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