so far, he has a lot of catching up to do on his uncle, who served for 22 years.

Back home in north Derbyshire, Trooper Blackie's mum, Della Firth, a 48-year-old nursing support worker, is looking out for him along with stepfather Trevor Firth, 41, brother James Blackie, 21, stepbrother Kevin Firth, 18 and stepsister Angela Firth, 21.

He said that the relationship between the British and American troops was generally very good: "There have been times when we have swapped regimental badges, like footballers swapping shirts at the end of a match.

"I'll give them one of my 9th/12th Lancers badges and they'll give me one of theirs in return.

"Things like that bond us and show that working together is what we do."

Another Derbyshire soldier on his first tour of Iraq is 23-year-old Trooper Michael Blakeley, from Bolsover, whose mum, Pauline, 53, works as a secretary at Bolsover Infant School.

A former chef, he decided to follow his brother, Scott, into the military.

But whereas his 27-year-old elder sibling joined the navy, Trooper Blakeley, a former Bolsover School pupil, plumped for the desert heat of Basra Province with the Lancers.

He said: "What has surprised me the most about being here is how receptive the Iraqi people have been to us.

"Our role in Umm Qasr of mentoring and training the Iraqi army is enjoyable when you see the results as they pick up the work so easily.

"But it's also the Iraqi people on the street who seem to have warmed to us.

"They ask if you if you are British or American and when you say British they give you the thumbs-up, which is nice," he added.

Trooper Blakeley has been with the 9th/12th Lancers for 16 months.

An avid Manchester United fan, he said that one of the comforts they had in the mess was a TV with a British Forces channel showing the live Premiership games.

He sad: "Because a lot of the lads in the regiment are from down south, there are a few Arsenal and Chelsea fans here so there's always good banter when Match of the Day is on.

"I have to admit as well that another show that is always popular here, which doesn't really suit the life of a soldier, is X-Factor."

With the meeting with the local sheikhs deemed a success by senior officers, our three-vehicle convoy heads back to Umm Qasr.

Each Vector is manned by a troop commander, a driver and two top-gunners protecting the passengers inside.

Dust is everywhere.

A constant influx through the roof space where the gunners survey the litter-strewn streets ensures that a layer of dust covers the seats and floors of the Vector.

Many of the soldiers cover their mouths with scarves so that they do not breathe in the thick dust.

An interpreter in the vehicle clutches tightly on to a bag containing his Burger King.

It'll be the last one he has before he gets the chance to return to Camp Bucca – whenever that might be.