A world Apart

Tonight I was feeling pretty good after working out in the gym, excited to call home and talk with some of my buddies. It was a night that I could tell I would be able to have some of those good long conversations not the short awkward whats up and that's about it talks. After the gym I walked outside got my book with phone numbers and started making my way to the phone center. On my way I saw an Iraqi ambulance parked right out side our CP and quickly thought that some IP(iraqi police) or maybe some CLC(Sons of Iraq) got shot again while watching the road. I walked over to go help out as just a week ago I helped treat two of these guys for gunshot wounds sustained out here. I walked over to the ambulance and they had everything in control so I moved over to our aid station to see if any other casualties were around and see if I could help out. When I walked in side I wasn't really expecting this one but there was a little girl wrapped up in dressings and bloody. I threw on some gloves to help out with whatever else needed to be done, but most of the work was finished. I inquired as to what happened and found out that she was hit with an IED while riding in her car. She was the only one in the car to be injured. I looked back at her and did some more examining of her wounds and got her ready for the helicopter ride to one of the hospitals on our big bases out here where we generally send our wounded troops. She just laid on that bed not a tear in her eye calm as could be, no doubt from the anesthetic but to her credit her own bravery as well. As I strapped her down to the litter, preparing her for the ride in a black hawk, I looked into her one eye that wasn't patched up and apologized to her. I was sorry that she had to live like this, in the midst of violence and probably now disfigured for the rest of her life. So young and innocent yet experienced more then most in an evil way. I kept looking at her studying her face and she kept studying mine probably one of the few times she has seen American troops not in full battle rattle. This time she was being served by one in a caring none authoritarian way. I asked her in Arabic if she was good, she nodded yes and I finished strapping her down. I said to my self that the thing that gets me the most is this was caused by her own people. The same people that have taken the lives of 2 of my fellow soldiers just the day before. What gives ya know? I wish the Americans were more pissed at the people doing this rather then those that are trying to at least fight it. I am not saying agree with everything but come on man cast some of that blame and near hatred to the parties on the other side of the detonator. After we loaded her on the bird to go get treated better then any Iraqi hospital would be able to I came back took off my medical gloves and continued on to the phone center. My excitement of calling and talking to others was still there but instead of clear and confident it became confused and much more solemn and quiet. You just don't call and have a normal conversation when you you feel such a world apart from your family, your friends, your people. I don't feel angry or saddened or alone about this fact of being out of the loop so to speak with others. At times maybe yes but now....no. I just wanted to comment about the quick turn of events and really how that effects the normal attitude of simply talking with loved ones that are involved in a different pace of life. Being an emt back in the states and being involved with this similar kind of stuff I know brings the same attitude and reaction from those workers as well, its just the nature of the beast unfortunately. But its a fact or maybe just a thought I wanted to share....

American Schools...The New IRAQ?

Late last week I was back from conducting my patrols here in Iraq. Another day, another patrol without incident. I gathered with my fellow platoon members in the chow hall to eat some of the great army food we have to enjoy. While we were sitting down eating I glanced over at the t.v. to see if anything of interest was being feed to the American mind...I was disappointed and a little angered to see "School Shooting" being headlined across the screen. As I continued to watch the events unfold on the t.v. I learned that the day before there was another shooting at a school and on the same day a big standoff in L.A.(not school related). I finished my meal and left the chow hall disgusted but not to surprised....The next day while sitting down for dinner I was amazed to see another story about a different shooting at a different school on a different day...."Are you kidding me!" I said as I pounded the table...."America is falling apart." After seeing this little blurb about yet another shooting I was pretty angry...Here I am in Iraq "bringing the Ideals of democracy from such a great country" over here, but watching an array of violence back in my home country, more violence that what I have seen in my deployment this year???? What?! Am I in the war zone? I would feel better being here then going to my 10th grade English class. I was frustrated and was on fire enough to go spit out a quick post on the internet. That was Friday and the weekend came and I had a few days off so I let it be....Well Monday comes around and there I am again watching the t.v. while I eat in the chow hall and WHAM!!! Another school shooting in Memphis. Thats the second one in eight days in the same city! What is going on! Thinking of the past week or so I quickly came to the conclusion that the end of the world was coming as violence was breaking out every where....It is now Thursday night here in Iraq and I just got back from doing two raids on suspected insurgent houses....Not a shot fired. I came back ready to go to bed and saw on msn.com that there was yet ANOTHER SCHOOL SHOOTING in Illinois! IS this for real? What a sad seemingly growing reality in our country...

The Brains of IRAQ, why soldiers are reenlisting by the masses and why we are winning this war!

Right now I am sitting at a combat out post in a city in Iraq....I am listening to the IP (Iraqi Police) threatening to quit their jobs of keeping this city in order if a street in front of their and our outpost is opened. The reason the street is closed: The street in question is named market street. In most cities in Iraq the markets are one of the most dangerous places as many people gather and its easy to target Americans and Iraqis while hiding amongst the crowds.... A portion of the street has been closed off to protect the American(so I thought) and Iraqi forces working out of a building that runs along the street. It has been closed off to deter and prevent a VBIED(Vehicle Born Improvised Explosive Device) from going off in front of the building and preventing mass Casualties and deaths both to the Iraqi Police and American Soldiers....VBIEDS are generally a large explosion from a vehicle, often dump truck, filled with explosives that cause buildings to fall and have extensive collateral damage...The street is not interfering with everyday life for these Iraqis in a damaging way and definitely not in a way to compromise an entire U.S. infantry companies security/safety as well as the company of Iraqi police that we share the residence with...The market is still open and there is still several routes for the civilians of Iraq to get there and get their needed items/food etc.... They have been doing this for already a half year or more. The reason for the street to reopen is coming down from people that are "tactically educated and brilliant." My hero's...our commanders....(Brigade full bird Col., battalion LTC, as well as company commanders.) The city council of this city has been requesting to have this street reopened for some time now....So now at the convenience of the Iraqi populous and at the negligence of their own troops safety they are kindly obliging to the needs and wants of the Iraqis....Let me stress opening this street DOESN'T improve the quality of life in anyway for the Iraqis and possibly will reduce ours drastically....Now the IPs are threatening to quit if and when this does happen and well rightly so, cant blame them....Unfortunately us as soldiers don't get that option but instead will stand fast and upright under the great leaders we have....I don't know, you put two and two together and see what you think....I could sight many more examples of B.S. stress put on the soldiers from the upper command. Honestly we arn't losing this battle and the retention of Good soldiers because this is a right or wrong war....We are losing because of how its being dealt with and run...So mom If I don't make it home because of this or any of my soldiers well....hooah. I love you

Another Adventure on the herizon

Well here we go again. I have another seven months of life left before I am back in the "box" for another year straight. My unit just started train up in January of 2007 after a 3month recovery time from the last deployment. For most of the guys in my platoon its hard to imagine that we are so close to going right back over. These next few months are going to be a time were; those of us that went to Iraq last year as just soldiers are now "seasoned"(I use the term lightly) veterans, are going to be responsible for training up the new soldiers that have been placed under our leadership. There are things that we were trained on and told, that we didn't understand from the OIF 1 Vets that we now have a grasp on and more that we are now going to have to convey and train the new guys to understand. There is going to be quite a building experience that I am excited to participate in but the seriousness and severity of that train up being accomplished is going to be demanding. I have a new/different view on many things right now but almost all are encouraging and will help strengthen others. Here is my new season of blogging...