Thoughts on Memorial Day, Stolen from Another Friend's Blog

Been a rough couple of days, and I wasn't going to talk about Memorial Day, but I read the piece below on another friend's blog, so I stole it.

"I am a veteran. My three brothers are veterans. I am privileged to be in command of hundreds of other veterans. Gone is the innocence of Memorial Day Weekends of youth. It's no longer about beach, cookouts, green lawns, blue skies, and laughter. Indeed, I don't understand when folks say, "Happy Memorial Day." It has taken on new meaning, the real meaning. It's about memories, remembering friends who have gone down in the fight. Friends that you laughed with, went to school with, grew up with, and now lie peacefully in places like Arlington, VA and Columbus, WI. It's about hanging out last night with a widow and her two children as they honored their dad, and the simple tree planted in his name. So for me, I have only one wish this year. If you read this, and you are my friend, don't thank me for my service, don't give me 5% off my Starbucks, don't worry about yellow ribbons; rather, do me this one favor: tell your children that there is another calling out there. Tell them there is something more honorable than dreaming of being the next American Idol, or NFL star, or reality TV star, or stock broker, or hollywood star, or big law firm attorney. Talk to your kids about serving their country and their fellow citizens. Tell them of the sacrifice of those we remember today. It can't always be someone else's child that goes over there. It is an honor, a sacrifice, and a privilege to wear this uniform, I hope, when you talk to your children on this Memorial Day, you pass that on."

Cheers to Mike, and all of the fallen who we remember today.

Ron

Marketing

This big giant mural stands in front of the Brigade Headquarters. It took about five Soldiers 3 nights to complete. They had to redo it once because it didn't look good enough. They also had to move the T Walls to get them straighter. We also learned it is difficult to find the right kind of paint pens here in Iraq-- we had to go out of the way to get them.

Extravagant? Absolutely. Waste of Soldier's time and effort? Debatable.

But The Wall represents the Brigade. It is the backdrop for a lot of our Soldier recognition ceremonies. Every General that comes to visit (up to seven in one week) gets their picture made in front of it with our commander. Everyone who goes by it knows that the Third Brigade of the First Cavalry Division is here, and we want you to know that. It is important for us to send this message that we are here, we aren't going away, and we are operating in accordance with the Security Agreement signed back in 2008 between the Government of Iraq and the United States.

A lot of what we do here is pretty much like marketing. We highlight the efforts of our Iraqi Security Force (ISF) partners and denigrate the efforts of the various insurgents attempting to run amuck. We showcase the good things of the Iraqi Government, and speak the good virtues of a representative government. Our real war is about information and messaging, and in a conflict that is vying for the support of the people, a lot of what we do is sell our message and see how the bad guy's image sets with the people. It has really become a war of influence, and it's all about messaging. We have some of our smartest people on it, and it is a major line of effort. Unfortunately, even after eight years, we struggle at it, mostly because our stuff has to be true, as we get called on the carpet for it by international media.

While there is US vs. insurgent marketing, there is also marketing done by Iraq's neighboring states, which plays out in the international media. All the while there is internal lobbying and jockeying for power in both the Government and the tribes (a constant theme my last tour). Tribes seem to hold the power, but the Government is empowered to run the show. Surely you have heard of the recent musings and discussions of extending a US presence in Iraq, and there is marketing on all sides weighing in. Some hate us and want us to leave, some want us to stay.

All want our money.

If you thought politics in America were ugly and complex, you wouldn't believe Iraq.

The bad guy propaganda is very good. They can say whatever they want -and they do. It doesn't have to be true, and all they have to do is achieve unrest. Every attack has a cameraman, and it is on extremist websites in a matter of hours. Social media had a critical effect on Arab countries and their uprisings this Spring. Iraq's so called Day of Rage in February (reference previous zombie attack post earlier) was born of Facebook, but it didn't work out so good for Muqtada al Sadr, the Iranian-backed cleric, who has a heavy hand in Iraqi politics and thought he'd get a million people. He got significantly less than that, but he didn't let it stop him.
Never thought the media would be a weapon system, but it's the best one we have. We just need to figure out how to use it.

Hope all's well.

Ron

Maysan

From Wikipedia:

Maysan (Arabic: ميسان Maysān‎) is a governorate in south eastern Iraq, bordering Iran. The provincial capital, located beside the Tigris, is Al Amarah. The second settlement is Majar Al-Kabir. Prior to 1976 the province was known as Amara Province.
Maysan is a majority Shia province. Its population suffered greatly during the Iran–Iraq War, during which it was a major battlefield, and subsequently post the 1991 Shia Uprising. The governorate is traditionally home to many Marsh Arabs.
In 2003 it came under the control of the British Armed Forces after the invasion of Iraq, and an elected Provincial Council had now been formed. Some of this formation process has been described by Rory Stewart The Prince of the Marshes: And Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq. Majar Al-Kabir was the site of the death of six British Royal Military Policemen in 2003, and Al-Amarah became a well-publicised city in the British press when a rash of street fighting occurred in the summer of 2004, culminating in the siege of CIMIC-House.
A proposal to join Maysan with the neighbouring governorates of Basra and Dhi Qar to form a southeastern state in an eventual Iraqi federation is currently[update] in the talking stages.[1]
Since October 2006 the region of farmland and marshes has been a chokepoint for munitions and people entering Iraq from Iran. Political control has been fiercely contested by followers of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim and Muqtada al-Sadr. Sadr’s allies dominate the 42-member provincial council, and the governor is a former Mahdi Army commander. But the police chief is a former Badr Organization member, and many of his policemen pledge loyalty to that militia.[2] On April 18, 2007, the province became the fourth in Iraq where Iraqi troops have sole responsibility for security.
On Dec. 18, 2009, Iranian armed forces dug trenches in and around an oil field in the Maysan province, claiming it as Iranian soil, and in a statement released by the government of Iran on Dec. 19, 2009, Iran stated that: (they are)"on Iranian soil, as defined by known international borders."[3]

I'd say this is pretty accurate.

Maysan is one of the four provinces our Brigade operates in. From the outside, it is interesting to see it evolve and see it be manipulated from both internal and external forces. The writing is on the wall, we will be out of Iraq (maybe???) and Iraqis are picking sides and jockeying for power, and in some ways disassociating from the US.

Maysan is that neighborhood you don't like to drive through, or the house with the crazy people in it who live on your street, who just happen to live in front of the mailbox, so you can't avoid going there. You can't just ignore it, you have to go by there and occasionally have an awkward moment with the inhabitants. You smile and wave, but you know you aren't wild about them and they know they hate you and can't wait to leave.

Maysan is important to US forces, as it is an eastern province. We often joke that Maysan is Western Iran. Some say it actually is-- This swath of marsh, and its two towns of Amara and Majir al Kabir have gone back and forth in a land grab between Iraq and Iran. We have spent $230 million in Maysan in an effort to make it better since 2003. It has hosted smugglers for thousands of years, and no matter how much you try to stop it, bad blow up stuff and illegal commerce will continue to flow. (They simply call it trade.)

Maysan is important to Iran as well. It is almost exclusively Shia, and it is no secret that it is heavily influenced by Iran. It is also their gateway into Iraq for just about everything. It has a major power base for "Uncle Mookie" (Moqtada al Sadr) the Shiite nutjob cleric who is a thorn in the side of the Government.

So what happens to Maysan when we leave? I dunno. I often wonder why bother with the effort, and wonder what good we are doing there. My opinion of what happens when we leave: Maysan goes back to what it used to be before the conquerers of the US, the British in the 1920s, the Ottoman Empire, etc. etc., which is a bunch of tribes who live in the marshes and do what they do, and wait for the next attempted conquerer to roll in.

I guess we'll see what happens.

Osama

Me, on the way to Basrah.

On September 11, 2001, I had just finished PT, got showered and changed, and was in the chow hall when the plane hit. We were supposed to go to JRTC that month, and train with the 101st Airborne, but little did we know that act would send the entire Army and a couple of generations of Soldiers on a wild ride.

I am not sure his death will change much in the grand scheme. We will get a treasure trove of info, and the fellas that chase guys like him are in for a busy summer, fall, winter, spring, and probably summer. I don't think it ends the war in Afghanistan, and it's not going to get us out of Iraq any sooner.

I have mixed emotions. Happy that the guy responsible for me having to take off my shoes at the airport and then get searched by little more than a mall security guard got aced, happy for the families of 9-11, and happy that all of the sacrifices of all of the military for the past 10 years paid off. I am wowed by the audacity of the operation, as well as the thought to bring the body out. But I also wonder who's next? Al Qaeda has proven its resiliency over the decade, and at least with him at the top we knew who to go to. When does it end, when is good enough good enough? My experience with the muslim world tells me it will end when all of the extremists are dead, as they don't readily give up, even when their efforts are completely futile.

I'm sure the smart guys can figure it out. I'm also glad to see we learned something from the Uday/Qusay goof: Kill him, but respect the culture so as to not create 10 more Bin Ladens. Bury him at sea and feed him to the fishes to prevent another Mecca.

I am also a bit surprised at the public's reaction. I think it's great, and I hope their support continues, as it is very much appreciated.

Back to work. Thanks for reading.

Ron