180 and Teaching Iraqis to Fish

Today marks the 180 days in country. Halfway. 50%. I should be happy; but the number is a bit daunting. At least we are on the downhill now. What is hidden is the three months we spent at Fort Riley training up for this thing. I left my house in late July, so we actually crossed the nine month mark.

I used to read this book to Hailey called "If You Give a Pig A Pancake." It is about how if you give a pig a pancake, it will want some syrup, then it will want you to heat it up, put it on a plate, put butter on it, cut it up, then give you a napkin because you got syrup all over, etc. The damn pig can't just eat the pancake and be done with it.

This kid's book is a lot like advising. If you teach an Iraqi to fish in order to make him self sustaining, he will ask you for bait. And hooks. And string, and then a pole. And then he will ask for a ride to the canal, because his vehicles don't have enough gas to get there. Then you will show him how to fish. He will ask you to hold the pole, because of some religious holiday, and then blame you for the fish not biting when he does get to hold the pole.

Then he will go get a car battery, some wire, and a pole, and he will fish the way he always has done, for centuries. ZAP! and fish float to the top. (I have seen this during a clearance operation last week; we bumped into some guys fishing like this in a canal, and sure enough, they had a bucket of fish. They also had a shovel to dig up the cache of mortar rounds they had just hidden, too...)

We give them everything, and we teach them how to use everything we give them. We did a large operation a couple of weeks ago that involved moving 400 Iraqis by helicopter to an isolated area in the dark and then conducted a big clearance operation. They found some stuff and arrested some bad guys. The operation took several weeks to plan, and a lot US of coordination went into making this happen. Because we had done it before and we train for it, it was not foreign to us-- But the level of planning and coordination it took to pull off was lost on the IA. They just think we do it magically, and that when we do it, it doesn't cause that much effort; they just don't see it. We effortlessly talk over many kilometers and easily employ our radio equipment; the IA struggles to talk five kilometers, but only because they aren't trained on their equipment, and they don't do maintenance on it or ensure they have all the parts needed before they roll out. Things that seem second nature to us (rehearsals, pre-combat checks, training) are foreign concepts to them.

This is one of the many reasons why Arabs lose wars.

But then we get upset when they ask for more, mostly because we bust our butt and they get free chicken. In a way it is our own fault, because a Coalition unit that wants to do the right thing (make the IA successful) we keep on giving, and there is no incentive on the part of the IA to be self sufficient: If they wait long enough, an American will bait their hook. And we do, because we are afraid to let go of the bike seat and let them fail.

Love this job...

It is frustrating. But the struggle is still fun.

Hope you are well-- thanks for reading.
Ron

The Big Reconciliation Meeting

As you may recall, on Tuesday we were supposed to have a big reconciliation meeting between the Iraqi Police (IP) and the Iraqi Army (IA). I returned from another meeting on a different FOB on Monday night at 9pm, and as soon as I got back I hightailed it up to the IA Brigade Commander's office, just like I promised him I would. Part of the reason I had to go to the other FOB was to coordinate with the IP advisor, as we have both been pushing for this reconciliation meeting to happen for about a month. We have both conducted lots of cajoling, had conversations with our couterparts that contained many uncomfortable pauses, and spent lots of hours in smoke filled rooms trying to individually convince them they should do this. We worked out a transportation plan and an agenda, and talked through some scenarios to handle the multiple directions we anticipated the conversation heading to. We were ready for Tuesday morning at 1000.

As I got close to the Brigade Headquarters on Monday night, I encountered the Brigade XO, who was supposed to be on leave. He was angry, and I asked why he was back from leave. It seems without telling anyone, the Brigade Commander decided to take leave on Monday afternoon. The Brigade XO was recalled from his leave to serve as acting commander while the actual Brigade Commander was gone. As of today (Wednesday), there is no inclination or estimation of when the actual Brigade Commander will return ("Insh'allah").

How are you supposed to advise the guy when he's gone? Don't get me wrong-- They deserve leave, but their schedule is erratic, it is seldom vetted or approved through anyone, and they always seem to take it at the most inopportune time. The last time this happened (two weeks ago) my Brigade Commander was sniveling that he hadn't had a day off in three weeks. I threw it back in his face and I told him I had no sympathy for him, as I had not had a day off since October, and that I was here the entire time for him and his unit.

He did not bring it up again.

Another frustrating day as an advisor to the Iraqi Army... But that's how it is here. And it is a good reason why they keep losing.

Oh well. We will try when he gets back.

Hope you are well, and thanks for reading.
Ron

Helo Ride

We finally got to take a ride to see our entire area. I had been up a few times before, but the majority of the team had not yet seen many of the places we patrol to from the air. Seeing it from above gives added perspective. Plus, it is a good way to break the monotony and get a good ride.

Among the things we saw were both the Tigres and the Euphrades rivers. Below is a short video of an old Russian Powerplant that they are dumping a ton of money into to get running again. When it gets up and going again, it will provide about 1000 jobs and it should provide enough power to a good chunk of our area. Jobs and power are good.

The place doesn't have a good history, though. It used to be in a bad neighborhood that was ruled by Al Qaeda. In 2007 two soldiers were abducted from a checkpoint in our area by AQI. They eventually found their bodies in the powerplant months later. They were clearly beaten before they were killed. One of the guys on the team was here then, and told us of a different time, where not a lot of good things happened.

The video (sorry it is pretty crappy-- it is the best I could do) is of the Russian powerplant with the Tigres in the background. Don't blink, you will miss it...

But times have changed, public opinions and perceptions are slowly changing over time, too. It is another measure of progress, but many wounds are slow to heal.

Speaking of wounds, this week I am supposed to accompany my IA Brigade Commander to a meeting with the local Iraqi Police. I have been working on getting this meeting to happen for a month. There is A LOT of bad blood between the IP and IA in Mahmudiya, and it is rooted in sectarian violence. In 2006, the IPs would occasionally launch an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) at the IA FROM THE IP STATION in the middle of town as the IA patrolled. I can see where it would take a while to reconcile that... But for the IA to move to the next step of development, they have to start turning over this inward security to the IPs and start working on defending their borders, which is what the Army is supposed to do. They are hesitant to relinquish power and control to the IPs, and there is animosity and accusation. I predict it will be like mediating a fight between some junior high kids. Only the kids are armed. So Tuesday should be a blast... Stay tuned!

Hope you are well, and thanks for reading.

Ron

I did absolutely nothing for the US Army today

Except take this picure. We got all glammed up for a helo ride, but the weather scratched that.

Randomness

Stuff: Everybody keeps asking me what should they send? There's lots of things I want, but don't necessarily need. For going on two years now, I have lived in relative austerity-- when I was at Fort Leavenworth, I lived in some condemned housing on post with a guy I was a platoon leader with, I hoboed it in tents and 40-man barracks for three months at Fort Riley, Kuwait, and Taji, and here I live in what can best be described as a shipping container. It't kind of liberating to know you really don't need much. But, since you asked, food and stuff to read seems to be particularly nice, and also music... Our bandwidth doesn't support iTunes very well. Wheat thins, tuna, pringles, instant oatmeal, sugar free flavorings to add to bottled water, peanut butter and jelly, are also suggestions. Thanks for thinking of us.

I haven't used metal eating utensils or real plates since October. You wouldn't think you'd miss that, but you do.

I miss a shower that doesn't change water temperature and pressure every five seconds. I miss a shower that actually drains. I miss a shower I fit in. I suppose I should be happy I have one.

I miss having a choice in what to eat for dinner. I miss eating real food for dinner, too.

Good luck to Sluggo as she tries out for 6th Grade band this weekend... She wants to play the drums. (note to self: bring home extra ear pro...)

Of course I miss Super Big Gulps of Diet Coke.

I didn't think I'd miss Easter that much, but I really missed the family aspect of it this year.

John Madden retiring: Bummer. Gonna miss him.

We are almost at six months, and we are on track to accomplish just about everything I wanted to get done with the IA. Where do we go from here (other than home)? I told my Iraqi Brigade Commander the other night that sooner or later we would leave. No doubt we will leave LOTS of stuff for the Iraqis and I'm sure they will love that. But he paused and said "it makes me sad to hear you talk that way" (through a translator, of course). Sometimes I wonder about this guy, but I really think he is appreciative of what America has done for his country. He is also extremely envious of our Polaris ATV, and wants it very badly. If it ever comes up missing, I know where I'm going first.

Cory Scanlon-- I answered your question in the comments part, but if you want a follow-up, shoot me an email ronald.mackay@us.army.mil. Glad you guys are enjoying it back at UT. Would love to go back there as the Professor of Military Science, but not sure it is in the cards. Plus, with my wife being an Aggie, not sure she would support TWO tours at UT...

That's about it. Hope you are well. Take care.
Ron

Busy week

Sorry for no updates this week; we have been busy. Here are some random paragraphs:

9 April: The day the Saddam Government officially fell. Most reactions were good, but as you saw from the news this week, in some places they were not good. Six carbombs went off in Baghdad, a couple were north of here. One stupid insurgent ran out of gas and never made it to his destination, and one stupid insurgent prematurely detonated his, killing only himself. March and April is when insurgents do dumb things, but most of the old pros are either dead, in jail, or on the run. We caught a couple of biggies this week, too.

Today we went to the big American base I call Disneyworld. It is huge, and there are lots of people there who, well, I'm not really sure what they do. But there is a bunch of them there. Lots of contractors too. The rec centers (yes, they have rec centers) have salsa nite. The dining facilities are huge, and judging by the girth of the people who never leave the FOB (FOBbits, as they are known) they frequent the places often. If you are in PT clothes (why you are wearing PT clothes --shorts and a t shirt and running shoes--at 1 in the afternoon when you are not running or in the gym is beyond me) then you have to wear a reflective belt, in case somebody can't see you. They actually have traffic rules, and guys who drive around and pass out tickets. It is a mini-city. They are fighting a different war than we are. One tour of this place and I understand why the war costs so much. I was happy to get back to my little IA compound, where, conveniently enough, there is a range right next door, so I took out my frustrations by re-zeroing my boomstick.

Today is also Good Friday. I had a conversation with my Iraqi Brigade Commander about Easter. he is a Shiite Muslim, so he doesn't quite understand how we go from the crucifixtion of the Prophet Jesus to Easter Bunnies, colored eggs, scavenger hunts, and candy. I told him I had no idea; I really have wondered the same thing myself. I think there is a big dinner planned for Sunday in our small chow hall. Other than that, it is just another day in Iraq. But they do recognize it as a religious holiday (every holiday in a muslim country is religious) so they think it's ok.

The team is longing for football season. There are some hoop fans on the crew, and baseball is a good thing to watch to kill time, but the majority yearn for football season. Plus, football season means it is August, and we are in the last quarter for the tour.

To be honest, things are going very well. I think we are hitting our stride, and we are making some good progress. We ran three different schools this week (tough with only two interpreters working) and I'm batting 1000 for pitching ideas to the IA Brigade Commander for him to try. Scary, stuff is actually working. It is good to see the progress.

Sorry, nothing too funny, thought provoking, or deep, just work and progress, believe it or not.

Hope you and your family have a great Easter. Take care-

Ron

An interesting observation

One of my Captains pointed out something interesting today.

He noted that we are fighting tooth and nail, investing time, effort, and money, to get the Iraqi Army back to the status of where it was in 1991, where it took us 100 hours to absolutely destroy it.

Things like the mortar shoot are small victories in the long road to self-sufficiency. So is the capture of a particularly bad guy we have been tracking for a while but is now in the IA Brigade internment facility; we'll be speaking with him later...

Sometimes I wonder, though, if they think we are actually leaving. The gravy train is ending soon, whether they believe it or not.

Hope you are well. Take care-
Ron

Holy crap, they have mortars now...

Big events this week. Our Iraqi Army Division is going to be the first in the Iraqi Army to shoot mortars. While this may not seem like a big deal, the event itself is very symbolic. We went out to watch the preparation and rehearsals, and we lived to tell about it.

Iraqis will do what they always do-- make a big show of it. The presentation that will happen on Monday in front of the Iraqi Minister of Defense and a slew of IA Generals and other politicians to demonstrate this new capability includes a formal brief from an excessively cheesed up reviewing stand, lots of painted rocks, flag carrying motorcades, and even a band, all leading up to a live 120mm mortar mission shot by Iraqis, followed by an air assault on an objective using an Iraqi commando company and Iraqi Mi-17 helicopters. This demonstration is particularly significant in that it proves the IA is able to incorporate more complex systems and handle more responsibility for their own defense.

The crews trained for 30 days prior to the events. And all involved were waist deep in rehearsals for the event for four days. A lot of hard work and training went into them being able to do it. And yesterday, they proved their capability. The hit the target, danced and yelled a bunch of stuff in Arabic. I swore on several occasions the two helicopters involved were going to crash into each other. The attack seemed like somebody just dumped two helicopters of guys out on an objective and they just spilled all over the place. There were a hundred things that went wrong with it by American standards. But they were doing it on their own, and they were learning.

There are many who are hesitant to give the Iraqis this capability. A whole bunch of people in Baghdad (most of which never leave the FOB) will lose their minds when they find out the Iraqis are shooting mortars and using helicopters. No doubt, there are Iraqis who already know how to shoot mortars. The downside of this capability, and the fear of many in the coalition, is that there is a lot that goes into shooting mortars; you don't just drop rounds in the tube and hope they land where you want them to land. Airspace has to be cleared, as does the place where you want the round to land. There is a lot of math involved. Ammunition and weapons systems have to be accounted for, and the IA is not known for lock-step security when it comes to weapons. There are similar concerns for conducting an air assault safely. There is a high amount of potential for catastrophic disaster.

But if we ever want to go home, we have to accept the risk and provide them with such capabilities. I equate it to a teenager learning to drive: Sooner or later, you have to let them get behind the wheel, and you have to be prepared to accept the consequences if and when bad things happen. We have to let them grow up on their own terms and crash, and be ready to bail them out of jail when they get arrested if need be.

Hope you are well. Thanks for reading.
Ron