Article

I recently had the "opportunity" to write an article for our brigade's monthly news letter.  Now, I don't want to throw around the word propaganda lightly, but maybe, just maybe it smells a little like propaganda.  Since I had to write about what's going on at work for work, the article might as well find it's way onto the blog so I can combine work and not work.

One note on the article is that it is not about something my platoon did but about another platoon in our company.  However, we all do pretty much the same stuff and my guys and I have had very similar experiences.  Also, I tried to minimize the acronyms, but there's still plenty in there, so here's a short glossary:

IED- Improvised Explosive Device

IN- Infantry

SFC- Sergeant First Class

FOB- Forward Operation Base

HA- Humanitarian Aid

IP- Iraqi Police

SSG- Staff Sergeant

CPL- Corporal

AO- Area of Operations

ISF- Iraqi Security Forces (denotes military and/or police)

Kharnabot- a town in our AO (see above for AO definition)

One other note: this is the uncensored version that I originally wrote.  The Army, being what it is, didn't appreciate some of the sentiments expressed in the third paragraph so they changed it.  Not a big deal, but I think it's funnier this way.

Here's the actual article:

"On 15 May 2009, something significant occurred in Kharnabot- nothing involving insurgents, IED’s or rocket attacks, however.  Instead, 1^st Platoon C/1-24 IN assisted the Iraqi Police with Humanitarian Aid distribution in the town that formerly served as a base for rocket attacks against FOB Warhorse.  SFC Schramm led the patrol along with members of the Kharnabot Police Station and said, “It was an exercise in by the numbers to get them to plan and execute it, like in basic training.”  A total of 51 families received bags of rice or sugar, but more importantly, 1^st Platoon helped their Iraqi partners with an aid drop and showed Iraqi citizens that the Iraqi Police are not only capable of protecting them but also helping those in need. 

            While all the supplies came from Coalition Forces, SSG Jones ensured that the Iraqi Police did most of the legwork as far as organizing and distributing the drop.  “All they needed was to be pointed in the right direction, and once they saw what the goal was they got the job done,” said SSG Jones.  Previous HA drops in AO Centurion always featured ISF in some aspect, but Friday’s operation enabled the IP’s to set up, unload the truck, check the list of names, and pass out all the HA to the appropriate families; an especially important step for the IP’s given the looming 30 June deadline for all Coalition Forces to withdraw from Iraqi cities.  The days of Coalition Forces’ HA drops are numbered, but it is certain that the Iraqi Police now have the experience they need to continue assisting the poor in their towns.

            Although the aid distribution was an overall success, it was not without hiccups.  At first, some of the IP’s enlisted young children to help unload the heavy bags, but 1^st Platoon quickly put a stop to this.  Other people were discontent with either the sugar or rice they received, preferring one or the other.  “I guess free isn’t good enough,” said one CPL, a team leader in 1^st Platoon.  Despite the seeming lack of gratitude, most people were very happy with the food.  SFC Hart said that the part he was most impressed with was that all the key players arrived on time and that the IP’s had an efficient system where people could wait, get screened, and receive their aid with minimal hassle.  While the IP’s might not have conducted the mission in the exact same manner as 1^st Platoon, the end result was the same and the US soldiers learned a valuable lesson- enable the Iraqis to do things their way as long as it gets the job done.

            Once all the sugar and rice had been passed out and the crowd drifted away, US soldiers and Iraqi Police were left alone on the streets with the satisfaction that comes from knowing that they helped people in need.  For 1^st Platoon, there was an additional feeling of satisfaction because they are accomplishing the mission of training ISF to be self-sufficient.  In the large scheme of things, one successful HA drop might seem insignificant, but in Kharnabot joint distribution of Humanitarian Aid proved to be a substantial milestone on the road towards US withdrawal and Iraqi self sufficiency."  

Again, this is basically a GO USA puff piece for a newsletter, but hopefully the next time their reporters go on leave they won't "ask" me to fill in.

RLTW

Non-crying Iraqi Baby

So it's been a trend over here that little kids are afraid of me and tend to cry.  This is the first baby that didn't get upset, probably because it's too little to know better.

Anyway, we've been here 6 months now and it's gone by much faster than expected.  Since the US's days are numbered in Iraq, we're under increased pressure to get Iraqis running and protecting their own country.  Most of what we do is focused on restoring infrastructure, developing their economy, improving the Iraqi military and police, and getting the government to be more efficient and at least a little less corrupt.  They're doing good if they settle for just a little bit of graft and some "lighter treason".  Sometimes we get to do the actual infantry thing, but so far these occasions have been few and far between.  Hopefully the next six months go by just as fast and we continue to see the situation improve to the point where Iraq no longer needs us here.  Until then we'll continue eating goat, drinking chai, and terrorizing children.  

Pictures

The List

As promised:

-Iraqi soldiers crashing motorcycles while showing off for us

-Kids trying to climb our walls, falling off, and then we have to treat them

-Drinking chai brewed over a fire in a wheel barrow on the side of the road in the middle of the night with retired terrorists

-vehicle hulls on the roofs of buildings

-leading a 60 man patrol of which half are Iraqi and one is a US general

-"celebratory" gun fire

-eating rice with your hands off a platter with 8 other guys and only washing your hands when you're finished eating

-eating sheep butt (they love it here but it's pretty fatty and slimy)

-soccer games with kids while wearing full kit

-kid dropping baby to pick up candy (baby was ok)

-man trading baby to US soldier for a broken watch (we made him trade back)

-people standing at the ramp when we dismount to offer us chai (almost gets them shot, but a nice gesture all the same)

-stopping "weapons smuggling ambulances" only to find a guy with a ruptured appendix and a guy whose brother accidentally stabbed him

-Iraqi soldier playing with electrical wires while standing in a puddle (didn't end well)

-using police techniques I learned from watching The Wire and finding that this is better than what the Iraqi police do (they need to watch American cop shows)

-"before one year ago there was much Al Qaeda but now thanks to coalition forces we have good security"

-stepping into sewage trenches 

-people falling (not that unusual but always hilarious, especially at night and especially when they fall into a canal)

Some of this is pretty cryptic, but I can't really explain it all at this time.  Once we leave I'll be able to elaborate on some of the stories.  There's other stuff that I can't remember right now, so it will get added later.  Iraqis generally love us, but they're pretty baffling at times.

"This anger management course lasts 10 weeks.  I plan to be done in 5.  How?  Name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking a handshake."

-Andy Bernard

Still in Iraq

So far, the new president has not changed anything for us here, which is good.  Also, the Status of Forces Agreement has not affected anything significant, but it does make some things more of a hassle.  But, it's all designed to give this place back to the original occupants.  For the most part, people in our area love us, or are at least afraid of us enough not to try anything stupid.  Even though we sit around and drink chai and shake hands with them doesn't mean that we won't turn around and detain them the next day.  I've experienced lots of bizarre Iraqi cultural things that guys on previous deployments missed when there was more of a war going on, such as one of my squad leaders walking down the street holding hands with an Iraqi man because it's rude to let go.  They also like the man kiss, so I suppress the gag reflex and the urge to kill and use my helmet to keep some space between our heads.  Whatever it takes to win, but I draw the line somewhere.  The two coolest things I've gotten here so far are a man dress and a virgin Mary prayer rug.  Don't know how that whole thing works out, but Shias definitely use Mary door mats to pray on.  Our medic became a tribal sheik, and they gave our commander a plot of land.  None of this is official, of course, but it is a sign of great respect to the Americans and a subtle plea for us not to arrest them.  Probably the worst thing here is the amount of begging done by the kids.  Kids are all well and great until they crowd around you asking for a soccer ball when they have one in their hands.  Also, I make Iraqi babies cry about 95% of the time, which doesn't bother me but my guys get a good laugh out of it.  Eventually I'll compile an extensive list of all the random stuff we see/do here and post it for everyone's reading pleasure.  It's sure to bring mirth to all.

"One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion to use them." 

-Thomas Jefferson

It's that time of year...

"Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.
Now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the daytime, on Thursday, November 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings."
William Bradford Ye Governor of Ye Colony

I Still Remember How to Use Blogger

Sorry for the month-long gap in posts, but I have a littany of excuses that won't be listed here. We're definitely settled into our little out post in Iraq. Most of the time a go around and meet with sheiks (tribal/religious leaders) and drink chai tea then take a picture with them. By the time we leave there will be pictures of me all over this part of Iraq because Iraqis love having pictures of them with US soldiers- apparently they think it translates into a sign that they cooperate with us. In reality some of the people we shake hands with used to be insurgents and will probably resume their insurgency in the future. But, that's the nature of things here.
I still hate the call to prayer, but the 0430 one doesn't wake me up any more. The weather is very pleasant and even a little cold at night. They're having a record drought which makes the rainy season much more bearable. Overall, life here is busy, boring, but otherwise good. If time keeps going this fast the rest of the 12 months will fly by. If I get better time management skills or decide to sleep less, I'll post more often, and one crazy day pictures will appear here. Until then, just imagine what Iraq looks like.