3/1/07

Hi Everybody,
We finally finished our mission rotation, which had us all over our entire sector. For two days we were out at the IP station across the Euphrates, helping with the recruitment of new policemen. In order to get there, we had to cross the bridge in town; we had done it in humvee's but they wanted us to take Bradleys across. There's just a little bit of weight difference, even if the humvee's are up-armored. A Brad weighs in right around 35 tons...and this bridge doesn't inspire a whole lot of confidence. True, the bracings and beams are all steel, but the decking itself is just sheet metal tack-welded in place. No one was looking forward to this crossing. The dismounted guys (myself included) were going to get out of the Bradley, walk across and pull security as they drove over. Being on the ground gave us a little more confidence; so much so that we were joking with the vehicle crews about making sure they wore the little arm-floaties before they tried driving over. I suggested dropping a brick on the gas pedal, sitting on the top and steering with a broom-handle. Despite our helpful suggestions, the crews decided that they would only drive with the hatches open in case they did take an unexpected dip in the Euphrates. In the end, we all made it across safely. The one thing I did notice as we walked across was that the Euphrates is a lot cleaner than I had imagined. The water is very clear, and doesn't have a brown tinge at all; in fact it looks almost turquoise. The guys that had been over before had all told us how dirty the Tigris was up near Tikrit, and I think most of us were expecting the Euphrates to follow suit. However, it is very clean looking, though this may be because it is larger and faster flowing than the Tigris. Every time we crossed you could see people along the bank fishing, and near the bridge was a large flock of what appeared to be Coot.
Once safely on the other side we went to work; the infantry guys set up their security, and I went inside the compound to see about the days events. Turns out they needed another medic to help with applicant physicals; let me tell you...that was something else. Most of the applicants appeared healthy, but that didn't lessen my concerns about tuberculosis. In addition to having almost no personal hygiene, dentistry is still slow to catch on over here. Most of their breath could have cut through a bank vault. Our physical was pretty basic; check muscle strength, eye movement, pulse at rest and after exertion, and (with some trepidation) lung sounds. Most were clear, though a couple made us wish we had a portable x-ray machine at hand; but since no one had a coughing fit, we felt (relatively) certain we'll be ok. After their physical the applicants went on to a physical fitness test; it wasn't too tough as this was just to determine if they would be accepted into the police academy. I think it was only 20 push-ups, 20 sit-ups and they had them run about 100 meters. It became immediately apparent that this is not a very physical society. There were a handful of surprises, though, as two or three of the applicants actually outran the Soldiers giving the test. Day two was much of the same, though I stayed with my guys outside on security. It always amazes me the different ways with which we keep ourselves entertained; debates over which superhero could beat the others, faults in movies we've seen, practical jokes, our plans for the future, and always stories from home. Out here, being easily amused is a virtue; especially if for the next 8 hours you'll be staring at the same stretch of road.
At first I was wondering how many people would show up to apply, but I needn't have wondered too long. There were so many applicants that we closed the gates early both days. They had filled the quota for the next class of the police academy with no problems. It was nice to see that the applicants all looked eager to be there. This may have been the fact that if accepted they would have a shot at a steady paycheck, but I'm hoping that they also were there because they want to help out their own country. Most of the residents we talk to in town sound like they trust the IP's, though we have found a couple that have had bad experiences. We're hoping to instill in them a sense of pride and integrity so that when we leave the whole system doesn't corrupt and fall apart. There is still a lot of work to be done, though. Progress is being made, though it is slow and tedious.

During the days we weren't helping at the IP station, we went for a couple foot patrols through the town. We usually hit part of the markets in town, which gives the commanders a chance to speak the the shop owners and purchase a couple items. On the last one they found a candy shop and spent a good deal of time "keeping up relations with the locals," i.e. buying a bunch of candy for cheap. Of course, we didn't know about this until later as all the joes (lower enlisted Soldiers) were on the street pulling security. The only thing we knew was that they were in a shop and took way too long, especially as this was during the warmest part of the day. We still managed to have some fun of our own; by pantomiming drinking to the owner of a shop, we had cool beverages run across the street to us by his little boy. We gave him a couple dollars and on his return trip one of my guys gave him a candy bar as well. This area of town seems much more "American-friendly" than some of the others.
At night we walk the streets again, this time knocking on doors and speaking to some of the residents. This is to get an idea of how the population feels about us, about the IP's and IA's, if they have any complaints or if anything needs to be resolved, and also to see if they know of any insurgent activity. They've usually been welcoming, and in several houses we've met people who speak English quite well. Our patrol last night had us walking across our entire sector; it wasn't too bad last night, but its not going to be fun after it gets really hot. We stopped at one house right on the banks of the Euphrates; it was nice even by our standards. Not many people can say their house looks out over one of the oldest rivers in the world. When we entered the courtyard there were 3 guys down at the rivers edge fishing and they wanted to show us their catch; its hard to tell what kind they were under night-vision, but they looked kind of like bass. I think they had 8 or 9 fish when they left. On our way back we walked through one of the markets so we don't take the same route back. In one place some of the residents had strung a volleyball net across the street and had a large game going. Its very apparent that this is a family-oriented society, and everyone in the neighborhood hangs out together in the evenings. We always surprise these groups because we try not to make much noise, and since we use night-vision we don't need flashlights; the end result is us appearing out of the shadows and causing a brief interruption of their game. As soon as we pass we heard the game start right back up, though.

After walking the town for hours we finally got back to base. Most of us had just dropped our gear and grabbed a Gatorade when we heard gun fire in the distance. This isn't uncommon, but when it kept going we realized something was up. Without even knowing what was going on we just threw our gear back on and headed to the Bradleys. (We may have been on foot for the patrol, but we knew we would take the Brads on this one.) After we loaded up we got the radio call that one of the IP stations had gotten attacked. We rolled out and took a house by the IP station; by this time the firing had ended, and we were there in case they came back or if we learned where they had gone. Apparently this house had been hosting a tupperware party or something as there were almost 30 people there. As soon as we had secured the house one of the guys (in broken English and gestures) told me he needed to go to his house because his wife was there with their baby. Why it was so important that he leave right then I never understood, after all he left her there. But in the end we escorted him and his 2 boys home which was only 4 houses down the street. By the time another Soldier and I got back from our escort trip, we were told to head to the IP station to take pics of any bullet holes in the building. I think there may have been 10. Its obvious that there was a lot more outgoing rounds than there were incoming, especially since we listened to most of the "fire fight" and it sounded like WW III had just begun. (My guess is that a couple people had taken some pot-shots at the station, and everyone in the building had returned fire.) After another hour of driving around town and securing deserted stretches of road, we were finally ordered back to base for the night.
Even though I'm off our mission rotation I'm still going out for a 24+ hr mission sometime today. We're running concurrent missions, which means for a while we're going to get even less down time. One of us has to go on the OP, and we'll have another medic out with the patrols and raids. Its not too bad, as I'd rather be out on a mission than sitting here doing nothing. If there are kids in this house they're going to make out pretty well, as I've received several bags of candy in the mail. The resiliency of the children never ceases to amaze me; these children have learned of war not through movies or tv or video games, but with their own eyes, living through it in their own town, often in their own homes. And still they smile. Hope is a powerful weapon.
Time for dinner, and after that I need to pack my gear for tonight. Since its starting to warm up I'm sure we'll be carrying more and more water as the summer drags on.
Thanks for all the emails and packages!

Be back in a couple of days,
Troy

Bad Mustache March

Bad Mustache March

As often happens in War boredom overcomes the most stout hearted soul. Our valiant cotton bailers have fallen into the log honored tradition of watching hair grow. The men of the unit have gotten together and decided to grow bad mustaches. So, until Troy decides to shave this I vote that we no longer refer to troy by the name his parents bestowed upon him at his birth. I feel that troy more aptly resembles someone names Luigi.

Enjoy your mustache Luigi. We can't wait to get you home