Mosul

Sitting on a concrete stairway looking out at night at the twinkling lights of Mosul really makes you think. The stairs I am sitting on used to belong to the Iraqi Army and the barracks that I sleep in were also used by them. All the buildings in my area are peppered with shrapnel holes. Some of the metal pole roof supports have holes blown through them. One of the barracks we first stayed in had a very obvious roof patch done recently most likely to repair bomb damage. As a matter of fact almost everything in this country is scarred by signs of war. Whether it is the shrapnel marks in these buildings or the water filled bomb craters sprinkled throughout the area. It is just strange sometimes to think that we occupy all these areas in Iraq. Most of the US bases here are old Iraqi Army bases and airfields. I guess the surreal feeling for me is being so close to it. Here is this large city that I can see from my temporary barracks where people still launch mortars at us. And to know that there are people in that city that would kill me without hesitation is just a strange feeling.

Of course now and days the chances of being killed here are pretty slim as we are not allowed to travel into any of the cities anymore. In a way that is a good thing for the soldiers that are stationed here. But it also creates a certain type of hell. Imagine going to a foreign country and not being allowed to leave your hotel, ever. That would really kind of suck. Personally I am grateful that I was able to go on as many missions as I did. Sure I was nervous and sometimes freaked out but on the other hand I was also able to have many experiences that most others will not. Drinking Chai tea with the local sheik and all the village elders or handing out Ann Arbor skate park shirts to the local kids, heck I even got to ride a donkey with all my gear on. I camped out on top of a mountain and manned a checkpoint in the middle of the desert. I have seen almost all of northern Iraq perched atop a huge steel behemoth. I’ve thrown candy to kids and helped villages get new water wells and electricity. You can’t pay for those types of experiences. A lot of soldiers currently serving over here in Iraq will never leave the base they are assigned to, imagine a whole year stuck on a FOB just waiting for time to pass by. I have only been here for about 11 days and I am already going stir crazy. I would absolutely lose my mind if I had to stay on a FOB for a whole year. And this is not to say “hey lets go out and kill people” although have no doubt there some still in this country that would deserve it. I guess what I am saying is that we have been here too long, if you have 140,000 troops in a country just sitting around on base doing nothing that might be a sign that it is time to go. I mean seriously, and they wonder why the suicide rate is so high these days.

I also reflect on the effect time has on opinions. When I first got here I felt that we were actually helping people and in some ways we have. But on the other hand I think we should have just removed Saddam and been done with it. Unfortunately my idealistic views have disappeared and I feel that whether we are here for 10 more days or 10 more years the result is going to be the same. I am not under the impression that Democracy is going over real well here. I am of the opinion that no matter what we do these folks are going to have a civil war. Who knows maybe it will work out but after a year here and seeing how these people live I just can’t see it. Not to be a negative Nelly, I do hope it all works out in the end.

I still feel that my coming here was a good thing. It certainly has changed my perspective on many things both here and at home.