Running track

Running track
May 31, 2005

Hard to run here. I want to sleep later than I should, because I stay up later than I should. With the heat, the middle of the day is not a good time for me to try and run. The temp is about 100 degrees and the humidity is very low. The dehydration factor is high for everyone. The command has posted signs and sent emails to everyone with charts on the risks of dehydration and heat injuries. What I need is more excuses to not work out! Today the electricity was off in the gymnasium for generator repair. Not fun to use the treadmill or exercise bike in a gym with no circulation. So my roommate and I decided to walk. Walking here is a great way to lose weight because of the heat and the extra weight of the battle gear. We took a two and a half mile hike around our compound. The back part of the compound is where this picture was taken.

There is really only a one mile route that we can take, but if you take it twice and add more on both ends, we got a good hour of hiking in. We wore our battle rattle ‘cause we had to. But we also wore our shorts and PT shirts with lots of sun block and our shades. We still want to look good. The guy in the background is running….dumb in my opinion. When we got back to the trailer, the electricity was still off but the shower was working. Relief.

Carry the Camera!

I brought three cameras with me to Iraq. Why can’t I remember to have one with me when I need it? I got on the helicopter the other day to fly to Balad. I was totally excited to have my camera for a 30 minute flight over Baghdad and the countryside on a beautiful day. I took my first picture of myself holding the camera at arm’s length before we took off. That was the last of the batteries. My camera went dead! I had extra batteries in the front pocket of my backpack. My backpack was seatbelted in the seat opposite me, but we were taking off. The doors were open and we quickly reached 100 miles an hour. Not a good time to rummage through the backpack! The soldier across from me did not choose the right seat. He was in the slipstream and was blasted by the wind the whole time. He used one hand to hold both his helmet and his sunglasses on and the other hand to stop the shoulder straps from the seat next to him from slapping him in the face.
What a beautiful flight. We flew over great scenery; flocks of birds UNDER the helicopter is always cool to me. We flew over flocks of sheep and goats being herded by families at the edge of their family homes of mud.
Kids are the same everywhere. When we would fly over children, they would wave. I took it as my job to wave back. The crew chief had to man his machine gun and could not wave. I was the only person on that side of the helo and had free hands. We flew with the doors open due to the heat and I had unobstructed view of our flight path. The children, whether in the city or county, would wave and try and get a response. When I would wave and they could see me, some would jump in circles and I could see them yelling at one another. I don’t speak Arabic or nor could I hear them, but I’ve got to believe that they would say what any child would say, “He waved back!!”
If I had been carrying my camera, I would have missed the chance to wave. And waving was fun.

ABC News

ABC news showed up at the chapel today to videotape our chapel service. As I walked up to the door of the chapel, two people were standing there waiting for me. The man had a “PRESS” pass around his neck and snubbed out his cigarette as I walked up. He said, “Chaplain Powell, we have been waiting for you. We are from the PRESS and would like to tape your service today.” I was immediately suspicious and had thoughts of cameras roaming the chapel and boom mikes in people’s faces. Actually the crew was very polite and considerate. There was a Navy officer from Public Affairs that was their escort who had made all the arrangements for them to be at the Embassy. Their plan was to shoot some short sound bites and put together a segment to be shown on Memorial Day evening news about how the military commemorates the war dead in a combat zone.
My sermon was about extending grace. God extended His grace to us when we were undeserving and we were not even aware of Him overlooking our sins committed in ignorance. We now have the opportunity, even during war, to extend grace to those who are around us. The sermon was very well received and for me, it was emotionally draining.
After the service, the video crew wanted to get more sound bites and shots of soldiers visiting. The reporter talked to me about how I manage to bolster soldiers’ spirits during this time of conflict. I said something along the lines of, “our goal here is not war and destruction, but peace. As long as we focus on our outcome and our goal, we can manage to stay connected. We are all missing our families and share a sense of loneliness and separation. But when we gather as a community of faith, we are able to see in another that we are not alone, but share a common faith and a hope for the future.”
She then asked, “And what would you be doing on Memorial Day if you were home?” That was not a good question for me at the time. “I would be in North Carolina probably headed to the beach.” The cameraman moved to another angle and went behind me. It was then that the reporter noticed the tears in my eyes at my last comment. I smiled through the tears as she asked, “I notice the tears. What are you thinking?” “My wife and I have been married 31 years. My daughter is home from college. This is a holiday weekend when we are always together. I miss them both very much and wish I were there.” She then asked, “How do you manage and still take care of the people around you?” “What we are doing here is very important and will bring peace to people for generations. We all miss our families and friends greatly, but know that the price we pay now will pay off for years to come. We trust that it will all be worth it.”

Traveling

Sorry for not posting for the last week.
I have been "out of town"
Monday I wasted the day being tour guide for my boss.
Tuesday I was busy catching up on work that I missed.
Wednesday I wasted the day being tour guide for the boss' deputy.
I flew out of the IZ Wednesday to Balad, to Anaconda, one of the largest military posts in the Mid East.
I spent Thursday and Friday presenting a training seminar on Suicide Awareness called ASIST for a group of folks in Balad.
I flew back into town on Saturday, spent some of that day being tour guide to another chaplain who flew with me from Balad and had never been to the area.
Sunday is church and more work to catch up on .... now I am caught up and will post some blogs.
My computer got "reconfigured" to be better. I lost all my email from the past as well as my internet links and the ability to use my USB ports. I cannot get my pictures downloaded until the wonderful IT folks get back to my office and fix their fixes.

We need your help....

Interesting take on how words are important in this country and perhaps we should pay more attention to ours. Here are two examples that I encountered in the last three days:
I recently sat in a meeting involving the new TIPS line for the IRAQI people to use. There is a hot line they can call to report any insurgents or criminals. There has been good response to the line and many of the Iraqi nationals are rising up and standing against the insurgency. Now that they have the assurance that reporting malfeasance does not mean they will be killed, they want the hoodlums off their streets. The opening sentence of one of the advertisements was, “The Iraqi police would like your assistance…” I recommended that we say, “The Iraqi police need your help…” The director in charge of the advertisement said that we could not say that. For us to say that we need help would be to imply that we were incompetent and unable to do our job. To ask for help is appropriate, but to need help is to be weak and incompetent.
Last week’s NY Times ran an article in which a senior ranking military officer said that he was disappointed in the slow progress being made by the Iraqi military and police training. While I had lunch today, I spoke with one of the men responsible for that training. He was amazed at how far the Iraqis have come. He said that they have absolutely no foundation upon which to draw. Their literacy rate is not as far as we had anticipated. They have very little concept of what being a police officer or soldier is about. They have not reference point to draw from that is healthy. The only law and military involvement for their whole lives has been from Saddam’s henchmen, whose only rule was “might makes right.” They have no concept of policies and procedures or how to fulfill what we would regard as simple tasks as either a police officer or a soldier. However, what is amazing is that they are willing to stand in a line to get a job, knowing that many people who stand in such a line get blown up or shot dead. For our spokesman to say that he is “disappointed” strikes the heart of the Iraqis. They do not want to be a disappointment. They want to be a success. I can think of a number of ways to take the sting out of being disappointed. Perhaps “our training program was not designed as clearly for the new recruits and will take longer than we anticipated” or “we did not anticipate some of the requirements necessary to complete their training would involve such an extended time line.” I am sure the officer meant well, and he is trained to lead U.S. forces, but he could probably do well with a bit of “finishing” school.

Sunday Prayer

General Casey asked for a prayer once a week after our regularly scheduled update. We have a battle update with the primary staff each day. The CG asked that the chaplains offer a prayer at the conclusion on Sunday. Yesterday was my day to pray. I took some time the session earlier to make sure that I had a headset and knew which buttons to push to talk. The guys sitting around me jabbed jokes my direction and one promised to start poking me with his ink pen if I went too long in the prayer.
The event came off well. The people heard me clearly and the General appreciated the prayer.
For your use, here it is.

As we pause from our busy lives, may we be reminded that there is no higher effort than to work for peace. May we shift our focus from winning war to that of establishing peace in this land. May we have a future focus and remind ourselves and those around us that our efforts are not for ourselves, but are for those of this land and their children and their children’s children; for the generations yet unborn. Bless our families who bravely await our return. Grant them grace during this time of sacrifice. Strengthen our families who often pay the higher price of separation while we are away and bless our homes with peace. Confound and confuse those whose purpose is only for havoc and desolation. May they stumble in their path of destruction and have their plans come to nothing.
May the leaders responsible for the new birth of freedom in this country and all of us who support their efforts be granted wisdom for the decisions ahead and strength to fulfill the pursuit of peace. And may we all, though trained in battle and equipped for war, each live out our days in peace.
Amen

Saddam in his underwear

What public outrage over an old man in his tighty whiteys! Muslims are offended that a man would be shown in such indecency. In a culture where modesty is a very dominant theme, a man in his underwear is offensive to many people. (Others find it funny that the great leader is shown literally with his pants down). A British tabloid published pictures this past week of Saddam Hussein in his jail cell wearing only his white underwear. Some Muslims are outraged and Saddam's lawyer has promised to sue everyone possible.
The U.S. MP who took the picture is in big trouble if ever discovered. My guess is that he used a small picture phone to do the deed and he got the bucks for the photos. If and when the commander discovers who violated security and how that was done, someone will pay dearly with their career. The ‘unnamed senior officer’ who said that the pictures were released to ‘break the back of the insurgency’ has absolutely no idea what he is talking about. Where he came up with that idea and why he thinks that is true is a mystery to those of us here. There is even a possibility, depending on which JAG officer you talk to, that publishing the photos violated the Geneva Convention. The Convention states that it is a violation of the Convention Charter to show Prisoners in humiliating or degrading situations that can be used as propaganda against the enemy. We can let the lawyers fight that one out.
Last night, while sitting by the pool after work, a number of us discussed the photos. Already some of the pictures have been “doctored” and resent on the web. One already has the underwear sporting the “Michael Jordan underwear logo” on the band and has Saddam with a tattoo on his arm that is a heart logo with “Imam” stenciled across the red heart where “Mom” would normally be tattooed.
Then one of the fellows in our group brought us back into focus. He returned earlier that day from a photo documentary trip. His job is to provide photo and video documentation for use in war crime trials. His most recent photos were of a mass grave of 150 women and children that Saddam ordered murdered. There is another grave that he is scheduled to visit of up to 1,000 victims. The government only disinters a “representative” number of bodies for trial evidence, the recovers the rest of the crime scene for later DNA and disposition. If families reclaim and rebury all the bodies, then that could be construed as tampering with evidence and not entered into the upcoming Saddam trial. So the remains continue as they are. Our friend goes to photo and video the sites and comes back somber.
He continued his story. “There is all this outrage about an old man in his underwear. Where is all the outrage for the thousands of innocent victims of his own country that were murdered and buried and forgotten?”

Karaoke in the evening

Evening entertainment is rather sparse here. One option is to finish the work day, go back to the trailer and watch television. Only one person can watch the television because there are no chairs and the beds are at opposite ends of the trailer, with four feet between the ends of the beds. The T.V. cannot be arranged so that both can watch at the same time. Plus, the T.V. is boring in the evenings anyway. The other option is to sit by the pool. Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) does a good job of trying to provide entertainment throughout the time we are here. Two nights ago we had the “Ambassadors of Hollywood.”

Well, actually one was sick so we had a couple of folks here. One was Superman, Dean Cain. The other was a woman I had never heard of. People just stood around waiting to get their photo taken or get a signed picture. I did not even bother taking my camera out of my pocket. Very lame. Mr. Cain is handsome, but I really did not need a picture of a handsome guy in my portfolio.
The next night was karaoke. I have not done it, will not do, refuse to do it. But I did enjoy sitting with my friends and listening. Our local entertainment, as bad as some were, was actually fun because it was so local/weak and off key.

One of the singers joked, “hey, you can’t take this seriously. I am not getting paid for this so just shut up!” We heard “Ring of Fire,” “The Woman is a Tramp” and the list went on. Fortunately, Janet called for our evening chat and I had to leave….
Can’t wait to hear what is on for tonight.

Should we stay or go?

Amazing number of articles written in various news agencies about whether or not the U.S. should abandon its efforts in IRAQ. Yesterday on CNN, an email poll was conducted on “should we stay or go?” USA Today published two opinions, one in favor of the work that is happening, the other, written by two Democratic representatives wrote about that we are in “a quagmire” with “echoes of Vietnam.”
I wonder who made these people experts on this country’s issues? I am sure that I am not an expert and taking an internet poll should not be the way that we determine foreign policy. Having Democrats compose a poorly written and logically flawed article surely doesn’t help clarify a very complex situation. The two esteemed representatives in Congress’ writers don’t do math well, nor understand history. The article states that “Forty-one months after the United States entered World War II, we had achieved victory in Europe. We've been in Iraq for over half that period. What reasonable person would say we have reached the halfway point in Iraq?” If my calculations are correct, forty-eight months after entering the war (Dec 41-Dec 44), we were bogged down in the Battle of the Bulge and 3d Army was trying to break through the lines to rescue our Soldiers freezing in the Ardennes Forest. We were balancing on the precipice of disaster for the first two full years of engagement. But histrionics can replace history if yelled loudly enough.
I wish that the pundits and experts could talk to the Iraqis that are here and listen to the leaders as they address the people. General Casey spoke last week of an address from a high-ranking Iraqi official. (Name and locations deleted for security issues). The leaders were visiting one of the many U.S. supported training centers strategically situated around the country. The Iraqi leader’s first and most important comments were, “Thank you for freeing our country. Thank you for the sacrifice you have made. Thank you for bringing Democracy to our land.” General Casey’s comment when he spoke of the event later, was along the lines of, “nothing compares to seeing the faces of our soldiers and the Iraqi soldiers when they are appreciated for their hard work and sacrifice for this country.” His comments remind me of one of my present day heroes, Afghani President Hamid Karzai. He appreciated the U.S. Soldiers’ sacrifice and said as much in a White House meeting with the President in 2003. “You have left so much behind to come and free my country.”
When one of the pundits reads the headlines of another killing and car bombing, when they read the statistics of another group murdered and dumped in the water of the Tigris, I wonder if they remember the recent history of Saddam’s gassing entire villages of Kurds, or kidnapping young girls for his orgies or dissenters watching their entire family murdered before their eyes before they themselves were slaughtered. The struggle for freedom is long and hard. Part of the difficulty is that former regime loyalists and murderers are still armed and dangerous. They lived for 35 years believing that murder and terror is the way to rule a country; the way to establish power and hold position. Rooting out the dissidents is only part of the equation. The other part of the challenge how to change the mentality and belief that murder and ethnic cleansing is a valid option to improving a people’s life. Some that I have talked to believe that a full generation must pass before there is true change in how business is conducted. They admit that if the Israelites had to die off for a generation in the wilderness to begin thinking differently, then why not these? We won’t be here that long, but history will probably bear us out.

Secretary of State

Dr. Condoleeza Rice paid a surprise visit to the Palace here. She came to area as part of a combined visit to the Iraqi Transitional Government. Fox and CNN each announced the visit before it was announced here in Baghdad. There is no such thing as a “secret visit” by someone such as the Secretary of State, but our security folks would appreciate a bit more consideration by the news media. There is not anything gained by announcing a “pending” visit to a war zone, other than to be the first on the news with the announcements. The trade off with the security issues are always a consideration. Then once she was in the building, someone made an announcement over the PA that “The Secretary of State, Dr. Condolezza Rice, is in the rotunda.” When I had breakfast this morning with one of the security Marines, he was still shaking his head over that announcement. I would like to think that we are safer here than elsewhere, but security personnel are always anxious until the High Value Target is out of the area.
I did not see her when she was here. I was trying to get into the building and the door was blocked. I had to walk around the building to a far entrance to get to my office. Then I heard the announcement. The rotunda was crowded and those who went had difficulty seeing. I had a meeting in an adjoining room and could not get there. The Iraqi government officials who were supposed to attend the same meeting could not get onto the compound grounds without a 45 minute wait. Our meeting was delayed. While I was waiting, I went back to the rotunda. The “handlers” had moved people into special groups for photo ops with the SecState. There was an MP detachment here in line, a group of translators, State Dept directors, other groups all lined up on risers or along hallways waiting for her to come by, stand in the predesignated place and have the picture taken. All in all, a very nice gesture on her part to be here and many people got to get close to her and have their picture taken. I went to my meeting and tried to stay awake.

Happy feet

I have written in the past about the “squatters” at the Iraqi National Theater. They are a collection of about 160 folks that, for the most part, have no where to live. The conditions are deplorable, but for some, that is all they have. No toilets, hot wired electrical connections, dirty drinking water from a single water hose. The Chaplain section combined with a group of medical personnel, Civil Affairs soldiers and Civil-Military liaison officers to provide a humanitarian mission. I was out of town at my conference, and sure wish that I had gone. The highlight was giving out shoes for the children. Many had no shoes. Others had only the bare minimum. The difficulty we encounter in this type of situation is the medical needs. According to one of the doctors on the mission, “We found cases of scabies, lice, and meningitis,” said the master sergeant. This medical treatment, provided by the coalition and the Iraqi doctors working with them on this visit, has been the only medical help many of these landless dwellers have seen in a long time. Dr. Ali of the coalition-supported Civil-Military Iraqi Assistance Center said he saw cases of severe diarrhea, peptic ulcer, and typhoid fever among those that passed through his medical station. According to the Iraqi doctor, much of these problems are due to the poor sanitation conditions of their living environment.
It will take time to get them into adequate housing. Some have absolutely no where to go at this point.
Many folks in the States have tried helping, but getting the supplies here is difficult at times. There is not a banking system, so sending checks is not an option. There are limited helping agency outlets, so many boxes are simply sent “to the chaplain.” It is amazing what shoes can do, though. I am disappointed that I gave away a dozen pair of used running shoes that these folks would consider a great gift.


Used children’s shoes that can be bought for a few dollars would keep the kids from walking through this kind of place barefooted. If I had the wherewithal, I would clean out the Salvation Army and Thrift Shops and help a few dozen kids, and their parents.


to learn more about the mission we help, go to the web site http://www.refugeradio.com and click on "letters from the field" SSG Walsh is the NCO here in my office.

Sleeping with Men

Sleeping with Men
May 13, 2005

May 11th was the 31st wedding anniversary for Janet and me. I think that I got the better end of the deal. We talked on the phone a couple of times during the day and that was nice. Her card to me made it the day before when I was in the I-Z, and my flowers to her made it on time (because I had a friend deliver them for me). I was out of the office most of the day traveling and attending the Chaplain conference at Camp Victory so I am glad that the card came a day early. I carried the card with me to the conference.
I was not sure where I would sleep, other than a “tent” which is where all the transients passing through Camp Victory stay. I decided not to bother with a sleeping bag because one of my buddies said that he would provide me with one when I arrived. When I told Janet about where I was staying, she laughed and said, “Sleeping in a tent with a group of men. That is just perfect for you on your anniversary.”
I checked in with the billeting officials and found my tent early in the day. The clerk said that the electricity was out. I said that it did not matter, because I did not need a night light. He laughed and said the electricity was not for the lights, it was necessary for the air conditioning. “Oh, yeah. Now I get it.” The temp at that time was 103 and in an enclosed tent, that can be deadly.
After the conference, I walked to the tent. The map I had was not helpful. I walked an hour in order to find something that was really only a few hundred yards away from where I started. I arrived and waited for my sleeping bag. At 10:00 I lay down on my cot and decided to doze until my buddy showed up with my bag. I awoke at midnight freezing cold. My sweaty socks and T-shirt got cold from the a/c. I put my DCU’s back on and pulled on my boots to warm up. Then back to sleep. I slept fitfully through the night and got up early enough so that it was still the night before in N.C. I called Janet again to wish her a happy anniversary. I was sleepy all day.
When I got to the conference, my buddy asked why I had not come to his office for the sleeping bag. Not wanting him to feel bad, I said that I decided not to use one and that I was fine without it….Next time I will know better.

Taxi Ride

I love flying in helicopters. Driving is scary and things blow up. When you fly, the only thing that blows is the wind. I flew to Camp Victory yesterday, went to a conference and flew back today.

I love flying. The drive from the International Zone and Camp Victory is the most dangerous road on earth. Camp Victory is on the other side of Baghdad from where I am. The flight is the most fun. Those who have business traveling around the theater try to get on flights. This includes military, Department of Defense contractors and others who are here for the good of the cause. Even though the distance is only 7-9 miles from the I-Z to Victory, depending on who measures, the flight is about 7 minutes long. I talked to a buddy of mine in Victory and invited him to come and visit me and we would have dinner and solve world problems. He declined. He said that whenever he was in the area, he would let me know and drop by. I told him just to hop a helicopter and come in to visit. For him to travel, he has to put in a request with a specific destination and itinerary, and submit it through command channels. Then a 9 member security detachment is assigned to him in three vehicles and they escort him wherever he needs to go. He said that it is not right to jeopardize his security detachment just to “drop by and see me.” For this last trip, the officer that invited me to the conference filled out a form on line, and sent the website link to me on secure email. I opened the attachment, memorized the flight number and time, showed up and left.

On my return, I was at the helipad an hour early, and hopped a flight that was passing through with an extra seat. Five minutes after showing up I was in the air. Seven minutes later, I was on the ground. I wish all the flight arrangements were that smooth. Now I am back at the office much too soon to quit for the day, so I guess that I have to work.

Getting the Finger

The date of the Iraqi elections is a watershed day for their country. January 30, 2005 is now commonly recognized as the date when the Iraqis became a democratic country. The effort now is to ensure stability and growth in the fledgling democracy. Here is my take on the significance of the elections and what they will mean in the coming months and years:
The Sunni minority decided to boycott the elections. There were published threats that any who voted stand the probability they would be killed for siding with (fill in the blank with “U.S.” or “unlawful government” or “illegal election procedures” or whatever you want. The Sunnis opted not to participate in the electoral process. Remember that there had not been a democratically elected government in Iraq since forever. Since Saddam had been in power for over 20 years, the established government worked just fine for those who were in power.
Now Democracy is having a go. However, when the Sunnis decided to not vote, they thought they were making a stand for the right and for solidarity and nationalism. They were not represented in the results of the election and others (Kurds, Shi’a and others) were voted into power. When the Sunnis saw the dancing in the streets and the national celebration of people assuming, as our own Declaration of Independence says, “the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them,” the Sunnis did a collective “oops, we have made a mistake.”
When I talked to a local Muslim cleric, he said that, as a Sunni, he regrets not “getting the finger.” I needed a few minutes to search my memory files to understand what he meant. Once a person voted, the polling officials required the person to dip their index finger in ink to mark them for the remainder of the day. That eliminated the possibility of voting a second time. This simple act became a symbol of national pride, persona strength and historical significance. This symbol was replicated by our own members of Congress who waved their own inked fingers during President Bush’s State of the Union speech a few days later. This finger waving was a sign of our U. S. solidarity with the Iraqi democratic process.


Backlash: How do you include people in the forming of a government “duly elected by the people” who refused to vote or elect anyone who had their interests in mind? This is the place where true diplomacy occurs. The struggle with democracy is that even when in power, the minority must be protected and represented. There were heated and interesting debates and back office arguments about how democracy works. Some rightly said, “If they don’t vote, they have no voice. That is their fault and their problem.” Others also rightly said, “We should include them in the government because all should have a voice and we need them to solidify our goals.”
When the Imam told me that he regretted that he did not get the finger, he went on to explain the situation. He did not vote under threat of violence or even death. He now struggles about not being brave enough to vote. Those who voted and got the finger made a stand that I think will have repercussions for generations.

More on this later.

Rest easy

I decided to swim for my workout yesterday. The water was great and felt really good considering that the temperature was in the mid-90’s. As I sat down to relax and soak up some sun, I noticed the sunbathers close by.


Here is a picture of our protection force. Notice the body armor vests, the rifles under the chair and the helmets lying by. Hope we aren’t attacked. I don’t think I could handle folks defending my life and liberty wearing bikinis and body armor.

This report came from a Sergeant Major at Abu Grahib: The complex came under sustained and sophisticated attack a couple of weeks ago. Some of the soldiers were in their rooms asleep when the attack first started. The soldiers jumped up from bed, grabbed their rifles and headed for the door to repulse the attack. The SGM said “bullets were falling like rain” into the compound. However, there was a senior NCO at the door of the barracks turning back the soldiers rushing out into the battle. “Go back to your area. Get on your complete uniforms and then come back.” The soldiers were furious! Their buddies were getting shot at the wall and yet no help could arrive until fully dressed. Uniform Police are expanding….

Controlled Detonation

“Attention in the Compound. Attention in the Compound. There will be a controlled detonation in the Embassy Compound in ten minutes.” The intercom interrupts whatever we are doing and we listen. We all check our watches to remind ourselves in case we forget. Five minutes later we hear again over the loud intercom, “Attention in the compound. Attention in the Compound. There will be a controlled detonation in the Embassy Compound in five minutes.” We are reminded again and double check our watches.
Controlled detonations are a normal part of life here. The Fijiian Army sent explosive sniffing dogs to help with our security. There are dogs on patrol on a regular basis throughout the compound. The dogs and handlers have their own special living area on the edge of our compound. Those who miss their dogs at home want to stop and rub noses, but are not allowed to treat them as pets or even talk to them when they are “working.”


One of the more distasteful and bizarre incidents involving dogs occurred a couple of weeks ago. The dogs scented explosive residue at a dumpster outside the hospital that is located a couple of blocks from the Palace. HUGE alert. Explosives in the compound means that the insurgents had penetrated the security. [Three months ago a similar trash dumpster was exploded after the dogs had pointed. No explosives found, but there is still a mangled dumpster by the side of the road.] Now the dogs scented explosives just a few hundred yards from the Palace. The area was cordoned off, traffic rerouted, offices closed, Explosive Ordnance Detachment called. Just before the explosives were set to blow up the dumpster and detonate the explosive inside, someone explained what was really in the dumpster. There had been an explosion the day before and casualties were evacuated to our hospital. Some had died and many were mangled with body parts severed. The separate body parts had been bagged and tagged for disposal by the sanitation department. The dogs had scented the explosives on the bags of remains. We were about to blow up blown up parts. Sick in a bizarre way.
Now we check our watches as we anticipate another controlled detonation. Often deep in our Palace with no windows, surrounded by marble, we hear nothing. This time we heard the blast. The EOD had attached so much explosive to the suspicious package, that the explosion was as large as if there had been a bomb (which there wasn’t).


The blast knocked out windows for hundreds of yards. In the Palace/Embassy, the last count was 29 windows knocked out. Stairways are now closed due to class hanging from window frames 30 feet above the floor. I spoke to the glazier. He knows that as long as this continues, he will have a job.

Terror in the Fist of Justice

There is a new show in town on one of the national satellite television stations. I don’t get satellite, (or understand Arabic) but I watched part of the show at a special screening session here in the Embassy. The new show is called “Terror in the Fist of Justice” on one the Iraqiya national television channels. This new show is taking the population by storm. In the six or so weeks of being broadcast, the show has rocketed to number one and far exceeds any other show in number of viewers. People schedule their dinners and evening activities around the show’s time slot.
This is a show that is simple, with questionable tactics, but unquestionable results. During the show, the accused terrorists sit in front of the camera and explain their actions to a polite off screen interrogator. The interrogator asks the insurgents why they chose to become involved with the insurgency, how much they were paid, how they were organized. Some episodes interview half a dozen people; mostly men but a few women have made an appearance; some foreigners but mostly native Iraqis. Suspects involved in more sophisticated operations are given more time to explain their motivations and actions. After the show, the network follows the presentation with “Public Service Announcements” that show the Iraqi Army and police forces training and working—looking crisp, capable, and professional—followed by TIPs numbers to phone and turn in more alleged terrorists. The confessors look to be in good health, though in one show filmed after the suspects had been identified by witnesses at the police station, one of the suspects had a nasty bruise on his face. A police official asked the crowd what had happened to the suspect, and an older woman admitted that she had hit him with her cane while identifying him to the police. There is no way to tell how much of the confession is coerced, or if any leniency deals are promised.
The primary impact of the show is to strip away the romance associated with the insurgency. The suspects usually do not voice grand justifications for their acts or noble intentions. Most of them say they did it for the money. Audiences feel a sense of disdain for the perpetrators These are not mujahadeen, or freedom fighters; they are simply criminals. Most of these guys are thugs. They seem devoid of emotion or deep motivation or thoughts, for that matter. Drug and alcohol often help fortify their courage before an attack. Some are blackmailed into attacking coalition forces under threat of their kidnapped relatives being killed. Yesterday, a car bomb went off before it reached a U.S. Checkpoint. The soldiers rescued the burning driver and saved his life. After interrogation the authorities discovered that his family had been kidnapped and the only way to rescue them was to drive the car into place so that the insurgents could blow it up when soldiers walked by. As the word gets out about who the insurgents really are, the tide of public opinion turns more against them. People realize that many of these great, feared “freedom fighters” are poor, uneducated bums and thugs looking for a chance to feel good or to get paid a bit more than they could earn at an honest living. At one of our local prisons, there is a teenage boy who was paid the equivalent of 6 months wages to drop hand grenades on top of U.S. vehicles. He was not fighting for a great cause. He was fighting for big bucks.
It turns out that “Terror in the Fist of Justice” is really “thugs getting their just desserts.”

As an additional note:
Here is a link to a Washington Post article about the television show:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26402-2005Apr4.html

Have we turned the corner?

I have a map in my office that shows IRAQ and its neighbors. Superimposed over the country is a matching scale outline of the state of Texas. Texas is very similar in size both north-south and east-west….roughly 800 miles by 800 miles. I keep looking at that map as I hear of attacks in different parts of the country. If I lived in Austin, TX, would I be affected by an attack in Houston, or in El Paso, or in Lubbock? Distances here are shortened because of the electronic media’s ability to show three explosions in disparate locations as if they were all just down the block from each other. I know that the attacks effect the people in the country here, but they still get up in the morning and go to work. The shops and markets function. Schools are open. Mosques have prayers. Babies are born.
The explosions, suicide bombers and small arms fires that occur every day and even hourly cannot be discounted. They are horrible. I can hear the ambulances in the distance at times. As I sit in briefings every day, I see the numbers and remind myself that these are not numbers….they are people who have dreams and hopes as I do. They have children, are children or want children. They want to live in peace as most others do. The killing is done by a lunatic fringe that truly desires anarchy. They have no agenda other than violence. They have no purpose other than death to others. They first targeted U.S. soldiers as the enemy. Then the soldiers became more protected and less vulnerable. The insurgents’ goal was to drive out the soldiers from their country and thereby achieve autonomy. When killing soldiers became difficult because of our armor, then the target shifted to the Iraqi police and military forces who “help the Americans.” Then the target included citizens who “worked with the Americans.” The latest targets are the newly selected members of the Transitional National Authority, who are delegated the responsibility of drafting a Constitution and preparing the country for national elections in December. Their own people have become the targets. This is the heart of an anarchist, whose end is destruction of all that they hope to save. They are deluded, deceived and yet, determined. But I firmly agree with Iraqi national security advisor Mowaffak Rubaie, who, on CNN's "Late Edition" said, "I think we are winning — on the winning course, there is no doubt about it. The level of violence is not measured only by the number of explosions every day, or the number of casualties." I think that the new government is winning. It is not easy nor will it be quick, but I think that the country has turned the corner. More on this later.

Shanty Living

This is the photo of a family living area. The family does not live in the brick building that has the boards and pallets attached. They live in the plywood and pallet structure attached to the brick building.



There are still many displaced people living all around. This family is “fortunate” enough to have a shelter in which they live. When I got my camera out, the men standing outside the lean-to ducked back inside so that they would not be photographed. This is not for modesty, this is for safety. Many Iraqis in the area do not want to be photographed because there are still plenty of anti-coalition and anti-government renegades around that want to kill anyone associated with Americans, the new government or the coalition forces. Keeping your face from being photographed is another step in one’s personal safety code.

addendum: yes, there are people living in the brick house to which the shanty is attached. They are allowing the "neighbors" to share a wall. And Yes, that is a sattelite dish on top. There is no cable television and many of the television towers were destroyed in the initial conflict two years ago. Almost all television is now satellite...even poor people have them.

I Want Your House!

My interpreter came to me last week visibly upset. He seldom gets anxious or upset because of his nature and his position. He came to me and quietly began to explain a disturbing event. The director of one of the orphanages that we support is his good friend. The two of them just finished on the phone. My interpreter explained what happened:
The director of the orphanage was visited the day before by one of the undersecretaries in the new government. He announced that he wanted a new home and had decided that the orphanage is what he wanted. “You need to move out quickly so that I can have the building for my home.” “But what about the children?” “They can go back to the street.”



Well, that type of action and comment always gets the hackles up on folks involved with anti-corruption activity and the establishment of a new government based on democratic principles and rule of law. All I needed to do was drop a couple of emails and the photo of the orphanage and the dust got kicked up.
In the past, taking over a house was not unusual. Saddam Hussein built all of his palaces, retreat centers, as well as military housing divisions on the land of people who were just told to move. They moved out without compensation and their houses were bulldozed to make room for the President. We hope that the new Constitution (still being written) will address rule of law and seizure of property. Nevertheless, people are still pushing the envelope.
Over the next four days, there was a lot of email traffic. Some folks sent me email telling me to call such and such a ministry or director in the Iraqi government and report. I refused. I am not going to rat out someone to the government. I will help Iraqis rat out their own. The goal is that the people become empowered to enforce their own laws.
Now it looks like the matter is being settled. As the story unfolds, the undersecretary is really further down the ladder of authority and was trying to bully his way into power. He was hoping to intimidate the orphanage to move, he would move in, look important, throw receptions and be invited to higher positions of power because of his status and stature. It looks like the rug got pulled from him. The word now is that if he shows back up at the orphanage making demands, the orphanage director is to entertain him long enough for the authorities to arrive and take him to jail.