Last night

In six hours, I hop a shuttle to Kuwait City International Airport. I must say, I'm a little ambivalent about leaving. Part of me wants to keep going and see more, with "more" being the life outside the barriers and concertina wire. That's where the most important stories are.

 

Surely, the soldier I met when I left Baghdad on my way to Q-West is a story. Agitated and certainly a future candidate for counseling, he talked about life in Ramadi, where gunfire and mortars come regularly. Imagine the tension. It's one thing to walk into a certain gunfight, but it's another to spend your time waiting, knowing that the fire is going to come but not knowing when or if it will be your turn the next time.

 

And the contractor I also met on my way north is a story. But that's a story for another time and another audience. A contract worker with Kellogg, Brown & Root, he was prohited from talking to the media. Well, American freedom is, after all, only relative.

 

Another story is Reibar, the Kurdish gentleman who runs an Internet/phone "shack" at Q-West. For some strange reason, he pulled me aside and told me that he dreams of making a flag with a golden star as a symbol of Iraqi gratitude and taking it on a goodwill tour to Britain and the United States.

 

But my mind is on the life orbiting the U.S. bases here. Even if they are right who say the basis for this occupation is political/economic, in the end, it is about the people of this country. Whether whatever's going on here works or not, no matter how heated the political debate becomes in Congress or the Iraqi parliament, it is the people of Iraq who will matter the most.

 

And no matter how many generals or politicians or pseudo-intellectuals weigh in on the subject, the truth is in those dusty villages I saw and those children chasing military convoys and tossed candy. And while I sit here at Ali Al Salem -- and the DJ is playing in the tent next door, the ping-pong and pool tables are full, and a basketball game is on the big-screen television -- I can't help but wonder what's happening out there.

 

 

Winding down

Was told that a mortar hit Ali Al Salem this morning. I was asleep and didn't hear anything. It's surprising, however, that it happened here in Kuwait.

The person who told me works as a contractor repairing Chinnooks. I've seen quite a few Blacks working in Iraq as contractors, and doing all sorts of jobs. Most work for Kellogg Brown & Root, which seems to be involved in almost every kind of support service. Unfortunately, its tough getting KBR's people to talk because the company, from what I'm told, has issued a gag order.

I also ran into a man from Ghana working in Iraq as a contractor. He said there are a lot of Africans working in the country also, mainly from Uganda and Sudan. Obviously, the draw is the money. The Ghanian said he makes 10 times what he made at home. He has been here two years and plans to stay for an additional one.

Whoever doesn't believe the financial impact of occupation, should spend some time over here. The occupation has obviously been a boon for KBR, but its just as much a boon for the Kurdish, Indian, Turkish and Pakistani workers and vendors who benefit from soldiers being here. One of the employees at a Green Beans Coffee outlet, who is Indian, told me he makes about $1,300 monthly, which he could never make in India.

Of course, one of my surprises is that I see very few Iraqis, other than Kurds, working in high-visibility jobs on the bases. At Q-West, there is a labor pool for jobs like carpentry and painting that employs Iraqis. But you don't see any working in the dining facilities or, other than Kurds, running any of the shops.

Anyway, it's late and I must sleep. I fly home Sunday a.m., so I'll spend part of tomorrow doing some mop-up work early. Afterwards, I'm just going to relax over some coffee, maybe haggle over prices with some of the Indian vendors on base and find somewhere quiet to watch the sunset -- if the clouds aren't hiding it.

The sound of mortars

I left Q-West about seven hours ago and am now at Forward Operating Base Anaconda waiting for a flight to Kuwait. While I was waiting to pick up my bags about an hour ago, I heard three mortar rounds go off in succession. They're pretty loud. I heard this base is a lot more noisier than Q-West, and so far, it has been. Anyway, I have little more than an hour to go before my flight, which means I should get going. Flight times change like the wind over here. Hopefully, it won't be cancelled.

Mission accomplished

Returned last night from my second mission with the 298th this week. The first was an hour jaunt to Forward Operating Base Marez near Mosul. On Friday evening, I went on an overnight trip to Foward Operating Base Warrior, which is three and a half to four hours east of Q-West. I won't say too much, because I plan on writing a long piece about what these guys do. Suffice it to say that the trucks are uncomfortable and the roads are bad. Because of the armor, you have to sit straight up in the trucks. There's no room to recline or stretch your legs. Add to that the fact that body armor with front and back plates is a must, and I was definitely saddle sore on the way up and back.

During the return trip from Warrior last night, the last vehicle in the convoy radioed that an IED went off. Fortunately, that was the only incident. The roads are full of serious potholes, mainly from IED explosions I was told. Even though it was dark, I could still make out the outlines out pits in the dirt along the road that were carved out by explosions. One of the stories I have to finish is based on an interview with two members of the 298th who experienced gunfire and IEDs on their first convoy.

The whole ride is tense and all business. Because of curfews, the convoys have the road to themselves and always stay to the middle. Any vehicles on the road know enough to pull off to the side. The scene at night is surreal. There are a lot of crumbling buildings, and it appears that the Iraq Police checkpoints use some of the rubble as barriers. Most of building lights I saw were institutional-grade flourescent, which adds to the eeriness. Even the buildings that looked like residences had that flourescent lighting. And as we approached Warrior, we could see the flames from oil wells, which only added to the atmosphere. All together, the atmosphere seem apocalyptic.

The first trip I rode with Sgt. Jote Aga and the second trip was spent riding with Sgt. Jesse Avent. For Aga, this is his second deployment and for Avent, this is his last go around. When this deployment ends, he's retiring after 27 years and celebrating with a trip to Disney World.

Everybody's tired when they return, as was I. Although a four-hour ride doesn't seem long, it's grueling for these guys. Because they work by night, they spend their days resting. And by night usually means that they are finishing very early in the morning, sometimes right at sunrise.

Impressed with the troops

Finally, a long-overdue blog, although I'm in a rush to catch lunch before the dining facility closes and to get a much-needed haircut before interviewing two soldiers from the 298th who experienced gunfire and an IED during a convoy run.

Was on Al Sharpton's radio show last night, although Spc. Charles Burke spent more time talking with him than I did. It's funny. Earlier in the day, Sgt. 1st Clas Richard M. Lee was telling me how he heard Sharpton speak when he joined a protest in Florida over the 2000 election voting.

I'm impressed with the soldiers. They each have a story that would be worthy of a book. At least the older ones do. These women and men deal with the same things most people deal with back home: wives and husbands in the states needing guidance on discipline or whether to get their children that first cell phone, high school graduation or that first day of kindergarten, illnesses at home, what bills to pay, etc.

Most of all, they believe in what they're doing and they believe that they can really make this country better, despite the violence and the political situation. Although they have no illusions about the largely discredited U.S. motivations for they invasion, most people I've talked to feel that any U.S. pullout now would guarantee the rending of the country.

The cool thing about what they say is that, unlike the Bush adminstration, their concern is the Iraqi people and not some political or economic aim. Since this is a blog, I can drop my objectivity and express my anger and outrage at why these soldiers are here and my hope that whatever happens after Nov. 7, whoever's in control will make this right: for the U.S. soldiers and, more importantly, for Iraq.

When I read about unaccounted for Iraq Army weapons or the Senate Intelligence Committee report confirming that outright lies underpinned claims about Hussein's arsenal and connections to al Quaeda, it makes me cringe. At this point, these soldiers deserve the truth from their leaders, not non-sensical and overworn platitudes. They need hard answers, and they need to know that the managers of this occupation are managing it efficiently.

An explosion on base

There was an explosion on the base tonight. Initially, people were saying it was from a mortar round, but later on the word was that a generator exploded. Everything on base was shut down for about two hours and all vehicle movement was prohibited. I was also told that a blackout was in effect, but there's always a blackout in effect on the bases here. You really do need a flashlight to move around at night, especially on the roads.

I got to go off base yesterday for a couple of hours. Col. Allan D. Raymond wanted to show me an Iraq Army brigade located about 35 miles from Q-West. The drive was uneventful and we saw scattered villages and frequent sheep herds during the drive. At one point, children came running toward the convoy knowing that the soldiers would throw them candy. At the IA base, we stayed only briefly, just long enough to have a bit of tea with Iraqi Gen. Baez, who I'm supposed to interview about the prospects for the Iraqi Army.

From the little bit I've seen, they don't look good in the short term. While I have no doubt that they are being trained well, they are woefully ill-eqipped. While the U.S. soldiers are driving armored Humvees, these guys were driving pickup trucks whose beds were outfitted with thin metal shields. Makes me wonder if there's a trust issue involved in not getting these guys more modern equipment or if the country just doesn't have the cash right now. But at some point, they have to be able to defend themselves from external threats.

The villages I saw were nothing more than mud huts. One member of the 298th, who has been on several convoys, said it's not unusual for children to beg for food from U.S. soldiers. Nevertheless, there is still something beautiful about the land, even though I generally abhor flat, barren landscapes. But I do feel the historical significance of the country. In addition, the stars are the brightest I've seen anywhere and the sunsets are spectacular.

Today, I hung out for a bit with the load team for the 298th. The load team lives up to its name. They prepare whatever products the convoys are carrying—whether it be water, ammunition, MREs or fuel—and stage them in one area. It involves a lot of driving back and forth to deliver trailers for loading and return loaded trailers to the staging area.

Later this evening, I'll hang out as the convoy drivers perform maintenance checks before leaving. I'll also sit in on the convoy's mission briefing, something I can't document for obvious reasons. Even though the 298th's only been here a month, they've experienced gunfire and IEDs on a couple of runs. Fortunately, no one's been hurt.

Getting comfortable in Q-West

Today I attended a changeover ceremony in which an Iraq Army brigade was handed lead authority for policing the Tigris River Valley, which is where Forward Operating Base Q-West is located. It was attended by Army officers and local Iraqi mayors and sheiks. The Army considers it an important step and a symbol of America's goal of stepping back and eventually leaving as the Iraqis assume more control.

But I can't help but feel sympathy for the country. There is a sense that they're almost second-class citizens in their own country, something that is certainly symbolized by the recent sparring between the White House and Iraq's P.M. This base is shared with the Iraq Army, but I did expect to see more Iraqis running the retail shops that dot the base. I've also been told that there's wrenching poverty in the villages near Q-West. It doesn't help that this is the fourth time the country has been occupied in the last 100 years or so.

One member of the 298th told me that he's seen such things as raw sewage in the streets while out on convoys. While the infrastructure here was obviously damaged during Desert Storm and the 2003 invasion, it's also obvious that a lot was neglected under Saddam Hussein. But there were also years of sanctions, which some people say are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

During my time here, maybe as early as tomorrow, I may get to see some things for myself. I interviewed Col. Allen Raymond at the ceremony today and he invited me to spend a few hours touring some of the villages in the area and speaking to local leaders. It's really quiet up here, a stark contrast to what's happening around Baghdad.

Right now, it's raining heavily and booming thunder. The rainy season is due any time now, but I'm hoping to be gone when it starts. It rained last night into the morning, then cleared up and turned out to be a spectacular day. Soon, I'm told, it will rain nonstop into about February.

Tonight, I spent a good part of the evening talking with Spc. Charles Burke about everything. For the next few hours, I'm going to be transcribing notes for two stories I have on tape. One is a piece on the 298th and their expectations versus the reality. I also got some thoughts from them about the politics surrounding the occupation here.

Tomorrow, I'm going to talk to more soldiers about who they are, where they're from, why they joined the Army, etc. I'm also going to videotape some short messages from soldiers that we can post on the Iraq web page. The problem is, video files are really large and the connections here are not super fast, although they are faster than the satellite I have. I also heard that there's a soldier who was on the 65th floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11 and might get a chance to talk to him as well as some N.Y. firefighters and police officers that I heard are here.

Close, but not yet

It took most of the day, one helicopter ride and one ride on an air force C130 to get me almost to where the 298th is based. It was barely bearable lugging three pieces of heavy luggage on to and off of the transports, especially since they don't exactly pull up to the passenger area. There is just one more leg to go. Right now, I'm at Camp Sleicher, which is near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. It is a rather large base, and tomorrow, I'm going to spend most of the day taking photos and talking to soldiers.

I did meet a private from East Baltimore today. His name is Julian Dove. I did a 30 minute interview with him. He said there's a female soldier here who is also from Baltimore. He is going to tell her I'm here in the hopes that we can hook up.

There was also a jazz quintet playing here today, all of them soldiers stationed in Hawaii. Before today, I didn't realize that "band" was an army MOS. They were pretty tight, and moved easily between ballads and hard bop. Judging by their song selection, they seemed particularly fond of Coltrane and Miles.

I left the international zone at about noon today to catch a helicopter ride to Baghdad International and a plane from there to Camp Sleicher. Not only did I have to leave just before a press conference by Gen. George Casey, but I didn't see much of the zone. The heliport was probably five minutes from where I spent the night, and on the way, all I could see were barricades, military vehicles and few human beings. It was surreal at best.

During the chopper ride to BIAP, I did get an aerial view of parts of the city. Like I wrote in my last blog, there were neighborhoods that looked like any suburban neighborhoods, with nice, spacious houses, yards and driveways. But there was also a sense of decay and it looked like a city that's been abandoned. I was told that many people who could afford to leave have left. Fear could also be keeping people indoors.

On my way to BIAP, I started a conversation with a Black contractor for Kellogg, Brown and Root. But when I asked him for on-the-record comments, he declined because the much-maligned KBR is telling it's contract workers not to do any media interviews. He did tell me that he's making six times what he made per year at his previous job. That's a pretty good incentive.

Tomorrow, I'm to hop a helicopter to the finally reach the 298th. I've heard that it's pretty quiet where they are and that I may be able to go off base to see some rebuilding projects.