Jerhad!com

News from Iraq XX

Hi All and Greetings from Baghdad:

I know I know.  You just got an update and here comes another.  Well, I’m trying to get back on the weekly track.  I’ve got an undercover operation coming up and things are going to happen quick.  So if you don’t hear from me, that’s the reason. 

Things still remain relatively quiet but unfortunately we still sustain casualties.  It still is upsetting no matter how small the number.  One is too many.  I noticed that I don’t see the medivac helo running so much so that’s a good thing. 

The other day I heard quite a bit of gunfire presumably at the check point.  I’ve gotten to the point that I can detect the difference between controlled fire at the range and actual combat fire which is definitely more sporadic.  Even during mass, there was quite a bit of gunfire but I could tell it was coming from the range due to the timing of the shots. 

I just heard a good one about some Marines out on patrol.  Apparently they came on to several insurgents planting ied’s with the use of a donkey and cart.  The insurgents were able to make good their getaway.  However, they left behind the donkey and the cart.  A Marine, a good ol’ country boy from Arkansas, said this would not be a problem.  He freed the donkey and the Marines followed the donkey home whereupon they found the insurgents.  Just simply too neat!!! 

It rained a few days ago and man was it slick.  The tiles around this place get full of mud, then the rain washes off all but just a slick film of mud.  It is so easy to slip and fall, it’s like walking on ice. 

There was a lot of talk earlier this week about the Army being worn out.  Now, I’ll be the first to admit that this country is tough on equipment and there’s no doubt in my mind that we are going to need some new stuff when this is over.  However, if there’s worn out and disgruntled soldiers, I’m not seeing them.  I think I perhaps have encountered one or two with a ‘tude.  All the rest of very top flight with a can do attitude.  I’m sure there are instances wherein the MP’s are dealing with drugs, thefts, fights, and assaults but I don’t know that it is any more prevalent here than it is with the military in non combat positions. 

Speaking of soldiers, I met a unit commander two days ago who may be a year or two younger than I am due to an investigation that I have.  When he came to the office, I noticed a bayonet on his hip that didn’t appear to be the standard issue.  He explained that his father was a paratrooper in WWII and that was his issue bayonet.  He was just proud to be carrying his father’s bayonet during his time in service.  I thought that was pretty neat and admirable.  I’ve actually seen other soldiers carrying memorabilia.  It can range to a campaign hat to family pictures hanging from a backpack zipper. 

On the subject of the state of Iraq, the press never ceases to amaze me of how they can continually focus on the negative aspects of Iraq.  Now I know there’s still an insurgent problem and the Sunnis and Shias are still not completely trustworthy of each other.  There is still a lot of rebuilding to do.  But, there’s been a lot of good that’s gone on here and there’s a lot of things that are running again.  And there sure isn’t much press about that.  I get a lot of personal joy out of having made friends with a lot of Iraqi people who now when they see me, they smile and greet me warmly.  That’s kind of what it’s all about.

Today, I had espresso after lunch with several of my Italian Special Forces friends.  They are a great bunch and I enjoy talking with me.  I think my Italian is terrible and they love to hear me speak it.  They are assigned to NATO in training the Iraqi military.  They showed me one of their training videos.  They are a mountain brigade so they do everything from cross country skiing to jumping for helicopters into lakes and coming out in a raft.  They wanted me to have some Montenegro and Grappa but I told them I had to return to work so I couldn’t indulge.  They gave me an Italian military patch and said they would take me to the Italian Embassy for pizza night.  I can’t wait. 

Oh, speaking of Italians, I have to include the following.  A friend of mine gave me this and I found it very entertaining and in a lot of areas very truthful. 

Subject: Sunday Dinner for Italians

Sunday Dinner for Italians....

  Italians have a $40,000 kitchen, but use the $259 stove from Sears in
the basement to cook.

  There is some sort of religious statue in the hallway, living room,
bedroom, front porch or backyard.

  The living room is filled with old wedding favors with poofy net bows
and stale almonds (they are too pretty to open).

A portrait of the Pope and Frank Sinatra is in the dining room.

  God forbid if anyone EVER attempted to eat Chef Boy-Are-Dee, Franco
American, Ragu, Prego or anything else in a jar or can (tomato paste is
the exception).

  Meatballs are made with Pork, Veal and Beef. We are Italians, we don't
care about cholesterol.

  Turkey is served on Thanksgiving, AFTER the manicotti, gnocchi,
lasagna and soup.

If anyone EVER says ES-CAROLE, slap 'em in the face -- it's SCAROLE.

  If they ever say ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP, let the idiot know that there
is no wedding, nor is there an Italian in the soup. Also, the tiny
meatballs must be made by hand.

  No matter how hard you know you were going to get smacked, you still
came home from church after communion, at which time you stick half a loaf of bread   
in the sauce pot, sneak out a fried meatball and chow down. You'll
make up for it next week at confession.

Sunday dinner was at 1:00. The meal went like this..
  Table is set with everyday dishes...doesn't matter if they don't
match...they're clean.  What more do you want?
  All the utensils go on the right side of the plate and the napkin goes
on the left. Put a clean kitchen towel at Nonna & Papa's plate because
they won't use napkins.
Homemade wine and bottles of 7Up are on the table.
  First course, Antipasto...change plates. Next, Pasta (Nonna called
all spaghetti Pasta)...change plates.
  After that, Roasted Meats, Roasted Potatoes, Over-cooked Vegetables...
change plates.
  THEN and only then (NEVER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEAL) would you eat
the salad (HOMEMADE OIL &VINEGAR DRESSING ONLY)...change plates.
  Next, Fruit & Nuts - in the shell (on paper plates because you ran out
of the other ones).
  Coffee with Anisette (Espresso for Nonno, "’Mericani" coffee for the
rest) with hard Cookies (Biscotti's) to dip in the coffee.
The kids go play..the men go to lay down.
  They slept so soundly you could perform brain surgery on them without
anesthesia...the women clean the kitchen.

  Getting screamed at by Mom or Nonna - half the sentence was English,
the other half Italian.

  Italian mothers never threw a baseball in their life, but can nail you
in the head with a shoe thrown from the kitchen while you're in the
living room.

  Prom Dress that Zia Ceserina made you...$20.00 for material. Prom
hair-do from Cousin Angelina...$Free. Turning around at prom to see your
entire family (including Godparents) standing in the back of the gym...
PRICELESS!

  The true Italians will love this, those of you who are married to
Italians will understand this, and those of you who are friends with
Italians will remember and will forward it to their Italian friends

Well, I hope you enjoyed this.  I need to run.  I’ve got to meet with some techie special agents to make sure our equipment is working properly so my agent can be wired up.  It’s really unbelievable.  I’m working with agents who are in their mid-20’s.  They weren’t even born when I was carrying a gun and a badge for the Government.  I don’t know whether to feel good or feel old. 

Take care and my best wishes to all of you and your families.  Bob

News From Iraq XIX

Greetings All:

Wow am I late on this one.  It’s almost mid-week and I am just now getting to the weekly update.  It’s been a relatively uneventful week as far as things that go bang.  Although tonight coming back from dinner to the office, I could hear the sound of controlled 3 shot burst fire.  I'm sure it was coming from a checkpoint no doubt stopping some car trying to creep up.  I had read that there was an explosion around the Green Zone in the news but it wasn't close.  Other than that, things have been very quiet. 

Speaking of guns (one of my favorite subjects), I met an Australian soldier and noticed he was carrying an M-4 (an issue weapon of NATO forces) and not a Steyr Aug (standard issue for the Australians).  I asked him why he had an M-4 rather than a Steyr.  He said it was because he was part of a security detail.  I was rather taken aback by this as were several other special agents.  Some of us have had experience with a Steyr Aug and it truly is a very fine piece of equipment.  I'm not taking anything away from the M-4 but it’s like comparing a Ford with a Mercedes.  One of our agents who was part of a special entry team for U.S. Customs said he carried a Steyr Aug for 15 years and never had a jam once.  I can say that my M-4 has jammed on the range and I've seen others jam.  Can't say much more than that.  I also met a Brit soldier that I thought was carrying a Steyr Aug but it wasn't.  He did not like the weapon at all.  It was a little bulky and wasn't very well balanced.  He provided the name but I didn't recognize it and presumed it was English made.  Sad, the English made some fine rifles before.  I would have thought they could have come up with something better. 

This week we also had to say good bye to two special agents that I started with that have decided to go home for good.  One of them worked for National Can as did I as a summer job.  What a small world.  I was helping one agent clear out his hooch for his trip home and we bumped into his trailer mate who also was departing.  It’s so funny to speak with other nationalities, Brits, Aussies, South Africans, etc. who all speak English but with idiomatic expressions and accents, sometimes it’s really tough to understand what they are saying.  Anyway, this South African is a dog handler.  Unfortunately, his dog took a rather large chunk out of his hand.  He’s lucky he didn't lose his thumb.  Then several days ago, we had a controlled detonation.  That usually happens outside of the T walls with the EOD either finding something suspicious or blowing something up that deserves it.  Well, usually the Big Voice announces a controlled detonation but if one is in the hooch, it is very difficult to hear what’s going on.  As it turned out, this poor South African had just gotten out of the shower and was beginning to shave.  There was one detonation which he mistook to be a mortar round.  Then the Big Voice announced another detonation which he mistook as a command to take cover.  He runs outside wearing nothing but his shorts and it’s rather cold with the wind blowing.  He slips and falls on the way.  He keeps heading toward the bunker when the second detonation goes off which showers him with dirt and debris.  Of course he had us laughing uncontrollably while he was telling us this story and saying he was glad to be leaving because he felt his luck was running out. 

I also had a witness on a case that was supposedly kidnapped.  I say supposedly because I think it may have been contrived.  Nonetheless I had to make a report.  Good God, what a bureaucratic mess.  Who doesn’t want to work it, and who doesn’t trust anyone, and who doesn’t want to say who’s in charge.  I just shook my head and say to never mind, I’ll handle it myself.  As it turned out, the witness said his family paid a ransom and he was free but he wasn’t going to testify unless we pay him.  Needless to say once he said that he just ruined his credibility and made himself a worthless witness. 

Oh I've got to tell you one more gun story.  There is a lot of “brass” working in the palace along with their support staff.  There are strict rules about leaving guns laying around.  We were walking down the hallway coming back to our office and noticed a M-4 with a magazine attached leaning against a wall outside the office.  We look around and don’t see anybody, just the M-4.  There is an open office door and one agent peeks his head in and says “Excuse me, is anyone missing an M-4?”  This Master Sergeant immediately stands up and says “Oh My God, I got so busy, I forgot it.”  She thanked us profusely.  It was very fortunate that we had found it and not some other uniformed personnel as she could have been in some serious trouble.  One of our agents was thinking about bringing it to our office until she went looking for it.  That wouldn’t have been good as the Embassy would have been locked down until the gun was found. 

I received several big care packages including one for the troops.  We had this place called the Airmen’s Locker where soldiers can go and pick up toiletries that are free.  The PX is constantly out and the soldiers don’t make that much.  I went to deliver the goods and just as luck would have it the place was closed for remodeling and not accepting goods.  I ended up delivering all of the stuff to the Marines supporting the Tactical Operational Group.  They are all really young kids.  They were appreciative of the razors, shaving cream, socks, chapstick, etc., but they really loved the jerky, candy, and mints. 

Also, we received some goodies for us that we have been enjoying greatly.  My sister in law, Margo, makes great homemade rocky road.  One of our agents just can’t stop eating it and he’s supposedly on a diet. 

One last comment relates to Iraq.  It is truly frustrating that there is so much history here and we can’t really go out to see it without putting ourselves in mortal danger.  If you went to mass this weekend, you were aware of the first reading about Jonah (in the whale Jonah.)  Jonah came from Nineva which is next to Mosul, Iraq.  Ur, Abraham’s birthplace, is next to Nasiriya in the south in the Sumaria province.  Also I learned that Soddom & Gohmmora were located around Basrah also in Southern Iraq. 

The other neat thing I got to do this week is visit the court house where Hussein is being tried.  We actually got to take pictures of the courthouse, the security room, the press room, and the holding cells.  That was pretty awesome. 

Well, that’s about it.  It’s almost 09:30 P.M. and I’m still here so I want to sign off and kick back for a bit.  Take care and thank you all for your continued thoughts & prayers.  Bob

News From Iraq XVIII

Greetings All

Well, it’s a little somber over here now what with all of the casualties and we just learned that a Black Hawk crashed with 12 people going down.  There were 8 civilians plus 4 military crew members but we don’t know the capacity of the civilians.  Also, in talking with some law enforcement advisors, their jobs are getting riskier as well. 

We had a lot of activity last night.  Based upon what we could learn, the insurgents were firing anti aircraft rounds (presumably at helicopters) except that it was raining so much, there weren’t too many choppers in the air.  The .50’s were firing back at them and it became an all out shoot out.  It sounded so close that the few of us left in the office broke out the M-4’s.  We honestly thought the battle was that close.  We have a bathroom adjacent to the office so I went in there and closed all of the lights.  That way I could safely look out and not have my carcass in the back light.  I was watching what looked like fireworks going off except these were detonating in the sky.  It was pretty amazing.  The actual gun fire was about 400 yards plus from us but it sure sounded closer.  It finally quieted down.  I was told today that the fire was anti aircraft fire directed at an Apache Helicopter running in stealth mode.  I don’t know if I buy that completely as the Apache can track where fire is coming from and has an assortment of weaponry that literally can pulverize most anything.  Well, we were ready but we didn’t fire a shot which is probably good because if we are shooting, the I/Z is in really deep do-do. 

I was talking with a counterpart special agent with USAID.  He said during the fire fight, all of the USAID employees were coming to him for security.  He said he was telling them to go the contract guards as all he is issued is a 9mm pistol.  All I could say to him is carry a lot of spare magazines.  We all laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. 

On the good side one of the Army snipers made a kill shot on an insurgent sniper at 1,230 meters.  I sent a bunch the article.  If someone else wants it, e-mail me and I’ll forward it to you.  What a shot that was.  He aimed 12’ high and hit him in the chest.  The bad guy had already killed one of our soldiers.  He must’ve thought he was safe as he was standing in a window of a high rise.

We made it through the Holidays.  Gee that was tough.  I mean even though we were all together, it was still lonely.  Some guys had tears in their eyes.  Then I missed my Mom’s 92nd birthday and also Cheri and my wedding anniversary. 

We had a mortar come in at Adnan Palace.  I’ve got a picture of a car that was destroyed even though it was 50-60 yards from point of impact.  One guard was injured slightly.  He was lucky not to be hurt more. 

It sure poured rain last night.  The good news is my hooch didn’t leak over the bed area.  The bad news is that it sprung a new leak right over where my plastic trunk is.  Of course I had it opened and my clothes got wet.  One of my co-special agents had an electrical short in his hooch.  He called KBR and three guys show up at 3:00 A.M.   They truck in a ton of mud all over a rug that he had bought to keep the place clean and told him they couldn’t fix the electrical.  Then he had to move to another hooch.  He asked if KBR did carpet cleaning.  The three amigos didn’t respond to his request. 

Now that the rain is falling, this place is turning into a mud hole.  First it was dust, now it’s mud.  And we’ve got it good.  I can only imagine what some of the FOB’s look like.

While jogging I got to talking with a Marine guard in a tower and asked if I could come up and take a look.  He made me stand behind the pill box because I didn’t have body armor or Kevlar on.  I was able to see over the T walls and observe that the back T wall is only about 150 yards to the Tigris.  The Tigris might be 200 yards wide and the Red Zone is on the other side.  What a view!  Unfortunately we are prohibited from taking pictures of it.  So, I’ll have to find some other high ground.

 

I’m getting really close to day 90 in country and I can feel it.  I’m not as tolerant and I am completely livid with the attitude at headquarters.  It’s like they are doing us a favor by having us here.  If I decide to end my tour, it’s not going to be due to the danger or the investigations, it’s going to be the bureaucracy that will push me out.  It’s like they aren’t happy unless they are making us miserable whether it's travel vouchers, time reports, or trying to schedule leave to go home.  I need to get home to get my tooth crowned so I do have an ace but we’ll see how it works this time. 

Two of my close associates are leaving and are not returning .  That’s really bumming me out now but I can understand their circumstance and their frustrations. 

It’s amazing the amount of guys that I’ve met here that are bow hunters.  We are all thinking about what we would have to do to open an archery range here.  God, would that be super?  One fellow made a couple of hunting videos so I’ve been watching those.  He wants to go to Africa to hunt.  It’s almost doable from here.  If I could only get Cheri to meet me there!!  Can you see her looking like Merrill Streep in “Out of Africa?”

I finally got my voice back and was able to sing at mass.  Fr. Dennis is still trying to get his voice back.  He is sure is a good priest. 

Well, I’d better get this off before another week goes by.  Have a good one and I’ll keep in touch.  Bob

News From Iraq XVII

OHH boy has this year started off with a bang....My job has been rather demanding and therefore i have been unable to do my part in keeping up with iraq updates....I apologize again...and will get on the ball...

Iraq Update 1/01/2006

Happy New Year to all and best wishes for a wonderful and peaceful future. 

I’ve got some interesting happenings for this segment which I’m writing today.  I saw the New Year in with my fellow agents and other “government” people.  We had minimal celebratory fire --- certainly not like the barrage of a month ago.  Then I got up this morning and ran 3 miles and lifted some weights for my legs.  Man what an effort.  This congestion just doesn’t want to let go.   Then I somehow pinched a nerve in my right shoulder just after Christmas.  Did that light me up with pain!!!  It was so bad I wasn’t able to sleep one night.  Finally, I went to the MD.  The military has some wonderful things to give you so that you can work through pain.  (It’s not that the problem is cured, you just don’t feel the pain.  There might be long term issues but for one shot to get rid of the pain, I’ll take the chance.)  Of course, I was instructed to lay off the weights and to take Cellebrex once a day.  I now have mobility in the shoulder again so I hope to lift tomorrow morning.  So basically in the last two weeks of 2005, I broke a molar, got a severe case of sinus congestion, and pinched a nerve in my shoulder.  Honestly, I thought I was falling apart but I’m coming together again.

This week we were ready to strangle some of the people at our Headquarters.  I love when they make decisions for us without even asking our input or they just want us to go along with what they say.  One prime example, I ordered 80g back up hard drives for each computer here.  Now we are not talking high end shtuff here that costs a veritable fortune.  But the kickback I get is that we don’t need individual back up hard drives because there’s a centcom server here.  What these mental midgets don’t realize is that to store data on the centcom in excess of 10g’s is not authorized and one get’s thrown out of the system when you exceed that amount.  Consequently, we save investigative files etc to the computer’s hard drive.  Well Headquarters doesn’t like that either and created a designated site on the server drive just for us with unlimited storage capactiy.  The problem with that is that everyone in SIGIR can access anyone else’s files.  Some investigative matters are extremely sensitive and others are grand jury and shouldn’t even be seen by other agents not working on the case.  This is just one instance and there are others but the intent of this letter is not to be an open forum for me to vent.  At any rate, one of our agents exclaimed that “after working for SIGIR, he now knows what it would feel like to be pecked to death by a duck.” 

In my last letter I had mentioned that we visited with the children from an orphanage which was really a great experience for us.  It was interesting that some kids couldn’t wait to get their pictures taken while other ones wouldn’t allow their pictures to be taken at all.  It wasn’t because of shyness, it was fear.  Our translator explained that I guess the Iraqi Intelligence personnel would use photos to put people together so that they would know who to question or worse. 

Also, the palace is full of Christmas cards from home with messages of cheer and good will from the kids in the States.  Their little comments are really cute and heart warming.  They made the holidays a lot easier to deal with. 

I don’t believe I told you that on Christmas Eve we went to the firearm’s range.  It was just recently constructed and it is very nice.  I shot a qualifying score of 192 out of 200 with my sidearm.  Not bad but I should’ve done better.  I did fairly well with my M-4.  The course requires 60 rounds, 30 at 100 yards, 15 at 50 yards and 15 at 25 yards.  I had one flyer at the 100 yard mark, 4 shots in the 4 point area, and the rest in the 5 point area.  My score was 291.  We made friends with the range master and although the range is in demand constantly, I think we will be able to shoot more frequently. 

Christmas Day was good …. a little melancholy with some people feeling way down.  There were some tears as we thought about loved ones and home.  Christmas dinner was good.  They had prime rib which was cooked rather well except done too much.  After singing at three masses, I started to lose my voice and that’s when the congestion set in. 

I also attended a Haunakkah prayer service as one of our agents is Jewish.  It was very nice and Ambassador Kahlizad was present.  He assisted with the lighting of the candles.  One of the leaders thanked all of the non Jewish people in attendance for taking the time to come and share the fellowship. 

I saw something new this week.  I was traveling at one of the FOB’s adjacent to the Green Zone and saw this cone like structures.  At first I thought they were some type of exercise tower but I learned that they are man made bat caves.  Saddam Hussein brought them in when he was building the water palaces so that the bats would have a place to dwell and eat the mosquitoes.  I guess he did a few things right but as usual it was for him and not the country. 

This week the weather began to turn really cold, not below 32 degrees, but cold.  When I sang the words to “The First Noel,” it gave new meaning to the phrase “on a cold winter’s night that was so deep.”  It truly is amazing how cold it gets here. 

On Christmas Eve we had lunch at the DFAC in the Al Rashid Hotel and then shopped around for rugs and liquor and stuff.  We were commenting on how at home we may see a security guard in a blazer or a jacket whereas here they are soldiers and private security forces carrying M-4s, M-16s, or AK-47s. 

There are a group of translators that we know, two of which are from Illinois.  I think I mentioned one last week.  Well, we hadn’t seen much of them since Christmas and sat with her at breakfast yesterday.  She said she hadn’t been here as they had duty at a FOB.  We asked how it was and she said it was terrible.  She said there were ten people in all that traveled in together and they all had to sleep in the same room of a house and share a bathroom.  She said three of the guys snored so loudly she couldn’t sleep at all at night.  She said one snored loud enough to wake himself up.  She is hoping that the next trip won’t require them all to sleep together.  Her comments were so funny she had us laughing for awhile.  Sometimes when the timing isn’t right on a trip, you can find yourself sleeping in a very unique environment. 

We gave my boss a bad time about the lady mentioned above.  She’s very pretty and our boss is single.  When I told him I would see her at mass, he started attending again.  (Hey whatever works to get him through the door.)  I told the boss that maybe if things work out, there could be a wedding in Baghdad.  Now it’s real obvious that this lady is very family oriented ---perhaps to a fault.  This is definitely scaring our boss big time.  Of course the timing was perfect and I said that he’d have to trade that new little sports car of his in and buy a Ford Excursion to take “the family” on vacation.  He looked at me and said with his New York accent “That ain’t gonna happen.”  Of course the rest of the group jumps on the band wagon too on this one.

A funny thing happened over the last two evenings.  A message was sent over the loudspeaker that the Marines were performing training drills in the Embassy Compound and cautioned us not to “react to the drills.”  Now everyone knows that the Marines are fairly hard core but the ones who guard the embassies have even more training and are even tougher.  These guys are young, strong, and very well trained.  Now there are a lot of people over here that are trained and are armed but someone would have to be totally insane to “react to the drills” as I’m sure it would lead to injury or worse.  It probably would have been better if they gave instructions to stay out of the way or don’t interfere. 

I saw a rather heart warming story that I’m sure won’t make CNN about an army unit in charge of civil affairs that discovered a family with a baby afflicted with spina bifida and arranged for the family to travel to the US for surgery.  The surgery will save the baby’s life and allow the baby to walk.  There’s a lot of good going on here that just doesn’t get the play it deserves. 

We had a rocket attack last night right as we were starting mass.  Fr. Dennis made an announcement that anyone who wanted to run to a duck and cover bunker was free to do so but that mass would go on.  He said if he was to die now, he’d rather be saying mass.  I think everyone else must have felt the same about attendance at mass as no one left the chapel.

I was talking with one of the translators about how some Arab people buy lambs from a family friend in Sunol and how they don’t want the lamb butchered.  The translator told me that the Muslim tradition is to capture the blood of the lamb and to bless the house by sprinkling the blood over the house and surrounding area.  Somehow I was getting a picture of this happening in an upscale Los Gatos neighborhood.  I mean Los Gatos is the same area that produced a person who, on a news camera regarding a rash of attacks on domesticated animals by coyotes, is exclaiming to the reporter that the coyotes need to learn that her animals are pets and are not for the coyotes’ consumption.  Of course this is meant as no offense to my friends who reside in the confines of Los Gatos and actually do have their heads on straight.

Finally, just yesterday, I experienced something totally new to me.  One of our auditors apparently became extremely paranoid and fearful to the point that he couldn’t sleep for the past 3 days.  This person, who did a tour in Bosnia with the Army, is not a stranger to war.  However, it was amazing to observe the physical reaction that was manifesting before my eyes.  Naturally, there are military psychiatrists here who immediately attended to him and, hopefully, he’ll be returning to the States for observation and treatment.  This was pretty interesting in that with movies and televisions you’d envision someone totally out of control and irrational.  In the instant case, we had a person shaking uncontrollably but totally coherent and aware of his feelings and questioning himself why he felt that way.  In addition, he apologized (unnecessarily) for what was happening and wanted to try to stop it or at least find out what caused it.  Hopefully, he’ll be home with his family and to get some care and this will just be an incident that he can look back on. 

I know this was a long one letter but I had the time and data so I thought I’d write.  Now I’m tired from last night so I’m going to take a nap for a couple of hours.  Once again, Happy New Year to all and thanks to those for the cards, e-mails, notes, and well wishes.  I do appreciate them all.          My Best.  Bob

News From Iraq XVI

Wow, what a week this has been.  I’ll be able to tell you about the good, the bad, and the ugly.  I’ll start with the bad and the ugly.  Last night (while I was thinking about drafting an update at dinner) I broke a molar.  I mean that just lit me up.  Naturally I went to the emergency and was told the dental office didn’t open until the morning.  They gave me some Advil.  Needless to say, sleep didn’t come easy.  Of course there’s nothing easy that goes on here either.  The way the medical provisions are set up here, the military get first priority.  I don’t really have a problem with that philosophy but it took almost 5 hours of waiting to get to see the dentist.  They patched me up and said I needed a crown.  So guess what I’ll get when I go home.  Gee not bad, I work in a palace and now I get a crown. 

We had a ton of celebratory fire the other night.  I thought the compound was under attack.  There were bullets falling everywhere.  There was only one person hit in the leg in the compound but over 46 Iraqis were injured in Baghdad due to the gun fire.  I still don’t understand the philosophy. 

We celebrated the oldest and youngest person in theater this week.  The oldest is a 75 year old man who served in the Marine Corps during WWII.  The youngest is a young lady in the US Army who just turned 18.  She’s really very sweet and works on the same floor as we do. 

I guess most of you are aware that we arrested another military officer.  One of the gratuities that she got from a contractor was a Cadillac Escalade.  She exclaimed that she earned this for her duty in Iraq.  I would love to ask her if she was more deserving than the Marines fighting house to house.  I wonder where there Escalades are. 

One of the agents was reviewing his American Express bills and saw that his wife and son went out to dinner.  The bill without a tip was $169.  He said “this is just great, my wife and son eat the finest food available and I’m eating KBR.” 

The other night I was walking rather briskly around the first floor and almost ran straight into Ambassador Kahlizad and General Casey.  General Casey is about my height but Ambassador Kahlizad is pretty tall.  That wouldn’t be too cool if I had knocked one of them down but they are pretty fairly friendly considering their lot in life. 

I think I mentioned in my last email about an Iraqi lady who now lives in Chicago whose doing translation work here.  She explained that when her family left in 1973 when she was 17, her parents had lost everything they owned to the Saddam Hussein regime.  She introduced another Iraqi lady to us who works with her as a translator and who also relocated in the Chicago area.  I see both of these ladies at church almost every weekend.  This other lady explained that she had been in Chicago for about 7 years.  She told me she finally was able to come to the United States after spending 7 years in a refugee camp in Syria.  She said it was better than staying in Iraq.  I did not have the heart to ask her about her experience in Iraq.  The only thing I can say is if she felt that 7 years in a refugee camp was better than Iraq, it must have been a living hell for her.  I mean what I’m living in right now is austere but it’s okay.  A refugee camp is probably one step better than a jail and in Syria God only knows what they had to eat and where they slept let alone medical care. 

I’ll close this with one more item for thought.  I learned this week that Boston College run by the Jesuits had a school called Baghdad College Prep where Jesuit priest taught Iraqi youth.  They were taught English and had a very stringent curriculum.  When Saddam came to power, he threw the Jesuits out and the school deteriorated from that point. 

Well, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas just in case I don’t get another update out before then.  Please do me one favor and that is to stay close to your family and friends because that’s what it’s all about.  I want to leave you with a thought that was passed on to me and really demonstrates the military mind set. 

A DIFFERENT CHRISTMAS POEM

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light, I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight. My wife was asleep, her head on my chest, My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white, transforming the yard to a winter delight. The sparkling lights in the tree I believe, completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep, Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep. In perfect contentment, or so it would seem, So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near, But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear. Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear, And I crept to the door just to see who was near. Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night, a lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A Marine, I puzzled, some twenty years old, All dressed in cammies, huddled here in the cold. Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled, standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear, "Come in this moment, it's freezing out here! Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve, You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift, Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.. To the window that danced with a warm fire's light. Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right, I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line, That separates you from the darkest of times. No one had to ask or beg or implore me, I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December," Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers." My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam', And now it is my turn and so, here I am. I've not seen my own son in more than a while, But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag, The red, white, and blue... an American flag.

"I can live through the cold and the being alone, Away from my family, my house and my home. I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat. I can carry the weight of killing another, Or lay down my life with my sister and brother... Who stand at the front against any and all, To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright, Your family is waiting and I'll be all right." "But isn't there something I can do, at the least, "Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?" It seems all too little for all that you've done, For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret, "Just tell us you love us, and never forget. To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone, To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead, To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust, That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.

Merry Christmas To All.  Best.  Bob

News From Iraq XV

Greetings All:

Please excuse the delay in getting this off to ya’ll (or should I say all ya’ll).  It just has been busy around here with things happening so quickly on the matters referred to the Justice Department for prosecution.  I used to think the work I did with IRS CI was complex.  What makes it more complex over here is dealing in a foreign country while we are at war and then dealing with entities that have financial interests in yet other foreign countries.  It’s amazing with some of the requests that we get for action.  It kind of gives you some perspective that people (including some law enforcement) have no clue of what it’s like over here. 

We received word that a person of interest was going to come to Iraq and specifically Baghdad.  The actual flight was unknown but they did provide the anticipated date of arrival.  We were requested to conduct surveillance.  Now you really have to understand that there is no travel outside the IZ except with a military convoy or a personal security detail.  When people of substance travel in the RZ, they do use a lot of armed security.  Homes are literally sandbagged and blast wall fortresses.  Businesses are the same.  If you approach a business, you must go through a security check point of the business before you can even get closing to the entrance.  If you do not have business or an appointment, “you ain’t gettin’ in.”  The real obvious one is how is the surveillance team going to hang around in Baghdad trying to blend in with the environment in order to observe conduct in an overt fashion.  I thought perhaps with my mustache I could dress up like a shepherd and lead a group of goats through town.  The only thing that would appear odd is when I would be talking into my sleeve or if someone noticed the speaker cord going from my ear down my neck.  Anyway, it makes for some office humor. 

Well, we’ve got Christmas decorations up and our admin function decorated their front door.  It really looks nice.  One of the ladies had a Tigger stuffed animal and had it taped to the door and somebody stole it.  I guess that’s not too bad, there’s an announcement out for a missing 9mm.  Now I’ve really got to ask how someone can misplace their gun in a war zone. That would be grounds for immediate termination or military court martial in my mind.  We are hosting a Christmas Party.  That should be interesting.  Also, we are supposedly invited to the British Embassy for some Christmas cheer.  They are playing Christmas music in all of the DFAC’s and there are decorations all over.  Sometimes it makes me feel homesick but all of us are in the same boat so we tend to keep each others spirits up.

I met a lady this week that is originally from Iraq but immigrated to the USA when she was 17.  She’s back working as a translator.  Her English is great and she obviously speaks Arabic but also she’s Assyrian so she speaks that language as well.  I had seen her at mass.  She was telling us the way Iraq used to be before the Saddam era and she sees how bad that everything has been neglected.  She’s got a 29 and a 22 year old child and she said she called them to tell them how lucky they are to be living in the United States rather than being here. 

We had an auditor just return from a trip to the USA.  He came back and said his visit was lovely and that he highly recommended living in the USA. He said that in a staff meeting and it made everyone break into laughter.  He’s a former chopper pilot turned accountant who did a tour in Vietnam as an infantry man and then another one flying a chopper.  He really is a great guy.

We’ve hired some new Iraqi translators and administrative people.  They are very nice to work with.  They get quite a kick out of the Christmas celebration.  Most of them are Muslim but they still understand Christmas.  By the way, if Rachel sends you pictures that include some of our Iraqi workers, please be very careful where you post those or who you pass them to.  Unfortunately the little minions of evil who prowl this country will stop at nothing to disrupt what we are trying to do including killing these workers or their families or both. 

Well, I had the pleasure of meeting the Minister of Interior for Iraq today in a face to face conference.  I presented him with over $4M in government checks representing proceeds from an investigation where we recovered Iraqi funds.  It sure was a lot easier dealing with the checks than when I had that amount in US currency.  I wanted to try and get a photo with him but he had some other business to attend to that wasn’t as pleasant as mine so I didn’t bother to ask.  Maybe I’ll get another opportunity.  I was also able to meet our Ambassador to Iraq. 

I think that just about does it.  I wish I could tell you more about the investigations as that’s what I’ve been focusing on but I can’t be more specific until the information is made public.  It’s just amazing what some people did while they were here. 

Oh I thought I’d say that the weather here has been outstanding.  It was in the 80’s during the day time.  You could almost go swimming.  The weather was so warm and beautiful it was almost like Palm Springs ---- except for the air pollution, the areas where the smell of sewage wafts around, and the ambiance of an armed camp.  I was told that last year the winter was cold.  So far, it’s been very pleasant.  I haven’t worn a jacket to work since before Thanksgiving. 

Okay I’m going to say good night.  I’m beat and I have a lot to do tomorrow.  Until I write again, take care, stay healthy, and thank God you live in America. 

Best.  Bob

News From Iraq XIV

Greetings to all.  God, did this week fly by.  Of course, it probably had everything to do with my dealing with the counting and transportation of $4M in U.S. currency so that it could be converted to a check.  Believe me, there is a lot of coordination that had to be accomplished to get this done.  Moving that much money in this environment is not a simple or safe thing to do.  There’s too much temptation for too many people.  I'm sure most are aware of the most recent headlines where we arrested a Lt. Colonel and he is charged with everything from money laundering to possessing automatic weapons.  When all is made known, this case will read like a novel.  Rachel has the affidavit so maybe she can attach it to this message.

I’ve finally been able to get off of the Baghdad diet.  I got a good dose of it. As best as we understand, we (me and about 600 other people) from the shrimp served at Thanksgiving.  Don’t get me wrong, the shrimp was great but what I’m told is that they used non-potable water for the ice carvings and the ice cubes in which the shrimp were placed.  Apparently when the ice melted, it mixed with the shrimp and made “Tigris River Surprise.”  Needless to say, my digestive tract was fairly well cleaned out again.  Not only did it cause stomach issues but it makes you so weak, you don’t feel like exercising.  I’m just getting back into it now and I had my first dish of ice cream since before Thanksgiving this evening. 

One of our agents had to make a trip to Taji.  Now, Taji is not exactly the garden spot of Iraq.  It has a huge military base but even the Iraqis think it’s not a great place.  The agent told us that written on the wall in one of the latrines was this saying.  “If I had a summer home in hell, and I lived in Taji, I would sell the home in Taji and move to hell.” 

Our Chief of Staff said goodbye to us this week after spending 20 months in Iraq.  This fellow is really a nice guy and went out of his way to be nice to the Iraqi personnel.  He included them in the going away luncheon.  The thing that was really great is that the direct line supervisor for the Iraqis is an Arab American from Michigan.  He complimented the entire SIGIR staff for being considerate and nice to the Iraqis and he said it made him feel good as an Arab and very proud as an American.  He said our interaction is what will make a difference in this country.  I guess it just doesn’t get any better than that. 

However, I am still reminded that the war wages on.  I saw Fr. Dennis on Thursday.  He said he had given last rights to a soldier that had died after being hit with an improvised explosive device.  He told us that the soldier was an immigrant from Poland and decided to be a soldier as he was so proud to be an American and to be a soldier.  Fr. said the soldier’s entire squadron was present including a two star general.  He said it was a very fitting send off.  Fr. then said, I think I got most of the blood off of my uniform.  However, when he turned to walk away, I noticed he still had blood on the back of his trousers.  Later on that same day, I saw Fr. Dennis in the DFAC and he said another soldier that had lost his left arm and left leg in an ied explosion and wasn’t expected to survive had recovered and was “going to make it.”  I’m sure his life won’t be the same but at least he’ll have a life. 

We’ve got a new choir member.  She’s an Air Force Captain and she and her husband have an adopted 10 month baby boy.  They are trying to adopt a second child as well.  She and her husband were stationed in Mt. Home, Idaho and she finished college at Boise State.  Naturally we had a lot in common to talk about.  She’s getting some music shipped out and that will be great in that she’s stationed in Rahmstine, Germany.  (I don’t think I spelled it correctly but it’s getting too late for me to look up.)  Apparently she was a little on the wild side and was flunking out of college so her father threw her out and she joined the Air Force.  Needless to say she has done well to be promoted to the rank of  captain after finally getting her degree.

I was able to see some of the bomb sniffing canines up front this week.  Not that I haven’t seen them before but one was a beautiful black male Labrador and the other was a jet black German Shepherd.  I wasn’t able to get a picture of the Shepherd because I didn’t have my camera but I got a picture of the Lab.  I mean this was a big Lab.  I know he went over 95 lbs.  The handler said he had another one that was even bigger.  I got to pet him and play with him a bit.  He’s typical Lab full of love and ready to play.  Oh I have to tell you about a yellow Lab I saw today.  We escorted our Chief of Staff to LZ Washington as we arranged a chopper flight for him so he wouldn’t have to take the Rhino Bus out at night.  There was a lot of traffic at the landing zone.  I noticed that one fellow had a yellow Lab on a leash.  The funny thing was that this guy has a big back pack, the dog, an M4 slung around his chest, and he was carrying the dog’s kennel with him.  The dog was watching the choppers land and when the people started to move to get loaded, you could see the dog just pulling this guy along straining at the leash.  It was like the dog just couldn’t wait to get in the chopper.  He was so excited.  I thought this poor guy was going to trip and fall.  When the guy got close to the chopper, he put the dog in the kennel so he could be loaded in the chopper. Unfortunately, picture taking is not allowed at the LZ (although I’ve snuck a few) or I would have loved to have gotten a photo of that. 

Well, that’s all the news from this end.   My best to all.  Bob       

News From Iraq XIII

Greetings to Everyone:

I hope everyone has had a good week and has utilized the Veterans Day Holiday to remember and give thanks to those men and women who have served this country so much especially those who paid for the price of freedom with the ultimate sacrifice, their lives.  You know I always knew that freedom isn’t free and that members of the armed forces and their families have done and continue to do a lot for this country.  But it never impacted me as greatly as it has with this experience in Iraq.  I have been able to see first hand how much of a sacrifice this is.  Seeing it on a news clip or even observing training on a military base back home does not bring to bear how much of a demand war is on any person.  This week I had to travel to a forward operating base and experience the dusty roads and living conditions, the availability of only chemical latrines, bottled hand cleaner (no water), crowded living conditions, and scarcity of every day goods.  And these conditions are not just for a week or two, they carry on through a soldier’s entire deployment.  Naturally, I was told that this base pales in comparison to the FOB’s on the Syrian and Iranian borders where they don’t even have blast walls or cement barricades, just sand bags and barbed wire, and the soldiers live in tents through the heat of summer to the cold of winter.  I’ve only had to stay in those tents for several nights and, believe me, it is no fun.  I also think of the living conditions for soldiers during Viet Nam, Korea, WWII, and WWI and it really starts to hit me the thanks and gratitude that we really owe these people.  If you haven’t already, please just take a moment or two and say a prayer of thanks to all of those who have served; those who served and lived, and those whose sacrifice cost them the ultimate price.  On their behalf, I thank you.

I had several interesting experiences this week.  First, our Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice paid us a visit.  She’s a very gracious woman.  Of course when she departed, her plane was escorted by jet fighter planes flying at low level.  We didn’t think of this until after one of the jets flew over the palace and we thought it was a rocket attack.  Needless to say when I heard that roar, I immediately dove on the floor in front on a desk.  It happened so quickly it was over before it started.  I tried to get a few pictures of her but the Palace Rotunda was packed. 

As I said I went to a forward operating base and traveled by helicopter.  After we finished our meeting around 13:00, we went to the PX for about 45 minutes.  The wind was blowing and it was dusty but primarily from the roads.  When we came out, the dust had socked in just like the fog in San Francisco when it comes in at evening time.  Our scheduled helicopter flight back to the IZ was cancelled and we were thinking we were going to be stuck at the FOB without a place to bunk down for the night.  Fortunately, I have a British friend who is fairly high up in the Department of State’s Iraqi Advisory Function who was also stuck.  He arranged an alternate helo ride at about 19:00.  It was the first time I’ve ridden in a Blackhawk at night.  For obvious reasons, the helicopters (and planes) don’t fly with any lights on and IT IS DARK.  In fact, they are so dark that the only reason why you know they are in the air is because of the engine noise.  The lights are turned on only for lift off and landing when they are about 100 yards off the ground.  It was neat to see Baghdad at night but I was just glad to be back “home.”  I was covered with dust.  I was also pretty grimy from my first ride in a military Humvee.  I can guarantee you it’s not like the civilian version.  The machine gun turret is actually pretty interesting.  It swivels with an electrical engine which the machine gunner can operate with his/her hips if necessary.  They have a canvass sling so the gunner can sit and not have to continually stand.  It is a requirement that a Kevlar helmet must be worn any time one is traveling in military equipment.  Naturally, we had our helmet and vest along with everything else.  (You just don’t leave home without those things.)  I can definitely see why a helmet is a necessity.  There are a lot of metal parts with edges all around the interior of the Humvee that could really hurt a head or neck bad even if one was bounced about a little bit the wrong way.  I also got a taste of military protocol in the forward operating base.  Here in the I/Z soldiers are required to salute senior ranking soldiers and I go into offices of officers with the rank of major all the way up to general.  No one gets real excited and basically goes about the business at hand.  However, at the FOB I and another special agent were meeting with a major who was the company commander.  Every office we went into, his sergeant first class would enter first and say “Atten-Hut, Commander in the Room,” and everyone would immediately stand up and salute.  Then they’d see me and the other special agent with our guns and badges and you could just see the looks depicting the thoughts “Uh Oh ---somebody’s in real big trouble now.”  Actually we were there for their assistance with some evidence.  During the day, one sergeant walked in to the office where we were located, saw us, and said “whatever anyone said, I didn’t do it.”  We just laughed.  I had to wonder about him though as the armory tag on his M-16 was still attached to the front sight shroud.  I’m sure they are more fearful of a rocket or mortar attack at the FOB but still, I would not have left that tag on the weapon just in case he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  It would be tough sighting on a target with that tag flapping around.   

I don’t believe I mentioned this in my last letter but I had the opportunity to taste Pakistani food.  I had attended a meeting with several other agents and the meeting had logistical problems.  It’s conducted by satellite and it just wasn’t working good.  When the meeting was over, it was well past when the DFAC closes.  We walked in and one of the cooks said he’d make us something.  In that he was eating his dinner, we didn’t want to bother him.  He said all they had was the worker’s food and that it was very spicy.  We said that’d be fine.  So we helped ourselves.  You should have seen the Pakistani workers staring at us when we started to eat.  We sat right next to them.  They couldn’t believe we were eating their food.  I tell you it was very hot and spicy but it was very tasty.  If I had to describe it, I’d say it is a combination of East Indian (curry seasoning) and Mexican (hot pepper).  They use flat bread but one could use a tortilla just as well.  The Pakistanis can be a very warm people.  It’s pretty amazing that some are really dark skinned while others are extremely fair.  I feel so bad for the ones who lost their homes and are facing a devastating winter.    Talk about a test of what one is made of!!!  That would have to be it. 

I must say I need to vent a little and voice my utmost displeasure with the CA citizens of the City of San Francisco.  Honestly, the majority of that city is so far into “La-La” land, they’ll never get out.  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing listening to the late Joseph Alioto’s daughter who’s on the city council or something on the news spouting off about a gun ban and that San Francisco is the City of Peace and she can find a better way to protect herself.  It’s rather obvious she comes from a very pampered environment and has no clue of what it’s like to live out in Hunter’s Point Bay View or down on outer Divisadero.  I worked those areas when I was a rookie agent.  There are a lot of decent people that live in those areas and they have a right to be able to defend themselves and not fall prey to the hoodlums prowling about.  I could take it up to the point when she said San Franciscans don’t really consider themselves as part of main stream America and by voting as such wanted to be separate and apart. Then I just got steamed.  I certainly wish she was with me this week especially when I was interviewing an Iraqi telling me about how people he thought were street thugs or insurgents had come to his house and told him they wanted his house and to move out or to pay them money to leave him and his family alone or be killed.  He also told of another person who was told to leave his house because the insurgency needed it.  You’re talking about young people in their early 30’s with small children who are trying to work and make a living and just live in peace.  I saw the outright fear in his eyes and the despair on his face in that he has no reasonable way to defend himself.  He’s looking for me to help when I have no jurisdiction.  (I’ll never forget his eyes.  They are seared in my memory.)  He has trouble concentrating on work because he fears for his family’s well being while he is away.  The police obviously can’t be everywhere and are not sophisticated enough to consider working a sting operation.  (There’s simply not enough of them to go around.) The police like in most places by appearance have a deterrent effect but typically don’t outwardly stop crime in progress.  Most times they are proving the cases or preventing escape of the perpetrators after the crime has been committed.  I haven’t seen these Iraqis for about 4 days now.  I don’t know if they left town with their families or were killed.  I simply don’t know.  I would love to have Ms. Alioto express her views are gun control to these two people.  The point of this is that we, as American people, shouldn’t be so cavalier about our constitutional rights allowing politicians to take away those rights simply because it makes them think they are doing something good when, in fact , they aren’t do anything but eroding liberty.  Think back several hundred years, quite a few people (citizen soldiers) sacrificed their lives for those rights.  We owe them the respect of at least doing our best to hang on to them.  Anyway, opinions are like a mouth and another anatomical part, everyone has one and now you’ve heard mine.      

I just met an Italian Army Colonel tonight.  He sat at our table in the DFAC and had dinner.  He was all alone so I was talking to him in Italian.  He spoke very good English.  Hopefully we’ll meet again.  His uniform consisted of three stars down the front and the other special agents asked me to ask him in Italian if he was a three star general.  (This was before we knew he spoke English.)  He laughed and informed us, he was a colonel and not a general. 

We had a rocket come into the compound today just as we were getting back from the Al Rashid hotel.  It landed but did not detonate.  Thank God for duds.  However, we were stuck at a check point for about 30 minutes.  They had trouble locating it.  They found it and then the DOD guys detonated it.  It sounded rather puny but one never knows.  It’s always nice to be able to tell the story about the one that didn’t go off!!

Well, I think that’s about it.  It’s getting late and I need to call it.  I’ve got some more work to do before I head for the hooch.  In the meantime, my best regards to all of you.  Take care.  Bob

News From Iraq XII

Greetings All:

First let me thank those of you who have been sending me e-mails with well wishes, prayers, and photographs.  I’ve really enjoyed them all and thank you for the prayers.  It’s a great feeling knowing that so many people care so much.  Gee, it’s great to be so well liked.  I hope all are doing well. 

Things have been a little active this week but the things that go boom have diminished.  Friday night was interesting.  It was the end of Ramadan for the Muslims (at least most of the Muslims) and the rifle fire was continuous until about midnight.  We are presuming it was celebratory fire but it didn’t sound all that far away.  The blast walls are only about 100 yards or so off of the Tigris River and I think the Tigris may be 200 yards wide.  It sounded like some of the fire was coming from right in the IZ but we didn’t have any intel to that effect.  However, there are a lot of Iraqi families that live in the Green Zone and do have AK’s so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that some of that fire was coming from them.  As most of you historically know or have recently grasped, I do appreciate firearms.  But I cannot for the life of me see the logic of celebratory fire for special occasions, i.e. Holidays, Weddings, Birthdays, etc., and this is in a city of 8M people no less.  I mean it would be worth it to invest in ammunition that shoots blanks so as to minimize the possibility of injuring someone or doing property damage. 

Ramadan is very interesting.  We learned a little bit about it from our translator.  I won’t provide even her first name in that this letter goes over the Internet, secure as it supposedly is.  During Ramadan when I wake up in the morning starting around 4:00 A.M., you hear this chanting over a loud speaker.  Now this has got to be really loud because you hear it clear in the IZ and the Mosque minarets are in the Red Zone.  The chantings are actually prayers from the Koran and a call to eat and drink before dawn.  There is total fasting from sun up until sun down and that includes water as well.  The chantings start up again just before sundown.  This isn’t bad when Ramadan falls during the time frame of the fall or winter.  But Ramadan cycles with the moon and the days, so there are times when it falls during the summertime.  Last year it fell between August/September.  Now to go all day without even water when the temperature is around 120 degrees has got to be really something.  I don’t know how people could work outside and endure without cooking their innards.  Our translator also told us the fasting includes anything to do with the body including kissing and whatever else follows.  Oh my!!!!!  Oh I almost forgot.  I learned also that Ramadan stops for most Muslims on one day but that the Shia Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan a day later.  I am told that is because the Shias want it that way.  I really don’t begin to understand the difference.

I had some good experiences this week with some Iraqi contacts.  It always makes me feel good to see some people making progress and having faith to carry on and make a democratic process work.  I am continually amazed at how they carry on even though the danger threat is always there.  However, you can see the prejudices right before your eyes.  I have a contact who is a Sunni who saw me and another agent in a coffee shop interviewing another contact who is a Kurd.  It was obvious that the two immediately didn’t want any interaction.  There’s no difference in skin coloring or anything outward that I could see, but there was no inclination to acknowledge the presence of one another or even say anything.  I’ve heard of that but I had never seen it up front and personal.

We had some funny times this week.  As I’ve said before, SIGIR Criminal Investigations is comprised of retired special agents from other agencies but we do have one former Army CID special agent who is about 35.  Patrick is married and his wife is pregnant so I don’t think he’ll be here more than another month or two.  Patrick is in really good physical shape but he is young enough to still enjoy the junk foods of life.  Pat came in this week and had gone to the PX.  In a bag, he had a bag of Lays Potato Chips and a can of French Onion Dip.  This was on the window shelf behind his desk.  The rest of us will take fresh fruit from the DFAC and snack on that.  While Patrick was gone, we removed the chips and dip from the bag and replaced it with about a dozen pieces of fresh fruit.  When Patrick returned to the office, we were a little quiet but did say hello.  Patrick walks to his desk, immediately spots the bag filled with fruit which was in the exact same location that it had been for several days, and starts yelling that he doesn’t eat this #!@%^ and where is his junk food.  He goes on that he wouldn’t be caught dead watching football eating fruit.  Of course, we are all laughing uncontrollably and he starts picking out the agents that did this by identifying us by the type of fruit we eat.  He said if we were bank robbers, we might as well leave our driver’s licenses at the location where we stole the money because we’d be caught anyway.  Needless to say it was very funny to us.

Next, if I can find the uniform directive, I may try and send it to all (if it’s not classified or otherwise restricted).  I guess there’s a new sergeant major in town who has decided that the IZ has to be a little more spit and shine.  Now you need to understand that there are a lot of desk jockeys here, present company included, that are not in the RZ every day.  But there are also a lot of military personnel that are on patrol, at check points, and/or are involved in the fighting as well.  This directive comes out that prohibits certain sun glasses, not mixing gym clothes, not having anything in one’s mouth while walking including chewing gum, and that all head gear will be removed once one enters a building.  This is only a small part of the rules, it goes on for several pages.  This directive came out earlier in the week.  Yesterday, I was walking down the hall and noticed a soldier with a bomb detection dog.  The soldier was in proper uniform with his campaign hat removed in doors.  His dog (a German Shepherd) was wearing the campaign hat!!!  You should have seen this dog.  He was so proud that he had that hat on.  I told the soldier that I thought the dog looked great.  I wished I could have photographed him but I wouldn’t want to make an issue.  I just hope he didn’t get into any trouble over it.  I enjoy the levity because what I think should be dealt with in a serious vein is people here taking money for their own personal benefit while our military is in harm’s way but then again the military succeeds on discipline so I can’t fault that either. 

The other incident wasn’t so humorous but it bears mentioning.  On Halloween Night, some brain child decides it would be really neat to set off firecrackers right behind the palace between the palace and the DFAC.  That’s not a real cool thing to do in a war zone environment with everyone walking around armed and a little on edge.  Thank God no one was hurt and no one got trigger happy. 

Our choir is getting smaller.  For All Saints Day, we had no accompaniment so I was switched to lector by our liturgical minister, Susan.  Susan is totally Catholic educated, a former Marine, former FBI and retired DCIS special agent.  Now I’ve been in the choir and now I’ve been a lector.  Next will be Eucharistic Minister.  Here all such positions are armed and, yes, Susan is armed as well.  The only one not armed is Father Dennis but he has a body guard. 

Well, that’s all the news for this week.  Please enjoy your week and thanks again for your thoughts and prayers.  Bob   

News From Iraq XI

Iraq Update 10/22/05

Greetings to all from the IZ

I think I’m getting back into the swing of things but my days and nights still are not totally adjusted.  I really didn’t think it would be that hard to adjust to the time changes but it does take a lot out of you.  I’m back into my workout routine but I still find that I’m waking at 3:00 + A.M. and just about falling asleep by 4:00 P.M. in the afternoon. 

Of course, I got used to sleeping in peace and quiet at home but now the Blackhawks flying through all hours of the night are awaking me as well. 

I’m sure within another week I should be back into a good sleep mode ----actually as good as it can get.  I don’t recall really sleeping straight through the night since I arrived here last May. 

I reported back to the choir at church and found that new additions have come in to replace those that have permanently departed for home and/or reassignment.  We have another pianist who plays wonderfully and sings as well but contends she can’t do both.  We are still in need of a guitarist.  Any takers?  I’m soon going to be assigned the task of selecting the music for mass.  That should prove interesting.  However, I know I can’t get too carried away as I have to be cognizant of the fact that we only have a pianist for accompaniment. 

I have to mention that it is really cooling down at night around here.  I never thought I would ever be caught saying that this place is cold but last night I actually had to turn on the heater in the hootch and early this morning I used my blanket for the first time since I’ve been here.  I would love to sleep with the window on the hootch open but about 20 yards from my trailer is a generator that powers flood lights.  It’s too noisy to keep the window open so I try to get as much fresh air in as I can and then shut the window towards bed time.  The generator racket is just too much to contend with.

I’ve also got a real perplexing problem with the bathroom facility in the hootch.  My sink produces hot water almost immediately but I can’t get any hot water out of my shower.  Consequently since I’ve been back all I’ve been able to do is take cold showers.  Needless to say it’s a real eye opener but it is getting a little old as it’s tough to get under the water (such as it is with the trickle I get), get wet enough to soap up, and then grit your teeth through a rinse.  I’m glad my hair isn’t long but I’m going to let it grow.   I don’t mind shaving my head but it really impacts staying warm.  It’s amazing how much the little amount of hair that I have left keeps my head warm.  I think if they can’t fix my shower problem, I will fill several plastic bottles with hot water from the sink and put them in the shower with me.  It least I’ll be able to try and cut the cold water a little.  I really hate to complain about this but I have to think that it’s something that is repairable.  If not it’s going to be a long winter.

This week I happened to meet up with a group of Italian soldiers that I hadn’t seen before.  They were trying to take a group photo and were using the timing device on their camera except they were having trouble getting the camera to be stable to take the shot.  I asked them in Italian if they wanted me to take the picture of them.  They were really delighted to hear my rough Italian and then wanted a picture of me with them as well.  I really have to say that it’s been fun meeting people from all over the world as well as throughout the entire United States.  Speaking of that, I’m really impressed with the amount of young people that are here working who are trying to pay off a house or have a house paid off and are trying to pay off rental property.  Given the housing costs and the instability in employers providing stable pensions for retirement, I think this strategy is very sound.   

I guess you all have heard that we had a rocket attack earlier this week.  Two rockets actually made it in.  One hit a bunker that was unoccupied.  However, the rocket fell pretty close to living quarters.  I have a picture of the bunker so I’ll include that with this letter.  So far we’ve been blessed with minimal casualties here but I still feel for the troops on continuous patrol.  I keep wondering when the average Iraqis will finally tire of the tyranny and the street oppression and decided to reclaim the streets for themselves.  You know no matter how many troops we have here and how many Iraqis we train as soldier or police, they can’t be everywhere.  It boils down to the citizenry being responsible for themselves.  I keep mentioning the Kurds but they are so far ahead of the rest of the country, it’s simply unbelievable.  They actually have things moving ahead and part of it is that all of the Kurds take ownership in security and make it a priority issue.   

I’m sure you all are aware of Saddam’s trial.  It’s really not too far from where I’m located.  He seems to be doing his best at antagonizing the judges.  I’ve seen that done in federal district court on several occasions.  It’s really not the best thing to do when you decide to irritate someone who holds your life in their hands.  With Saddam Hussein’s trial going on and the murder of one of the defense attorneys, I can’t help but make a comparison to the Capone days when the Mafia was threatening everyone with death and witnesses, government agents, prosecutors, jurors, etc. were all under a constant state of threat.

The other thing that’s new here in the IZ is that the Ghurka guards contract was discontinued and now the new guards are from Nicaragua.  They are nice but they are a little more intense.  It’s easier to speak with them with a minimum of Spanish.  However, I was just leaving my hootch this morning to go work out.  It was still completely dark.  As I started walking towards the side walk area, I noticed a figure completely in dressed in black with a mask over his face carrying a shoulder weapon.  When I saw him, my first instinct was to draw down but he made no hostile action.  I realized he was one of the guards.  Usually, they stay at the internal check points.  I thought it was pretty dangerous of him walking around like that.  I know these guys are probably freezing given the temperatures from their native land but there could be a problem if someone is a little too quick on the draw and doesn’t stop to think. 

I think that’s about it.  We have a ton of work to do but it sure is tough getting things organized in order to get the work done.  We have some assignments on hold because our security team feels that the contacts we need to make are in areas that are totally insecure and too dangerous.  Consequently, we don’t want to go into an area to initiate a firefight as that won’t accomplish a whole lot in terms of getting our work done. 

I hope you all remain well and thank you so much for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers.  My best regards.  Bob