Today is Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day, or as it was originally designated back in 1868, Decoration Day. It was a day set aside to honor the nation’s Civil War dead by decorating their graves. The day was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War Soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Memorial Day spent in Baghdad was like all days spent in Iraq, filled with mixed emotions. Today both began and ended with the playing of Taps.

Ambassador Crocker gave a Memorial Day dedication on the front lawn of the United States Embassy this morning. And while I have heard many solemn speeches about dedication and sacrifice, this one was unique. It was unique perhaps because of the wartime setting, or because of the Marine guard posted with honor and dignity, or the color guard made up of each of the branches of the armed services serving together in this cause. But more than likely it was how in the middle of the ceremony, two MEDEVAC helicopters flew overhead bringing in wounded soldiers for emergency care.

It is an awakening to hear a speech about ultimate sacrifice as Soldiers who have just made it are being evacuated. This time it really meant something, and the message was clear. This time I really knew why Memorial Day is honored.

The rest of my day was spent engaging the media of the world. They do not take a day off from war coverage because the nations and extremists of the world do not take the day off in respect of those who have fallen. As the war continues, so do the casualties of war.

Last night was not a good night. The U.S. Forces lost some brave men and many more injured. One of the duties of my position is to take queries from the media on hostile engagements to include casualties. It is a delicate balance we take between informing the public about what is happening in the war and respecting the privacy of the families who have just suffered a loss. This is not to say the members of the media are uncaring. They have witnessed this war in a way that has never been done before and they too have paid a heavy price. But they are compelled to keep their readers informed. I am compelled to protect the soldiers and their families. So we compromise to protect the rights these men and women are fighting to preserve and to share with this new democracy. The media are given enough detail to inform the public, but we reserve enough so the soldiers' families can learn of their loved ones’ sacrifices through the quiet dignity of a chaplain.

The war continues. There are great sacrifices being made over here everyday. It was a difficult Memorial Day for the Soldiers serving in Iraq. I just wanted to let you know.

"I just have to take this call"

So you think you have trouble with cell phones in your classrooms or with your children. Over here, cell phones take on a whole new set of difficulties.

One of the greatest threats is the IED (improvised explosive device) and more recently the EFP (explosively formed projectile). These are nasty devices which have been developed by the insurgents to kill Coalition soldiers, but more importantly, to turn the American public against the war in Iraq by continuing to produce casualties on the battlefield. Al-Qaeda doesn’t want to stick around for the explosion so they have developed a whole series of remote detonation devices. And one of the most effective is the cell phone. They simply watch for a soldier to come passing by, call the phone that is wired into the explosive, and the circuit is complete, the soldiers have been hit, and the operative has escaped because he can call from such great distances.

Lately we have had an influx of female suicide bombers. The assassins have taken advantage of our respect for the Arabic culture in which we do not interact with Iraqi women, which also produces difficulty at checkpoints where we search. Just last week a checkpoint was attacked by a 16-18 year old girl who walked up to the gate crying. We have a natural inclination to want to console. What the guards failed to realize was she was crying because she had explosives strapped to her body and was ordered to walk up to the guards and if she did not her family would be killed. She did not detonate the device herself, it was remotely detonated by someone with a cell phone. I am sad to say this is not an isolated case.

And all of this leads me to today. The most trusted security people here are the Peruvian guards. If you want it safe, put a Peruvian at it. They are a very professional army. In the center of the green zone is a checkpoint in which you are inspected twice at least for your identity and your car is carefully inspected for explosives. This is a no nonsense place. There are lots of machine guns trained on you, and barriers to separate your engine from your car, if you attempt to ram the gate. The order of the place is, turn off your cell phone, and put it where it can plainly be seen, away from your hands. Make no quick moves. Do as you are told, and everyone will be safe. If you don’t know what to do, put your hands up where they can be seen and wait for the guard to give you the next set of instructions.

Today there was a standoff at this checkpoint. The Iraqi army was convoying through the checkpoint and the leader of the patrol was on “an important call” so he did not turn off his phone. The Peruvians responded appropriately with an escalation of force. Before you knew it, both the Peruvians and the Iraqis had all of their weapons “locked and loaded” with excited exchanges of yelling in Arabic and Spanish. Neither side was sure what the other was saying, but the guns were about to translate. It was a tense 10 minutes before the “international zone police” showed up to quell the bloodbath that was just one trigger pull away.

I can understand both sides. The Peruvians are not about to let a vehicle potentially loaded with explosives pull up with a detonator in the driver’s hand. Suicide bombers blow up checkpoints several times every week. From the Iraqi perspective, it is their country and they have to be upset by being told where they can go by soldiers from all over the world. It is a tense peace.

Fortunately, both armies had the discipline to hold their triggers. They settled the moment through diplomacy, though heated. These two groups of men, from different sides of the world, speaking unfamiliar dialects, both demonstrated the hope we all have for this war. In the end, they all went home tonight. No one was killed, and each man now realizes just how delicate of a peace we manage here.

A peace almost shattered, because a guy “just had to take that call.”

Meet Checkpoint Charlie

There are a great number of stray dogs roaming around Iraq. Soldiers who miss their pets back home have used to "adopt" these strays. The Army, out of fear of disease and infestation of fleas, created a policy that prohibits servicemembers from taking in these animals during their stay here.

But this has not prevented the Peruvian guards, a group of contracted soldiers from South America, from adopting Checkpoint Charlie, who gets his name from the famous checkpoint that separated East and West Berlin during the years after World War II up until the fall of the Berlin Wall in the late 80s.

I first met this dog about a week ago when I was going through a security checkpoint. He was just laying around like a dog will do when it is 100 degrees in the shade. He would occasionally get up to find a better spot when his shade moved, but I must say, he is a pretty unremarkable dog.

It is said that if you want to get shot in the green zone, the fastest way to make it happen is to kick this dog. The guards have made him their own. And while American soldiers are deployed for 15 months, the boys from Peru are often here for three years or more. If you can't have your wife and kids around, you may as well have a dog, even if he is a mut. So in the absence of their families, these guys have created a whole new family, complete with the family dog.

I talked with the guards about Charlie and they said he just came around a few years ago, looking so hungry and homeless they had to give him some scraps. Well, we all know where that went. The dog kept coming arounds finally making himself at home at the checkpoint. This led to the guards laying claim to the pooch.

I have heard tell that on some days the dog will lay right in the middle of the road. Do the guards move the dog? No. They close the lane to traffic so their dog can get some rest. Imagine an old dog quietly sleeping while mortar rounds impact and rockets explode. But he rests easlily because he has a guard posted to ensure no one dares wake him, let alone run him over. Ah, the absurity of war.

So in the midst of all of the chaos and confusion that is present in any warfare, there is a dog, who is the most carefully protected dog in the world. He has a personal security detail made up of Peruvian guards, who may just shoot on sight, any person who dares "kick their dog".

Today when I left the "pink zone", the Peruvians caught Charlie for me so I could bid him goodnight. After all, it was a close as I could come to patting my own dog on the head. "Good night Jack".

How do you communicate with an Iraqi?

Thursday I participated in a press conference with a general and one of the Government of Iraq Ministers. It was interesting to say the least.

One of our responsibilities is to assist the armed forces network in putting on a press conference twice a week. This is quite an undertaking because of the security considerations. We have to get reporters into the Green Zone, credential them to verify their affiliation, and then coordinate with the crews and interpreters.

This conference was focused on several points, but the one that caught my attention was the school issue. The minister reported that last week a school was raided by gunmen who held the principal and students at gunpoint because they objected to the education of Iraqi children. He went on to report how the teachers stood up to the terrorists in support of their students. We certainly have our problems with school shootings in America, but nothing compared to armed gunmen taking over an entire school. It just made me think of how good we have it.

After this example of how the Iraqi people are standing up to tyranny, he went on to tell of how last week a man who had joined the Iraqi army was conducting a security patrol in a Baghdad neighborhood. The target of the raid was his own home which had been taken over by insurgents. The minister said the man told him he gladly blew up his own house because he knew that it meant Iraq was now closer to being safe for his family. The minister said, "The Iraqi people have sacrificed more than the American People will ever realize".

I found it interesting how the minister from Iraq spoke in terms of stories to express his position on issues while the American general spoke in terms of data. The American military loves data to support our plans.

It just made me wonder if we can even communicate, a nation focused on facts, figures, and charts attempting to communicate to a people who speak through metaphor.

The difference in our language is more than Arabic and English, it is an entire cultural experience of how we express ourselves. We have much to learn.

"All Quiet in Sadr City?"

The mortar and rockets attacks stopped for over 24 hours. There has been much discussion about the supposed cease-fire arranged between al-Sadr and the GoI (Government of Iraq). And I must say it has been a quiet piece of time with little interruption from indirect fire. Usually we get 5-10 attacks a day. Yesterday and last night, none. But all good things must come to an end.

This morning I was up taking a shower after a good run. I usually get up around 4:30 a.m. It is really quiet and there is a stillness that makes for a relaxing workout. Iraqi mornings are fantastic with a cool, gentle breeze, combined with the dry air which allows you to not break a sweatno matter how hard you run. But little did I know about the sweat that was heading my way. While I was showering after the run what should I hear but the "incoming" sirens. Now I tell you, it is a tough choice, rush out to the bunker naked yet safe, or to just accept fate and finish your shower? A buddy of mine had just gotten out of his shower and had lathered up his face for a good shave when the alarm sounded. He had not yet dressed, but had taken the time to wrap a towel around himself. So there we sat in the bunker wrapped in towels, covered with shaving cream, and with others who had rolled out of their beds in various states of dress. We have pictures, but sadly I cannot post them for security reasons. Iraq is such a funny place.

And then all was quiet again for the entire morning. But of course I was working so was not to be interrupted. But at lunch time, a couple of other officers stopped by my wing of the Palace to invite me to lunch.

You know that is the thing about mortars, they seem to come at the most inopportune times. So we were eating lunch, and because it is such a beautiful Iraqi day, we took our meals to the picnic area outside of the fortified dining facility. That proved to be a mistake. We were having a nice discussion and enjoying our all-American burgers and fries, with the only menace in the area being an agressive bird who was an obvious al-Sadr supporter. And right in the middle of a great big bite of cheeseburger, just when I had begun to chew, the "incoming" sirens went off. Well I have never seen a picnic area clear so fast.

In a few minutes the "all clear" was sounded, but it had been a total loss. The bird had achieved what Al-Sadr had not...my cheeseburger was gone, not as a result of indirect fire, rather from the other "criminal".

So while the GoI may have declared a cease-fire, I have not.

"Life's been good to me so far"

I know, I know, it looks like I am on vacation at Saddamland. And, I am thankful for the ammenities he has provided, though it was to the detriment of his entire nation.
This is where I do my morning physical training (PT) in a effort to work off all the great chow (food) that is graciously provided by the state department. We are well cared for.
But this is what makes this place so surreal. Just the other night I was sitting on the other side of the pool drinking a bottle of water (we consume several gallons a day) and eating a bag of popcorn while enjoy the beautiful nighttime sky and the cool breeze when the "take cover" alert sounded. Sitting by the pool is no place to endure 122mm rocket fire so it was time to end the relaxation and get into a bunker.
As I sat in the bunker waiting for the "all clear", I couln't help but think about the contrasts that are presented in this and I suppose in any war.
I am truly thankful for the assignment I have been given. As an English teacher there is probably no better assignment in Baghdad. It is just as so many war correspondents have reported in the past. War is a thing of great contrast. There is a definate mixture of the beautiful and the horrible, reality and the surreal, great kindness mixed with the worst hate possible.
I my short time here this has proven true. I can't help but wonder what the year will bring.

Journalists Endure Great Hardships

*Let me being by appologizing for the general lack of detail in these reports. In an effort to protect the security of our personnel I have purposely remained vague concerning many facts.
I have the utmost respect for the journalist who cover this war. They endure all of the hardships the soldiers do.
The scene a couple of nights ago when we were awaiting transport to the IZ was remarkable. Along with the scores of military personnel awaiting a ride into Badhdad, were also the reporters from media outlets around the world. And while we are equipped with the best body armor that money can buy, they bring with them whatever their agency provides.
They are here to ride along with the coalition units so they can get as accurate a story as possible. This is one of our best opportunites to counter propoganda. There is nothing like being here to "get it". We connect them with military units who then transport and feed them while they get their story. It has to be quite an experience for them.
In the middle of this scene the truck showed up to load out the equipment and standing in the human chain that loaded were the people of the world. There was a british woman with a derby on her head and a bullet proof vest on her torso. There was a man from Jamaica with dreadlocks reaching down over his shoulders, capped with a traditional Jamaican multi-colored hat. There was a 7 foot tall reporter from Bosnia running around blowing into a Kazoo. I looked at my friend and asked, "Is this real?" It occurred to me that this is the part of the war that simply has not been reported.
One one of the challenges is taking night photos in Iraq. There is so much dirt in the air that flash photography always results in spots in the photos.
The is interesting how focused the internation media is on this war. Most of the reporters who traveled into the war zone with us were not American. I am not sure what to make of this but will pay close attention and comment in the future.

When we got up the next morning we found ourselves at the United States Embassy located at the Republican/Presidential Palace on the Tigrus River. The place is quite impressive covering over 1.4 square miles..

After all the time we had spent in the desert we were excited to see grass and trees. We are told that the complex is built on an ancient oasis so it has a microclimate that is cooler than the rest of the region. We will test that theory.

It is time to go to work....hope you all have a great day.

When we arrived at the Baghdad airport we had to offload and sort all of our gear from the other units that were on the plane with us. By now the sun was up and beating down on us and we had several hundred heavy bags to sort and then reload onto trucks for transport over to our temporary housing at the airport. We would have to wait until the middle of the night to catch our ride to our final destination in the city.

We had missed chow at the dining facility so we found the PX and as on all military bases, apparently even in the middle of the war, there is a Burger King. So what is a good Michigan boy to do but order a breakfast sandwich value meal. Good stuff. And the really cool Coke can with the Arabic writing set the whole meal off nicely.

You may notice the tarp that is over my head. The army has these staged all over the FOBs to provide shelter from the sun. They do a nice job of breaking shading the sun while still allowing the perpetual breeze to blow.

Transport from Kuwait to Iraq

Early in the morning we arrived at the airbase to fly from an airbase in Kuwait to Baghdad International Airport. We had been up since before midnight and had taken a long bus ride across the desert to get to the airbase.

When we arrived we were restricted to tents to await manifest. They had tight security; even to go to the bathroom you had to get permisson. We passed the time doing what all good Michigan residents do when we have time on our hands....no we didn't eat...we played Euchre....

Finally the time came and we moved with members of other units to the tarmac and began loading the plane. I got a great seat on the wall...the last seat so I could look out the back of the plane.

Once we were all on board they loaded all of our gear with a massive forklift. We had a total of three pallets of personal gear and equipment.

The C-17 is a massive aircraft so it was quite a unique experience as it lifted off the ground. I have flown in quite a number of military aircraft but for some of our soldiers it was their first flight on with the airforce. Let us say that all of the comforts of commercial are gone....no insulation so you see all the wiring and hoses, I sat on webbed jumpseats and kicked my feet up on the cargo.

The battery for my camera had been exhaused by shooting several flash shots and days in the desert, but I looked over my left shoulder and discovered an electrical outlet so I was in luck. I plugged it in and the plane didn't crash so all was well.

The most exciting part was the landing at Baghdad. It was not a normal landing, rather one filled with lots of maneuvering of an aircraft capable of transporting armored vehicles. Now there is an experience. I am happy to say that no one near me threw up so it was a good flight.

We were safely on the ground in Baghdad.