Lawyers in Iraq III – Veterans Day
You may recall me writing about my now affianced friend who is serving with the JAG Corps in Iraq. I was recently forwarded an email from his betrothed (and fellow JAG Corps member) on how she spent Veterans Day in Iraq.
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Family,
On Veterans’ Day, I got the unique opportunity to accompany Brigadier General Grimsley, our Deputy Commander, on a convoy to east Baghdad. We visited three different sites in Baghdad. It was a very memorable day.
On Monday, an car bomb exploded outside a popular restaurant. The restaurant was located in a section of town that has seen little violence recently. As people gathered, the insurgents detonated two more anti-personnel bombs. These are typically bombs filled with nails and spikes intended to maim and kill as many people as possible.
The general wanted to visit the site and talk to individuals in the area. It took about 40 minutes to get there. We traveled by HUMVEE. It was really fun wearing the head sets in the truck, listening to young 18-19 years olds talking about life, war, and relationships. They are so young and have gone through so much already. They all miss their families and are missing out on the last vestiges of their childhood. They’ve definitely been forced to grow up too soon.
When we arrived at the site of the blast, there were flies everywhere. The local government had not been able to clean the area yet. Therefore, the flies were still feeding on the debris, which was composed of human material. We talked to many local leaders and the National Police Commissioner. I cannot disclose anything that was discussed, but it is interesting to witness the corroboration of Americans and Iraqis to suppress the violence and share intelligence.
After the blast site, I accompanied the general to the opening of a bridge. There are 13 bridges across the Tigris. This was the final bridge to be opened. It was closed in 2006 by the general himself when he was a colonel. The bridge connects Adamiyah (a Sunni neighborhood) and Kadamiya (a Shiite neighborhood). The violence between the two sides was so intense that they had to completely close the bridge.
This bridge was also the site of a horrible accident. Pilgrims crossing the bridge heard a rumor that there was a suicide bomber in their midst. Over a 1000+ jumped from the bridge to their deaths. Here is a link describing the bridge opening.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27657227/
The Sunnis marched from their side of the bridge and the Shiites marched from their side of the bridge. They met in the middle, slaughtered a few sheep in the middle of the bridge, put their hands in the blood, and shook hands. They sang some portions of the Koran. The top Iraqi General, General Abud, was present, as well, as the Governor of Baghdad. We took a back seat role. It’s good. They really didn’t want us to participate. It was “their thing.” Huge step for the people of Baghdad.
As interesting as it was, I am glad we left because the sniper threat was very high. When I wasn’t on the bridge, I was crouched behind a smelly falafel stand. :)
After the bridge opening, we went to a JSS– a “joint security station.” This is a very small post where we live with Iraqi soldiers. If you’ve heard of a MiTT team (a military transition team), that’s who typically lives at the JSS. A JSS can be anything. Sometimes it is a church, warehouse, barn, bunker, etc. The one I visited was an old house. The living conditions are horrible for these soldiers. Most of them sleep on plywood. A few of the officers had cots. They don’t have showers. They convoy once a week to a bigger installation to shower. They have port-o-johns and eat Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs). It’s rough.
At the JSS, we watched the Son’s of Iraq come in and receive their paychecks. You may have read about the Son’s of Iraq (SOIs) or the “Awakening.” These people started as local volunteers that were sick and tired of Al Qaida threatening them in their neighborhoods. They took up arms and began to protect their homes and the critical infrastructure in their area (power plants, markets, schools). After a while, we decided to hire them to supplement the Iraqi Security Forces. However, now we are trying to transition them from our payroll to the government of Iraq’s payroll. This is the first month of transition. We are all keeping our fingers crossed.
I review ALL of these contracts (12,000 of them). It is the bane of my existence. So, it was kind of cool to get to see these guys and watch them get paid.
All in all, the day was amazing. It was nice to be part of the “fight” for once instead of sitting in front of a computer screen. I will be going on an air mission soon, but I don’t know when and don’t have many details. I do get to fire the 50 Cal machine gun on the Blackhawk though (ha, ha JBW!!!).
So that was my Veteran’s Day. Hope you are all well.
