It’s been another week in Iraq, with plenty more craziness. I first started off in the Diyala River Valley, north of Baqouba. It took days to coordinate but I finally got in touch with a U.S. Marine military transition team attached to an Iraqi army brigade.
The small teams, known as MITTs, live and work alongside the Iraqis. They often eat Arabic food and sleep under the stars on cots together (not actually on the same cot, you dirty-minded people). Also, there are no shower or bathroom facilities available to wash away the powdery dust that clings to your sweaty skin.
On one patrol we walked with protective gear for a few miles clearing a thick palm grove in 120-plus temperatures. It may have been dry heat but let me tell you, it sucked. In the four days I spent with the team, nothing really happened, other than the strong continuous stench that rose from my filthy self. (See story: www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64181&archive=true)
When I returned to the main base, I headed to Baqouba where a 14-year-old girl had been caught with a suicide vest packed with C4 explosive, ready to be detonated.
I had the chance to interview her and her mother, which was a somewhat disheartening experience. It appears that she had been drugged and forced to walk into town on a suicide mission by her husband’s family. But who knows for certain. The Iraqi people are notorious liars and anything they say must be scrutinized. (See story: www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64179&archive=true)
There were plenty other stories throughout the week but not as sexy as these two.
Today I’m bored out of my mind inside a combat outpost in Baqouba. I woke up at 0100 this morning and tagged along with soldiers on a stakeout for a high-value target. We commandeered a two-storey Iraqi home that offered a good view of the culprit’s home. The Iraqis in the home didn’t seem to mind as we headed to the roof for a better view. I ended up taking a nap on the roof, dreaming that we’d capture the guy. However, like many other times, the bastard eluded the soldiers.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Diy-saster-ala news 1
Wow. So much has happened since last week's blog report, which I am now calling "Diy-saster-ala news," which is the restive Diyala province for those of you who don't read the newspapers.
The most memorable event this past week was when U.S. troops leveled an Iraqi village with 500-pound bombs. C'mon! Don't feel sorry for the Iraqis now. The village was abandoned and laced with explosives. See story (www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=56715)
Another was being out with some crazy-ass combat engineers who were blowing up 1,600 pounds of C4 explosive on an IED-infested road. The explosions looked like napalm fireballs. See story (www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=56746)
Perhaps the funniest thing I recently heard was from an Iraqi army commander. I asked him something about al-Qaida fighters and he said that his unit would kill every one of them. I then asked, "don't you mean detain or kill?" He replied, "No, we will definitely kill them all." I like this guy's style, I thought to myself.
Currently, I'm staying at a tiny base south of Baqouba. The base is in the middle of nowhere surrounded by miles and miles of dusty flatlands. It's some glamorous living out there. We're even forced to poo in communal buckets, which is far worse than porta-johns. The stench is so bad that it burns the nostrils.
The unit here has a dog named JAM, ironically after al-Sadr's army, that they've rescued from Baghdad. It's a nice dog with a deformed leg that hops around the place and wakes me up in the middle of the night.
The weather here is averaging around 115 degrees with no clouds in the sky. I think my pale-ass is actually getting a tan. It's also been weird not being able to down a beer afterhours, but I'm smoking like a chimney (or Geoff). I bet all of you would start smoking as well if packs cost $1 or less, like they do over here.
The most memorable event this past week was when U.S. troops leveled an Iraqi village with 500-pound bombs. C'mon! Don't feel sorry for the Iraqis now. The village was abandoned and laced with explosives. See story (www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=56715)
Another was being out with some crazy-ass combat engineers who were blowing up 1,600 pounds of C4 explosive on an IED-infested road. The explosions looked like napalm fireballs. See story (www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=56746)
Perhaps the funniest thing I recently heard was from an Iraqi army commander. I asked him something about al-Qaida fighters and he said that his unit would kill every one of them. I then asked, "don't you mean detain or kill?" He replied, "No, we will definitely kill them all." I like this guy's style, I thought to myself.
Currently, I'm staying at a tiny base south of Baqouba. The base is in the middle of nowhere surrounded by miles and miles of dusty flatlands. It's some glamorous living out there. We're even forced to poo in communal buckets, which is far worse than porta-johns. The stench is so bad that it burns the nostrils.
The unit here has a dog named JAM, ironically after al-Sadr's army, that they've rescued from Baghdad. It's a nice dog with a deformed leg that hops around the place and wakes me up in the middle of the night.
The weather here is averaging around 115 degrees with no clouds in the sky. I think my pale-ass is actually getting a tan. It's also been weird not being able to down a beer afterhours, but I'm smoking like a chimney (or Geoff). I bet all of you would start smoking as well if packs cost $1 or less, like they do over here.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Annoyed in transition
When I first received orders to Iraq, I was more than ready to hop on a plane to the desolate, violent landscape of MESSopotamia. But my excitement quickly turned to frustration as I’ve been stuck in Germany for three days and counting. Currently, I’m surrounded by other stranded Iraq-bound troops inside Ramstein Air Base’s passenger terminal waiting for flights.
C-17 cargo aircraft litter the runway but only for destinations that are far safer than where I’m heading. On the other hand, U.S. officials have been touting how much better Iraq is nowadays. And the place where I’ll be going (Diyala Province, just east of Baghdad) a massive U.S.-Iraqi offensive is clearing out the insurgents. Hopefully, they’ll be a few left when I finally hit the ground. Those guys are always fun to chase around and detain.
It’s been about three and a half years since I’ve last been to Iraq. It was an adrenaline rush to be in a combat zone, dodging rockets and roadside bombs. Do you remember driving home drunk late at night and coming across a police trap; but instead they wave in the car in front of you while letting you slide by? It sort of feels like that – scary but gratifying that you didn’t have to lose your license for a year.
Plus, the tax-free pay on top of our hazard pay is always a bonus. Why should I pay Nebraska state taxes to repair the I-80 interstate while trucking along dusty, IED-infested roads? It seems the politicians have finally gotten something right.
This time around I’m only spending 6 weeks down there but I plan to make the most of it. Also, my load is much lighter than the first time. I don’t even have to carry a weapon or wear a uniform. I wonder if the units I embed with mind if I wear shorts and wife beater T-shirts. Why not? It’s averaging 115 degrees every day.
I’ll try to keep you posted on what’s going on. Forgive me if there’s a lapse in my entries, I have to do some work out there such as buying a Persian rug, hookah pipe and finding three Sunni women to marry.
C-17 cargo aircraft litter the runway but only for destinations that are far safer than where I’m heading. On the other hand, U.S. officials have been touting how much better Iraq is nowadays. And the place where I’ll be going (Diyala Province, just east of Baghdad) a massive U.S.-Iraqi offensive is clearing out the insurgents. Hopefully, they’ll be a few left when I finally hit the ground. Those guys are always fun to chase around and detain.
It’s been about three and a half years since I’ve last been to Iraq. It was an adrenaline rush to be in a combat zone, dodging rockets and roadside bombs. Do you remember driving home drunk late at night and coming across a police trap; but instead they wave in the car in front of you while letting you slide by? It sort of feels like that – scary but gratifying that you didn’t have to lose your license for a year.
Plus, the tax-free pay on top of our hazard pay is always a bonus. Why should I pay Nebraska state taxes to repair the I-80 interstate while trucking along dusty, IED-infested roads? It seems the politicians have finally gotten something right.
This time around I’m only spending 6 weeks down there but I plan to make the most of it. Also, my load is much lighter than the first time. I don’t even have to carry a weapon or wear a uniform. I wonder if the units I embed with mind if I wear shorts and wife beater T-shirts. Why not? It’s averaging 115 degrees every day.
I’ll try to keep you posted on what’s going on. Forgive me if there’s a lapse in my entries, I have to do some work out there such as buying a Persian rug, hookah pipe and finding three Sunni women to marry.
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