Major K.

I have been nominated...

It has been brought to my attention that I have been nominated for a weblog award for "Best Military Blog".  I am flattered but don't really think that I will win nor do I deserve to win.  There are much better sites than this, though I do appreciate those that have nominated and voted for me.  It appears that Black Five, and my friend, Thunder 6, are crushing the rest of the competition, and rightfully so.  Either one is a great choice.  My personal preference of course, is Thunder 6.  So go vote, and don't forget to vote for Michael Yon too.  You can vote once a day.

Don't Forget

Sixty four years ago today, the now second deadliest foreign attack on US soil took place in Hawaii.  Four years later "major combat" in that war ended.  Mopping up and reconstruction continued for years after.  We destroyed an enemy, and out of his destruction, that enemy became one of our greatest friends.  Japanese fighting men are now here with us, helping a former enemy become a good friend.  It was not easy then.  It is not easy now.  Terrible prices have been paid to re-learn the lessons of history.  As a Soldier, December 7th is a date that I always notice on the calendar along with June 6th, and September 11th.  I don't want to pay that price again - not at home, caught off guard.  Every sixty years is too often.  We fight them here so we don't have to fight them at home.  Vigilance - It's not just for the immediate aftermath anymore...

PS.  Howard Dean apparently does not want to be thought a fool.  He has again opened his mouth and removed all doubt.  On what expertise does he base his opinion?  This is very winnable.  The first key to winning is not quitting.  Thanks to Redstate for the picture that says it all.

Selling out to the Media...Not really.

I have been published in a newspaper.  I was contacted by the Austin-American Statesman about reprinting one of my posts in their paper.  I don't know if the first link will work or not, as it was printed on Thanksgiving, but they used my post about travelling home on leave through Texas.  They even offered me $50 as a "freelancer," which I was unable to accept as I am on active duty.  This blogging thing sure has been interesting.

Hilarious

I guess I can't go back to California.  I'll have to stay here in Iraq where it is safer...

Iraqis say the darnedest things!

I have heard a few things from the Iraqis here that I sure found interesting over the past few weeks.  I have listed the paraphrasing of these statements here merely to get an anecdotal perspective.  I do not necessarily think they are representative of all Iraqis, but I have heard each one often enough from different people (many non-military) that I think they may not be rare attitudes.  (I in no way endorse or support these attitudes by posting them here.  I merely put them here to offer the perspective of a different culture.)

On the trial of Saddam Hussein:

-Just execute him already.  Everyone knows he is guilty.  Why are we keeping him alive for this unnecessary trial?  The insurgency will be greatly reduced once he is dead.  We should handle him like the Romanians handled Nikolai Ceausescu.

On the secret Ministry of the Interior detention facility where several detainees showed marks from being tortured:

-What is the big deal?  That place was not nearly as bad as what happened under Saddam.

On the kidnapping of 4 western activists from the Christian Peacemaker Teams organization:

-They went to meet with Harith al Dhari at the Mother of All Battles Mosque and did not bring bodyguards or some other form of protection?  They were asking for it.

The Honest Broker

There were protests the other day over the murder of a fairly prominent Sunni Sheikh here in Baghdad.  The murderers were dressed in Iraqi Army uniforms and it happened in a sector patrolled by the Iraqi Army.  The Iraqi Brigade Commander tried to meet with the family of the Sheikh and the protesters to try to calm the situation.  He made little progress as he was not trusted by the Sheikh's relatives.  This matter was immediately elevated to the highest military levels on both the American and Iraqi sides.  Several Iraqi Officers here in the TOC suggested repeatedly that American involvement was necessary to calm the situation.  Yes, an Iraqi Commander should meet with the protestors, but he must be accompanied by a Senior American Officer.  Although most Americans considered this an internal Iraqi matter, many Iraqis did not share that opinion.  Neither side appeared to trust the other and wanted American involvement to ensure fair treatment. 

I have seen similar situations since my 2nd week after arriving here in January.  I am not bringing this up to draw any conclusions with regard to sectarian tension and conflict, other than to confirm that such things do occur here.  What I would like to point out is how US Forces are regarded here.  We have been asked to supervise or arbitrate at every level from neighborhood to national repeatedly.  The reason for this is because of the entrenched culture of corruption of the past 35 years.  Whether Sunni, Shia or Kurd, the presence of Americans at neighborhood council meetings, disputes and detention facilities is not only favored, but is often greeted with a sigh of relief.  The Iraqis know they will get fair treatment from us because ethnic group, tribal affiliation and political power do not weigh upon our measurement of justice.   

This brings two things to mind.  Firstly, the average Iraqi will often (not always) trust us more than other Iraqis outside of their family when it comes to fair and humane treatment.  Secondly, for all of the people at home and in the media that think we are such a widely hated and mistrusted "occupying force," I would like to know why they think the Iraqis hate their honest broker.  I have found that only the arhabi do.

Glenn McCoy

This one is from the Stars & Stripes.  It speaks for itself.

Thankful

Much to my surprise, everyone here is acknowledging Thanksgiving.  Happy Thanksgiving has been the greeting of the day.  This is in contrast to most other holidays since I have been here.  Usually the only ones to do anything special have been the staff of the chow hall with decorations and a little fancier meal.  I am expecting such a meal tonight, as lunch was better than usual. 

I am over 9000 miles from home, and missing it intensely, yet I am very thankful today.  This is just a small portion of the things at the top of my list for which I thank God.

• I'm still alive.
• I have not been wounded.
• My Beautiful Wife.
• Our Beautiful Son
• I'll be back in the USA in less than 2 months.
• The rest of my incredible family.
• My home.
• My Country.
• The Privilege to stand among American Fighting Men & Women.
• My Friends
• My truck....

I could go on and on, but I won't.  I'll keep the rest to myself.  It has been a relatively quiet day here in Baghdad, with the exception of the arhabi scum that detonated a car bomb at a hospital in a town not far south of here.  They attacked a !*%^!@! civilian hospital!!!  I am also thankful for the Americans that still realize why we are here.

UPDATE:  The reason those troops were at that hospital handing out candy is because several of their officers were inside doing an assessment of the hospital facilities so they could be refurbished and upgraded.  Another crime punishable by death according to the arhabi.

Heroism Part II

Kidnapping is a cottage industry here in Iraq, especially in Baghdad.  With the combination of common criminals using it as a way of shaking down the local rich and middle class and the arhabi using it as a means of fundraising, it has been a serious problem.  It keeps the IP's very busy.  Today the good guys won one.  There was plenty of grinning in the TOC last night as a report came in from one of our Iraqi Brigades.  An Iraqi Warrant Officer (Comparable to a US First Sergeant or Sergeant Major) was on his way in to work at his unit headquarters yesterday morning when he drove by an arhabi scumbag in the process of kidnapping a young boy of about 10-12 years of age.  The Iraqi Soldier, stopped his car and intervened.  A struggle ensued in which the Iraqi Soldier shot the arhabi, allowing the boy to break free.  While securing the boy, the arhabi was unfortunately able to limp back to his car and escape.  The Iraqi Soldier brought the boy to the headquarters with him where he was later reunited with his mother, who was profusely thankful.  Of all the reports we get, this was one that made my day.  I see a medal in this Soldier's future.  Score one for the good guys.  Score one for getting involved and not just passing by.  Score one for Iraqi Soldiers.  Most of all, score one for a little Iraqi boy and his mother.

And now, something funny...

I have metioned earlier how cellular phones have proliferated here since the fall of Saddam.  It seems as if every adult has one.  In the past few days, I have had the occasion to chuckle a couple of times - at ringtones.  Two senior Iraqi Officers have ringtones set on their cellular phones that cracked me up.  One had his set to play "We wish you a Merry Christmas" and the other's was set to play "Jingle Bells."  Both of these men are devout Sunni Muslims.  I did not burst into laughter but many of the Americans could not help but crack a smile.  For the few that will ask, it is not because Arabic tunes are not available as ringtones here.  There are plenty of them.  I suppose that I have just taken for granted after all these years what catchy tunes some Christmas Carols are...