IED Blast

Today, at approximately 2200 hours or 10pm. An IED (Improvised Explosive Device) exploded outside our perimeter wall. The explosion was really loud and rattled the windows. It made me jump good too. Over the radio they reported 2 soldiers were wounded, they gave no further detail than that. Also, they said it was a Calvery unit that got hit. For awhile we haven't had an incident like this in long time.

We've found IEDs before, alot thanks to local Iraqis reporting them. Though, there was one Iraqi that kept reporting IEDs and asking for a reward. So, we used this chemical detection stuff to make sure he wasn't handling any explosives. We think he was just trying to make money by planting and reporting IEDs. Anyway, we do get alot of help from locals on IEDs that they spot. Other times, we spot them as well. This just somehow unfortunately slipped through our nets.

More Insurgent Attacks

Coalition Forces have suffered some more loses. I don't know the exact number, but it took place at Karbala. These people aren't battle tested or really trained for this kind of thing. The Bulgarians, Italians or Polish. So, more and more attacks are shifting from American targets to other members of the Coalition. Over 170 Iraqi civilians were injured in these attacks, and news papers like Al-Jazeera have the nerve to call these terrorists freedom fighters against an occupying power. I guess Nazi Germany gave occupation a bad name and the world occupy seems like something evil. I'm not saying fighting for land is good, but when the Romans did it, they improved life in that area alot.

The CPA has been doing a great job thus far fighting militarily. Capturing DOZENS of terrorists on a daily bases. Sometimes, innocent people get rolled up sometimes. I am sure it upsets them, however, it is necessary. One good thing though, more and more counter-terrorists groups are being activated and taking over the job of raids and everything else. Though, our military has done a fantastic job with fighting the terrorists, despite an average of 1 death a day. The only way it will be won is by cooperation between Iraqis and CPA and IP (Iraqi Police) and Iraq's own military. I think the Coalition has set Iraq up for success. I don't any doubt in my mind that the new front on the war on terror in Iraq will be won by both CPA and the Iraqi people. We just have to be resolved and patient.

Over AFN Radio I heard a new song that just came out. The song uses the same music as the "Grandma got ran over by a Reindeer" only with the lyrics "Saddam was arrested in a rat hole. Hiding from the Soldiers in tikrit." I don't know the name of the band, but it was really funny to listen to. It probably boosted most troops moral at least alittle bit after hearing that song.

Christmas

I had a good Christmas. It could have been better. The food wasn't like I thought it was going to be. Thanksgiving had more and better things to choose from. It was quiet all day, no problems. Except, we all had to be on alert in the morning for a few hours. Other than that, nothing has happened.

Christmas is Coming

Only 4 more days till Christmas. We have alittle radio with us that we listen to the AFN (armed forces network) radio station. They are now playing Christmas music. Hard to believe that it's that time of the year already. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll be able to call my family on Christmas. You can probably tell, my lack of posts in the last few days that it's getting busy over here. We are starting to do patrols again on a daily basis for a few hours a day.

The other day was my first time interacting with the Iraqi people since we left our previous station. So, finally getting to go out and do some patrols again felt really good. As we drove around, Iraqi kids would run up and wave to us. Also, I saw a woman pick up one of her kids in the field and move toward the house quickly. At first I thought she was probably protecting her kid, afraid we might raid their house because we had stopped there for a minute checking out a suspicious fighting position. Instead, what she was doing was getting closer and whisper to the child and pointed at us with a smile. Other people were just curious and stopped what they were doing in the field and walked over by the road and stared at us. Later on, we were driving in the middle of the road with a care coming towards us. For some reason, I can't remember exactly why, we stopped in the middle of the road. This blocked the car, and the guys inside didn't seem to happy about us. One guy even had the nerve to stare us down. So, I gave him back a stern glare. We don't play around with these Iraqis when they try bold stuff like that. Also, we've been getting hit by mortars and RPGs the last few days. So, everyone is pissed with the locals just standing around like nothing is happening. It looks really suspicious to us. Anyway, doing that patrol really felt good to get out again. Should be doing a whole lot more.

Celebration at our Station

Last night from about 5:30pm to 10pm, outside the main gate to our little base. A group of Iraqis started gathering with AK-47 assault rifles. It came over the radio that there were shots fired. Then, the soldiers manning the gate reported over the radio that it sounded like a fire fight was going on outside the "wire". They mentioned about the first burst of automatic fire and started hearing alot more gun fire. They reported this and said they believe it was a fire fight because of the sporadic gunfire. They could not see what was going on because there was a massive 14 foot wall they are behind. So, we all thought a fire fight was going on, till a small convoy went through the main gate and told them what was going on a minute after the shooting started. The group of hundreds of Iraqis that gathered there was said to be about 200 meters outside the main gate. They also said it was celebratory fire, and nothing to worry about. Even so, higher ordered us to be extremely vigilant. So, finally I got to see some celebratory fire, which I had not seen since July 22nd. However, it is a date late since they captured Saddam, maybe they were waiting to first see the mother of all mug shots. I think it was a planned demonstration Saddam, thought that is just speculation. The party in downtown Baghdad must have been a real sight to see though, I wish I was there.

After Uday and Qusay were reported killed by US Forces. I felt really really good that day after seeing the people's reaction. This time, I was not all that surprised and happy for some reason. Maybe, because I know this will not stop the terrorists from killing innocent Iraqis, or because I was not in the streets to see all the happy Iraqis. Now, I think Osama Bin Laden is really shaking in his boots. This guy was a hero to many fundamentalists. His embarrassing capture has to be an enormous blow and shock to their morale. Everyone is anticipating a backlash from the terrorists. It will be an act of desperation on their part. Everyone knows it, just like when they Ba'ath party called for civil disobedience, hardly any Iraqis took them seriously.

Personally, I don't see the terrorists being able to keep this up. Killing Iraqi civilians is just one sign of their desperation. Many Iraqis are being very co-operative with the CPA in capturing foreign terrorists and Fedayeen. Though you won't hear hardly anything about this on TV.

Saddam Captured!

This is some really good news. Saddam has finally been captured. This is an enormous blow for the terrorists in Iraq and the Fedayeen who like to chant "Long live Saddam" on the news to show off.

Just thought I would note that after Uday and Qusay were killed. I was in the residential area in Baghdad. The news came just when the sun was coming down on TV. I was outside in full battle rattle and one of the Iraqi guards came up to me just as he arrived for his shift. He told me in broken english that Uday and Qusay were dead. Then he took his AK-47 and pointed in the air and pretended as if he was firing it in celebration. I had to go on the roof soon after and do guard for awhile. I saw tracers flying all over in the distance for alittle while. Then, Iraqis ALL over the place were shooting their weapons into the air in celebration. At one point, for 5 minutes, all you could hear is gun fire. Honestly, Baghdad looked like the video clips of all the tracers flying in the air during the air raids in the first gulf war. When I later went down onto the streets, Iraqis started hugging me and shaking my hand and thanking me and other soldiers. It felt so good to be an American soldier than, because you really felt like you were apart of something greater than yourself. I was so proud.

Now, I am not longer in the residential area. I probably won't see ANY of the celebration. However, I do know it will be a hell of a show. I'm sure the news won't talk about it much though. Just like after Uday and Qusay died. They hardly mentioned all the celebration at all in the news, that really pissed me off. The Iraqi people won't be afraid anymore, I think they'll finally stand up and fight against the Fedayeen. This is definitely a serious blow to the terrorists morale. I doubt the terrorism will stop, but it will make an impact on how they think. I think the Iraqis will also be more bold in helping to put a stop to the terrorists and Fedayeen.

Grave Injustice for Iraqis

I just had to get this out of my system. This is a huge great injustice to the Iraqis. That these demonstrations were hardly mentioned at all on TV. Why the hell are they quick to broadcast a demonstration of a few hundred hundred Anti-coalition fanatics and not give a damn about a 20+ thousand anti-terror protest. This is BULLSHIT. Excuse my language I'm just really pissed about this whole thing. Why the $%#@ does the media not report this? It's not important? It's not significant? It's bullshit like this that makes me wonder who the media is really working for. Even Fox News, which I think is alittle right wing didn't even hardly mention these demonstrations!!! This is really sad that these terrorists get all the media coverage. All this crap makes it seem all the sacrificing the soldiers and Iraqis have had to endure is for absolutely nothing.

Anti-War Protests

Anti-Terror demonstrations I guess just went on. I haven't seen anything about it on the news. Then again, I hardly get any time to watch the news. Though, from looking at Zeyad's site, it looked like a pretty successful demonstration. I guess that kind of smashes the whole "Iraqis hate Americans" myth. Which is funny, I'm sure someone is going to say that that is really a small group and they don't represent how Iraqis feel. Just like with anything else, if people don't like what they see, they will declare it to be false and not true. Anyway, I'm closed off from the world now, so I never got to see the demonstration. Glad the IPs were able to keep the place fairly secure. I'm sure some terrorists would have love to rain on that parade. See Http://healingiraq.blogspot.com for pictures and further details.

On another note, I would like to say Wolfowitz is a big idiot. To me, this is just really childish. To ban all the bids for Iraq reconstruction. I never really liked the Bush administration. The only policy they have that I like is their stance on the war on terror. Other than that, I do not like their domestic policy. I have said it before, and I'm not ashamed to admit it, that I did vote for Gore. Back to what I'm saying, this is not going to help the reconstruction at all. All this is going to accomplish is re-opening wounds. We need to set aside our differences and work together to help the Iraqi people.

Who's Looking Out For Them?

I was just talking to my mother yesterday. It had been nearly 2 months since I last talked to her. She mentioned something that upset me. What she told me was her friends who are Arabs and from Jordan that she works with are against what the Bush administration did. Their logic is that we helped Saddam get to power. Maybe this is true, but does it matter? The world changed since then. So, with that in mind, if we helped Hitler get in power should we have just let him dominate Europe and Asia because it is hypocritical to go to war if we just helped him? I am NOT saying we helped Hitler, that is just an example. The point is, these Arab nations denouncing America as an occupier and empire and their are supposedly weeping for Iraqis. Do they really care for Iraq? I believe they do not and never did care. How come Syria, Iran, Jordan and other Arab nations have not contributed one thing to Iraqis for reconstruction or even previously contributed anything. Have they tried putting a stop to foreign terrorists(who are killing far more Iraqis than soldiers) crossing into Iraq from their borders? No, they have not. Did they offer any power generators for the power plants or offer assistance to help repair them? No. None of them have done anything except blame America and pretend they really care about Iraq and Iraqis. They don't give a damn about Iraq, if we were not here, they would not care.

What has America done for Iraqis? we got rid of an evil dictator at the cost of many of our own brave Americans lives. Their power is even much better than it was before the war. Iraqis can express their opinions without fear of persecution. The sanctions have finally been lifted (Many in the UN were opposed to lift the sanctions after the war). Schools have re-opened and much improved. I've been here since during the war and after the war. When they had nothing. I can't believe how much and how fast things have changed that were positive. I know I will quickly be getting feedback about how bad the security situation is and blah blah blah and yada yada yada . It is easy to be critical being back home, sitting in your easy chairs and watching another bombing on TV and declare it is a big failure.

I am not saying America is perfect. We made some big miscalculations in this war. Such as we thought all Iraqis hated Saddam and all of them would welcome us with open arms. As hard to believe as it is some people actually liked that lunatic. Plus, the whole foreign terrorists crossing into Iraq. If it were up to me, I would close down the borders until further notice. I think many Iraqis would actually endorse that. Not only that, we had insufficient numbers to stabilize Iraq after the war. We also disbanded the Iraqi Army. This whole war is not about America expanding what some IGNORANT people would call an empire. In Iraq, it is now a new front in the war on terror. We must be strong, we must be unrelenting. I for one would rather be taking the fight to the terrorists here in Iraq than fighting it back home on our own soil. If we want to prove we really and genuinely care about the Iraqis, we must continue to fight.

1000 Member Anti-terror Militia

I just heard the CPA will be establishing a anti-terror militia with approximately 1000 member total. Their task will be to find foreign terrorist cells (Al-qaeda & Ansar Al Islam) and domestic terror cells (Fedayeen) and demolish them.

This is a step in the right direction for Iraqis to finally assume control of their own destiny. The militia will be operating independently of the CPA.

A good friend of mine, an Iraqi named Zeyad (No, he is not a dentist) who also lived in Great Britain. He and I always had discussions about the security situation. He always said the CPA needs to take a rest and let the Iraqis take over security. His argument was no one knows Iraq and Iraqis better than Iraqis. They would be much better at spotting foreigners and bad Iraqis than the CPA. Plus, they all know the customs of this country.

Sadly, I probably will never see Zeyad or any of the other Iraqi friends I made over here. However, the logic in what Zeyad told me really made sense. So, I think this is a positive move to getting Iraqis ready to controls their own destiny.

Comments Added!

I finally decided to add a comments section. So, finally all the anti-war protesters and haters get to finally have their voices heard! How could we have won World War 2 without the peaceniks?

Not Much Happening

Thanksgiving wasn't all that great. It felt just like a normal day to me. Which is weird, but I guess that is how it is when you are not around your loved ones. One things this deployment has taught me is that you can have anything you want, but in the end it's not going to make you happy. The only thing really matters is family. Too bad that old tradition seems to be slowly fading out. The food was ok, wasn't the best, however it was better than most.

Other than that, not much else has been going on. It keeps getting really foggy outside late at night. It is probably a time we should be most vigilant when guarding the perimeter. Poor visibility could aid in an attack.

Today, there was this really big explosion. No really big deal, we hear explosions all the time. All are pretty much just Engineers blowing up weapons caches they collect up. However, this one was especially close and really loud. I ran upstares to check it out, but they said over the radio it was just Engineers. Sometimes these people forget to tell us over radio when they're blowing ordinance.

I read 54 Iraqi paramilitary were killed in northern Iraq today. As bad as it sounds, but I actually like to hear that kind of news. I have no sympathy for those scum. They want us to treat them fairly we take them prisoner. What a joke, are you going to ask a terrorist to be nice to prisoners that they take from us just because we are nice to them? These people are ruthless and I guess you have to actually be here to feel like I do. These people will kill you on the streets so fast and not think twice about it. Some people say they are not evil, but I say they probably never served in a forward position on the war on terror and seen how these people really are. The sad thing is, alot of foreign terrorists or Iraqis attacking are always getting demolished by CPA forces, they just never talk about it. So, back home people think we are getting our asses kicked over here.