RussP
03-31-2005, 20:08
So, Jefe asks me, (and I paraphrase) “What’s your take on what it’s really like there? Do they hate us or love us?” Well, they love us, of course! Just in our AO (area of operations) we have a least 6 U.S. funded schools being built. We go out on “MEDCAP” missions where our doctors and medics treat the locals. Our battalion is currently working on a way to build a natural water filter so we can teach the locals how to build one so they can drink cleaner water. Our soldiers are also giving hundreds, if not thousands, of U.S dollars a day to the local “Haji-marts” and roadside peddlers to purchase rugs, Cuban cigars, cheap cigarettes, pirated movies and music, knives, souvenirs and even Viagra. We are also rebuilding the main road from Kuwait to Baghdad into a 4-lane highway and employing hundreds of locals for construction projects both on and off post. We hire interpreters who get payed if we have something for them to do or not and pay local merchants ridiculous amounts of money to run up to Baghdad and buy us printer cartridges. Hundreds of generous people from the U.S. are sending us shoes, medicine, toys, coloring books, crayons, pencils, markers and clothes for the local kids.
So, why wouldn’t they love us? Right?
Well, O.K., maybe they don’t ALL love us, but here are some more interesting things.
We’re down south. It’s mostly Shia Muslim. The Shia were the prosecuted majority that suffered under Saddam.
It’s mostly rural down here. The country folks aren’t big politicians, especially the poor ones.
The insurgents like the bigger cities where they can hide and feed off the black markets.
Also, the terrain is fairly wide open down here. Not a lot of places to stage an attack from.
So, you may be able to see why this part of the country hasn’t seen much action. Matter of fact, the insurgency leaders have been disappointed in the lack of activity down here. Of course, that’s not a good sign for us, but it’s not looking good for the insurgents down here either. From what I can tell, the locals like the relationship they have with the coalition soldiers. As an example, there’s a small town just outside one of our bases that likes doing business with the base. They like it so much, the insurgents can’t get close. If the locals see any strangers in town, they report it. The townfolk know that if the base gets hit, we will shut down the Haji-mart (a small market just outside of the base), which provides income and jobs for many townfolk.
Now, I don’t mean to say that everyone around here likes us. There’s actually a town just to the Northwest that we are not allowed to drive thru. Last time I drove thru the outskirts of the town, nobody waved, nobody smiled at us. We held our weapons at the ready and kept an extra eye out. I’m not sure why it’s like that, but it is.
Of course, it’s much different up North. All of our injuries and attacks have occurred on convoys that were driving north to the Baghdad area.
My friends up north tell me of daily attacks and the constant cat and mouse games with the insurgent. Some of my crews who have gone up north describe the hate-filled looks they get from some men on the streets. Others describe a trip that’s as non-eventful as a drive between Houston and El Paso.
So, I guess it’s as the real estate agents say, “Location, location, location”. You can go find the people who like us and you can go find the ones that don’t, just by taking a day’s drive. But all that doesn’t matter anyway. We’re here and we’re going to put Iraq back on its feet. Sure, the U.S. will pull the strings for a while, but if Iraq plays this global chess game correctly, they can grow up to be a self governing country that can tell us to blow-off every once in a while, just like Japan does. As far as I’m concerned, it’s really not about winning the hearts and minds anymore. It’s now about being a cordial and helpful visitor, teaching Iraqis to take care of their own house and going the hell home. As far as I’m concerned, the sooner we are able to hand this back to the politicians who screwed it up in the first place, the better-off Iraq is going to be (hmmm, that doesn’t fill me with confidence). I just hope the Iraqis can hold their own so I don’t have to come back.
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This source is credible....
So, why wouldn’t they love us? Right?
Well, O.K., maybe they don’t ALL love us, but here are some more interesting things.
We’re down south. It’s mostly Shia Muslim. The Shia were the prosecuted majority that suffered under Saddam.
It’s mostly rural down here. The country folks aren’t big politicians, especially the poor ones.
The insurgents like the bigger cities where they can hide and feed off the black markets.
Also, the terrain is fairly wide open down here. Not a lot of places to stage an attack from.
So, you may be able to see why this part of the country hasn’t seen much action. Matter of fact, the insurgency leaders have been disappointed in the lack of activity down here. Of course, that’s not a good sign for us, but it’s not looking good for the insurgents down here either. From what I can tell, the locals like the relationship they have with the coalition soldiers. As an example, there’s a small town just outside one of our bases that likes doing business with the base. They like it so much, the insurgents can’t get close. If the locals see any strangers in town, they report it. The townfolk know that if the base gets hit, we will shut down the Haji-mart (a small market just outside of the base), which provides income and jobs for many townfolk.
Now, I don’t mean to say that everyone around here likes us. There’s actually a town just to the Northwest that we are not allowed to drive thru. Last time I drove thru the outskirts of the town, nobody waved, nobody smiled at us. We held our weapons at the ready and kept an extra eye out. I’m not sure why it’s like that, but it is.
Of course, it’s much different up North. All of our injuries and attacks have occurred on convoys that were driving north to the Baghdad area.
My friends up north tell me of daily attacks and the constant cat and mouse games with the insurgent. Some of my crews who have gone up north describe the hate-filled looks they get from some men on the streets. Others describe a trip that’s as non-eventful as a drive between Houston and El Paso.
So, I guess it’s as the real estate agents say, “Location, location, location”. You can go find the people who like us and you can go find the ones that don’t, just by taking a day’s drive. But all that doesn’t matter anyway. We’re here and we’re going to put Iraq back on its feet. Sure, the U.S. will pull the strings for a while, but if Iraq plays this global chess game correctly, they can grow up to be a self governing country that can tell us to blow-off every once in a while, just like Japan does. As far as I’m concerned, it’s really not about winning the hearts and minds anymore. It’s now about being a cordial and helpful visitor, teaching Iraqis to take care of their own house and going the hell home. As far as I’m concerned, the sooner we are able to hand this back to the politicians who screwed it up in the first place, the better-off Iraq is going to be (hmmm, that doesn’t fill me with confidence). I just hope the Iraqis can hold their own so I don’t have to come back.
****************
This source is credible....