Posted on 06/30/2003 9:15:07 PM PDT by WSGilcrest
Received this in an email from my Dad tonight. Interesting insight inside Iraq....
A Suburban driven by our group had a grenade dropped on the roof from an overpass 2 days ago. Fortunately it bounced off the roof and exploded on the side of the vehicle on or near the ground and no one was hurt. But for the windows blown out and 80+ holes in the side of the car, tire and fuel tank.
Last night there were 2 RPGs launched near our hotel. An Iraqi woman manager of one of the electrical plants that has been working with one of our guys was asked to come to the door 3-4 days ago and shot 3 times in the heart.
Some of the interpreters on our team refuse to ride in our Suburbans now because they are afraid the vehicles, and they, are being targeted as soft targets. So they take taxi's and meet us at various places when outside of the compound.
I have no personal experience with what is going on outside of Baghdad and can't really speak to that. My job is setting up security at 115 municipal facilities throughout Baghdad including some in surrounding areas. I have an Iraqi that works for me a State Department Egyptian interpreter and an office at city hall. I move all around this city almost every day. The rules require an MP escort vehicle front and back for any movement outside the compound (I have heard of some rogues).
Because the locals have a difficult time using maps since they had none they have a hard time even identifying the municipal sites I need to visit. So I pick up a guide at city hall who directs us to the sites I am visiting that day. I do not use the Suburbans for this and ride in the MP HUMMV with the guide. Once on site I do a short assessment like was it looted, was it burned, how many people work at the site and a few other questions? Then I take some photographs and get an all important 10 digit grid so we know where the place is and can plot it. This is the most important thing because it allows us to let the US units in the AO know that there will shortly be armed Iraqi guards at that facility. I am also making them place "Authorized entry only" type warning signs at each of these sites and getting uniforms and brassards for the guards.
Most of the sites were severly looted down to removing the window frames and every electrical fixture and some are completely destroyed. But some were protected like the water treatment plants who are all operational (my heroes are the water people of Baghdad).
Do I feel safe? No! Let me start with the Al Rashed hotel where many of us have been forced to move. It was the former government hotel that catered to all manner of people doing business with the regime. You may have heard of it or seen it on TV. It is the one with Pres. Bush's face on the marble floor so you had to step on his face when you entered the hotel. Rumor has that if you stomped on it well enough you got a better room (the image has been removed). The original staff has been allowed to remain and they are slimy and untrustworthy. Why they were allowed to stay is beyond anyones comprehension and is frankly, disgusting. There have been many complaints of belongings being messed with in some way.
I was lying on my bed on Friday (Sunday for us since it is prayer day and the Iraqi's don't work), the woman housekeeper came in without knocking and before she saw me immediately went into the closet for no good reason. She left immediately upon seeing me looking at her with my 9mm lying on my chest.
With the recent attacks and deaths of our people we are being much more wary when driving around town and I now keep my 9mm in my hand with a round in the chamber and the safety off. It gets a little hairy when you get stuck in these massive traffic jams or in tight market type areas. I also feel better having mail ordered and received some body armor including front and back rifle plates (we were issued flak jackets without plates, although the troops have plates).
Most of the people are decent people and they want us here to help get this mess straightened out and I think they know that there is no one else who can or will do it. The kids are great and the waving and smiles from 99% of the children is a good sign. Mainly because their parents are not objecting to them doing it and they are not throwing rocks. Many, perhaps most, but not all adults will smile at you or give you the thumbs up if you smile at them. The kids have almost turned the waving and thumbs up into some kind of sport and it continues. I also see some of the young women checking out and smiling at our young soldiers.
As I have tried to illustrate, it is not all bad, people generally like us and are very decent. They get a little frustrated at times when the electricity goes off for 2 days and of course the water then stops. And some of the severe sewage problems that exist does not help. Massive traffic jams also do not help. Little by little it is all either being fixed or will be fixed. They just have an expectation that the US can do anything and they wonder why we can't fix it now.
Some of our local interpreters I have spoken with have remarked that people are just extremely tired and worn out. Between Saddam and his wars and the sanctions as well as the latest war with us, they are simply tired.
There are bound to be a lot of bad guys around here since there are a lot of former Ba'ath Party guys that were in power who no longer are and now have to somehow earn a living. Then there are the outside influences from Iran and other places. I don't know how much of this planned or criminal activity. As I said, most people wants us here but it is definitely dangerous.
I probably have not answered your question adequately and there is much, much more to this story but that is all for now. You come back from being around town with you gear and body armor and you are soaking wet and the heat burns you out so I'm done for the day.
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my infrequent ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.
Thinking pretty much about our guys right now. Praying they "stay safe". How can we send them things? The little local drives have died down. How do we help??
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.