We continue to grow into our role here, and it is a sociology project to watch people adjust to their 2011 surroundings when their frame of reference is 2006 or 2007. Iraq has changed a lot, and some have a difficult time with that. The tactics have changed, and the second and third order effects of actions are now significantly greater than what they were in the past.
There just isn't a great amount to do, because of the capability of the Iraqi forces, and also because the security agreement signed between US and Iraqi forces puts the Iraqis in the lead, which is fantastic. As mentioned before, sure- stuff blows up from time to time, but it is an acceptable level of violence as the Iraqi forms of politics, law enforcement, and self expression evolve. The Iraqis handle issues in their own way and have grown into their authority. I continue to think this is good.
The by-product of this is an obsessive-compulsive Army that is bent on fixing things that aren't really broken, driven to leave a lasting impression and have a positive impact on a force that has had its share of mentoring, and quite frankly, in my assessment, ready for us to leave.
I heard a good analogy the other day: The US Army is great at fixing things and solving problems. Our problem is we don't know how to stop.
We stay because of what might happen: There are still potential for bad things to happen, still bad people here, but I am not sure the US Army is the best tool that can fix those things. And again-- we can continue to fix problems, but there has to be a GICOL (Good Idea CutOff Line) where it is time for other instruments of US and regional power (State Department, Arab League, OPEC) to step in and make Iraq what it will be. I have no idea what this will look like, and I don't think anyone else has an idea either. But I think we are close to that line for US forces, and it will be interesting -almost fun- to see it evolve.
The good thing about it is it gives Soldiers a break, it gives us a chance to take care of some guys, do some training, and catch our breath before we eventually move out of here.
Stay tuned.
Ron
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
My Iraq Analogy
I think I referenced this theory in a previous entry, but I think it is worth mentioning again, as it helps define what is going on in Iraq.
The United States of America is almost 236 years old. In that time we had two governments (the first one, Articles of the Confederation, failed and the founding fathers got a do-over and created the US Constitution), a Civil War where one part of the nation seceded, a civil rights movement, a women's liberation movement, a couple of world wars, a border war with Mexico, an industrial revolution, and a technology revolution. Along the way we also had a couple of recessions, a massive depression, some weather catastrophes, some social services implementations, and a Revolution started it all.
Iraq has done all that in eight years. So sure, it's not exactly going to be smooth sailing.
But to their credit, they are figuring it out. They even passed a budget, on time, something we still have yet to do. And theirs even has a surplus. Sure, stuff blows up from time to time-- that's how this part of the world expresses itself. Most of the attacks have some political ties to them, but they are fragmented. And yes, Al Qaeda is still here, but their attacks do nothing but disrupt the day for a short time, and people are so used to it they go about their business shortly after the attack. Sure, there's corruption; one need to look no further than our own political system and Government and see much of the same. Sure, they complain about civil services being inadequate... Under Saddam, no one paid anything for electric, water, medical care, education, or food, and no one paid taxes, so naturally they have high expectations for their government. Saddam pretty much created the welfare state (you could argue we are on the same road).
But every protest, violent event, or IED could be considered another form of Democracy: People holding their Government accountable, one way or another.
Call it growing pains. Iraq certainly has potential. I just hope they keep growing.
See ya.
Ron
The United States of America is almost 236 years old. In that time we had two governments (the first one, Articles of the Confederation, failed and the founding fathers got a do-over and created the US Constitution), a Civil War where one part of the nation seceded, a civil rights movement, a women's liberation movement, a couple of world wars, a border war with Mexico, an industrial revolution, and a technology revolution. Along the way we also had a couple of recessions, a massive depression, some weather catastrophes, some social services implementations, and a Revolution started it all.
Iraq has done all that in eight years. So sure, it's not exactly going to be smooth sailing.
But to their credit, they are figuring it out. They even passed a budget, on time, something we still have yet to do. And theirs even has a surplus. Sure, stuff blows up from time to time-- that's how this part of the world expresses itself. Most of the attacks have some political ties to them, but they are fragmented. And yes, Al Qaeda is still here, but their attacks do nothing but disrupt the day for a short time, and people are so used to it they go about their business shortly after the attack. Sure, there's corruption; one need to look no further than our own political system and Government and see much of the same. Sure, they complain about civil services being inadequate... Under Saddam, no one paid anything for electric, water, medical care, education, or food, and no one paid taxes, so naturally they have high expectations for their government. Saddam pretty much created the welfare state (you could argue we are on the same road).
But every protest, violent event, or IED could be considered another form of Democracy: People holding their Government accountable, one way or another.
Call it growing pains. Iraq certainly has potential. I just hope they keep growing.
See ya.
Ron
Friday, March 4, 2011
Pretty amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in eight years
"As the combat mission in Iraq officially ended in August and U.S. forces reduced their footprint to about 50,000 troops, President Barack Obama heralded "one of the largest logistical operations we've seen in decades" with the exodus of millions of pieces of military equipment, property and supplies. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Corson, commander of the Army Reserve's 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command that has overseen that mission, equated it to moving the entire city of St. Joseph, Mo., with all its people, vehicles, equipment and property, to "the other side of the planet." (…) Now, with about two months left in their deployment, Corson's troops are continuing the logistical drawdown while laying critical groundwork for its follow-on unit to reduce the U.S. footprint in Iraq to zero by the year's end." (Army.mil)
I left Iraq last time in October of 2009, and while Liberty has cleared out a good bit, there are still TONS of stuff still here. My recent observation is that everybody wants to leave, everyone is personally individually ready to leave, but no one wants to do without all the nice things they have, start shutting things down, and actually pack up all the stuff that has accumulated over eight years and go.
I attended a really big conference this week on the drawdown and the plan for bringing US forces and material home. It is very complicated. For one, the headquarters is still in the very opulent Al Faw Palace. It is surrounded by lakes, palm trees, wildlife, and lots of nice smaller palaces on the lake that all of the generals live in. Nobody wants to vacate these until the last minute, for obvious reasons. But they have to leave, so we can restore them to the condition they were in when we got them. This means we have to pull out all of the CAT V cable (miles of it), take down all the wire and sandbags, and move all the T walls out. They estimate it will take FOUR months to do the palace alone. But no one can start until the headquarters moves.
The conference was all about identifying how big of a problem it is-- we all finally acknowledged that there is a 5 billion pound elephant in the room. Eight years ago it was a cute Dumbo looking thing, but it grew up.
Now we have to figure out how to get it out.
I have some pictures, I'll get them on here soon.
Ron
I left Iraq last time in October of 2009, and while Liberty has cleared out a good bit, there are still TONS of stuff still here. My recent observation is that everybody wants to leave, everyone is personally individually ready to leave, but no one wants to do without all the nice things they have, start shutting things down, and actually pack up all the stuff that has accumulated over eight years and go.
I attended a really big conference this week on the drawdown and the plan for bringing US forces and material home. It is very complicated. For one, the headquarters is still in the very opulent Al Faw Palace. It is surrounded by lakes, palm trees, wildlife, and lots of nice smaller palaces on the lake that all of the generals live in. Nobody wants to vacate these until the last minute, for obvious reasons. But they have to leave, so we can restore them to the condition they were in when we got them. This means we have to pull out all of the CAT V cable (miles of it), take down all the wire and sandbags, and move all the T walls out. They estimate it will take FOUR months to do the palace alone. But no one can start until the headquarters moves.
The conference was all about identifying how big of a problem it is-- we all finally acknowledged that there is a 5 billion pound elephant in the room. Eight years ago it was a cute Dumbo looking thing, but it grew up.
Now we have to figure out how to get it out.
I have some pictures, I'll get them on here soon.
Ron
Monday, February 28, 2011
The Iraqi Day of Rage
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/25/AR2011022502781.html?hpid=topnews
The attached article is about the "Iraqi Day of Rage," which took place over here on the 25th of February. It was the latest set of uprisings by people in the Middle East against their governments. I think we all know the intent of such protests, which is to held their Government accountable-- a cornerstone of Democracy.
My Day of Rage experience started on the 23d, when we received a mission to go to a small US base near Tahir Square in Baghdad and enhance their force protection. The base has a sizeabe force of contracted guards from Sierra Leone, and the base is nestled within several key Iraqi ministries- Oil, Electricity, Interior, the Baghdad Police College, some Federal Police units, and an Iraqi Army Brigade. The base has no real "meat eating" units, only very high ranking advisors Colonels, high ranking civilians, and a General or two) assigned to advise each ministry. What prompted this enhanced force protection measure was its proximity to the International Zone (IZ) -- The thinking by the American headquarters unit here was that in case the huge masses of people couldn't get into the IZ, they would turn on other facilites, and eventually get to this small FOB.
The task to go came on a very short notice, and the Troop did a great job in hastily preparing to get there. Upon our air insertion, we did a site assessment and presented our recommendations to the base commander, a one star general. Upon approval with no objections, we conducted improvements, did recons and rehearsals, and waited for the attack of the zombies.
The attack, of course, never came. At best, 4,000 people showed up in Baghdad to protest the inaction of their government, about half the size of the regularly scheduled Moqtada al Sadr protest every Friday. Only after they demonstrated hostility did the Iraqi forces respond with nonlethal force: A water cannon, a few flash bangs, some tear gas. The entire event was over by 1700, and by all accounts (except for Washington Post reporter Stephanie McCrummen) Baghdad security forces did a pretty good job of handling it. The Iraqis never asked for help from us; in fact they told us to stay out of it and keep a low profile that day. We were left to "tactically gawk" as we watched the protests on various aerial surveillance feeds and on Al Jazeera. It barely made US news. Other cities had more issues in both the north and south. Northern Iraq is its own sort of ethnic powder keg that never is lacking for an excuse to exercise civil disobedience, and protests in the south were greater. Not sure of the "draconian" measures Stephanie McCrummen refers to-- after all we shot protestors at Kent State in the 70s, and one can look to the LA riots in the 90s and Katrina earlier this decade for similar techniques and procedures used to restore order by "civilized" nations. Aren't we doing the same thing in Wisconsin-- attempting to hold our government accountable?
But to quote an Iraqi Lieutenant Colonel on the night before the protests: "For the first time since 2003, I had power in my house for 24 straight hours." Amazing, the effort that comes out with threats of accountability.
It was interesting to watch: This was Democracy in action. I think the elected Iraqi leadership is learning Democracy is more than just being voted into office, and the Iraqi people are learning there has to be some civil disobedience to hold government accountable-- something they have never been able to do. Democracy isn't just voting- it also can occasionally involve riot dogs and firehoses. Had this protest taken place under Saddam, they all would have been killed.
Would the Iraqi people have been able to do this if we hadn't invaded in 2003 and toppled the Saddam tyrrany? Interesting topic worth debating.
While there was loss of life, I was encouraged by how the Iraqi Government handled the issue. The Basra Kirkuk, and Babil provincial governors resigned, the formed government understands that inactivity for 9 months is unacceptable by the people, and Maliki understands that he, too, must be held accountable.
Not sure we can bust out the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner yet, but in all I think this was a good sign.
Now the preparation for Arab League Summit begins...
Ron
The attached article is about the "Iraqi Day of Rage," which took place over here on the 25th of February. It was the latest set of uprisings by people in the Middle East against their governments. I think we all know the intent of such protests, which is to held their Government accountable-- a cornerstone of Democracy.
My Day of Rage experience started on the 23d, when we received a mission to go to a small US base near Tahir Square in Baghdad and enhance their force protection. The base has a sizeabe force of contracted guards from Sierra Leone, and the base is nestled within several key Iraqi ministries- Oil, Electricity, Interior, the Baghdad Police College, some Federal Police units, and an Iraqi Army Brigade. The base has no real "meat eating" units, only very high ranking advisors Colonels, high ranking civilians, and a General or two) assigned to advise each ministry. What prompted this enhanced force protection measure was its proximity to the International Zone (IZ) -- The thinking by the American headquarters unit here was that in case the huge masses of people couldn't get into the IZ, they would turn on other facilites, and eventually get to this small FOB.
The task to go came on a very short notice, and the Troop did a great job in hastily preparing to get there. Upon our air insertion, we did a site assessment and presented our recommendations to the base commander, a one star general. Upon approval with no objections, we conducted improvements, did recons and rehearsals, and waited for the attack of the zombies.
The attack, of course, never came. At best, 4,000 people showed up in Baghdad to protest the inaction of their government, about half the size of the regularly scheduled Moqtada al Sadr protest every Friday. Only after they demonstrated hostility did the Iraqi forces respond with nonlethal force: A water cannon, a few flash bangs, some tear gas. The entire event was over by 1700, and by all accounts (except for Washington Post reporter Stephanie McCrummen) Baghdad security forces did a pretty good job of handling it. The Iraqis never asked for help from us; in fact they told us to stay out of it and keep a low profile that day. We were left to "tactically gawk" as we watched the protests on various aerial surveillance feeds and on Al Jazeera. It barely made US news. Other cities had more issues in both the north and south. Northern Iraq is its own sort of ethnic powder keg that never is lacking for an excuse to exercise civil disobedience, and protests in the south were greater. Not sure of the "draconian" measures Stephanie McCrummen refers to-- after all we shot protestors at Kent State in the 70s, and one can look to the LA riots in the 90s and Katrina earlier this decade for similar techniques and procedures used to restore order by "civilized" nations. Aren't we doing the same thing in Wisconsin-- attempting to hold our government accountable?
But to quote an Iraqi Lieutenant Colonel on the night before the protests: "For the first time since 2003, I had power in my house for 24 straight hours." Amazing, the effort that comes out with threats of accountability.
It was interesting to watch: This was Democracy in action. I think the elected Iraqi leadership is learning Democracy is more than just being voted into office, and the Iraqi people are learning there has to be some civil disobedience to hold government accountable-- something they have never been able to do. Democracy isn't just voting- it also can occasionally involve riot dogs and firehoses. Had this protest taken place under Saddam, they all would have been killed.
Would the Iraqi people have been able to do this if we hadn't invaded in 2003 and toppled the Saddam tyrrany? Interesting topic worth debating.
While there was loss of life, I was encouraged by how the Iraqi Government handled the issue. The Basra Kirkuk, and Babil provincial governors resigned, the formed government understands that inactivity for 9 months is unacceptable by the people, and Maliki understands that he, too, must be held accountable.
Not sure we can bust out the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner yet, but in all I think this was a good sign.
Now the preparation for Arab League Summit begins...
Ron
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Arab League Summit
Much of our future concerns the upcoming Arab League Summit which is to be held here in Baghdad later in March.
The Arab League started out in March of 1945 with six countries: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. It has since grown to 22 nations, including the six mentioned above and also Kuwait, Yemen, Palestine, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Baharain, Oman, Morocco, Dijibouti, Mauritania, Comoros, Somalia, and Tunisia. Its goal is to "draw closer the relations between member states and coordinate collaboration between them, to safeguard independence and soverignty, and to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of Arab countries."
Read all about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_League. (Yup. Wikipedia.)
What is significant about this event is that it is going to be held here in Iraq, which highlights an important thing: Iraq is back in as a leading Arab State and the Government of Iraq stands to benefit greatly in terms of legitimacy if it goes off without a hitch.
I think another significant thing to note is that at first glance the majority of the 22 nations in the Arab League are predominatly Sunni. Should this event go well, it will potentially pull some influence from Iran, which has been garnering dominance in the region for a while. Moqtada al Sadr stands to lose some influence, a good thing in my mind.
Granted, a caveat to the Arab League is that a majority of nations in the Arab League are rioting, so that will no doubt be a challenge for all of them as they wrestle with appeasing populations while still maintaining power.
There is a lot of interest amongst the American leadership here to see how the Iraqis will handle this event. There is also something else interesting to note about the US presence here- We haven't been in Iraq for eight years; we have really been in Iraq eight times for one year at a time (except for some units who were here during the surge, which was a 15 month tour). Each tour is different, has differnt leadership who hasn't had to solve the problems of the position they are currently serving in, and each tour presents a new set of challenges that require different solutions and techniques than previous tours. It is evident that current leadership is playing a bit of catch up.
One of the other Majors in the Squadron was here the same time I was last time (this is actually his fourth tour) and we were discussing the three sets of elections Iraq had when we were here last, as well as the various pilgrimages (Arba'een, Shabaniya) and their security requirements. The Iraqis always had 'a way' for handling these events-- all of the ones we observed went off relatively hitch free during our previous tour, and for the most part they were all Iraqi solutions. They were effective. It is a bit frustrating to see the current leadership -unfamiliar with the dynamics of Baghdad and the way Iraqis execute- negatively react to these events and the way the Iraqis handle them. There is still pressure to get the Iraqis to solve the problem the American way, and anything less than that is unacceptable.
There is also frustration at the higher US levels when the Iraqis don't share their plans with the US forces, which automatically think the Iraqis are screwed up and don't have a plan because it hasn't been shared with them. Iraqis are pretty good at keeping secrets, mostly because they don't tell anyone who needs to know anything until they need to know it, which is usually at the last minute, and then a whole bunch of stuff happens all at once.
All of my skepticism aside, this Arab League Summit being held here is a big deal, and I'm excited to see how it goes.
The Arab League started out in March of 1945 with six countries: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. It has since grown to 22 nations, including the six mentioned above and also Kuwait, Yemen, Palestine, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Baharain, Oman, Morocco, Dijibouti, Mauritania, Comoros, Somalia, and Tunisia. Its goal is to "draw closer the relations between member states and coordinate collaboration between them, to safeguard independence and soverignty, and to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of Arab countries."
Read all about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_League. (Yup. Wikipedia.)
What is significant about this event is that it is going to be held here in Iraq, which highlights an important thing: Iraq is back in as a leading Arab State and the Government of Iraq stands to benefit greatly in terms of legitimacy if it goes off without a hitch.
I think another significant thing to note is that at first glance the majority of the 22 nations in the Arab League are predominatly Sunni. Should this event go well, it will potentially pull some influence from Iran, which has been garnering dominance in the region for a while. Moqtada al Sadr stands to lose some influence, a good thing in my mind.
Granted, a caveat to the Arab League is that a majority of nations in the Arab League are rioting, so that will no doubt be a challenge for all of them as they wrestle with appeasing populations while still maintaining power.
There is a lot of interest amongst the American leadership here to see how the Iraqis will handle this event. There is also something else interesting to note about the US presence here- We haven't been in Iraq for eight years; we have really been in Iraq eight times for one year at a time (except for some units who were here during the surge, which was a 15 month tour). Each tour is different, has differnt leadership who hasn't had to solve the problems of the position they are currently serving in, and each tour presents a new set of challenges that require different solutions and techniques than previous tours. It is evident that current leadership is playing a bit of catch up.
One of the other Majors in the Squadron was here the same time I was last time (this is actually his fourth tour) and we were discussing the three sets of elections Iraq had when we were here last, as well as the various pilgrimages (Arba'een, Shabaniya) and their security requirements. The Iraqis always had 'a way' for handling these events-- all of the ones we observed went off relatively hitch free during our previous tour, and for the most part they were all Iraqi solutions. They were effective. It is a bit frustrating to see the current leadership -unfamiliar with the dynamics of Baghdad and the way Iraqis execute- negatively react to these events and the way the Iraqis handle them. There is still pressure to get the Iraqis to solve the problem the American way, and anything less than that is unacceptable.
There is also frustration at the higher US levels when the Iraqis don't share their plans with the US forces, which automatically think the Iraqis are screwed up and don't have a plan because it hasn't been shared with them. Iraqis are pretty good at keeping secrets, mostly because they don't tell anyone who needs to know anything until they need to know it, which is usually at the last minute, and then a whole bunch of stuff happens all at once.
All of my skepticism aside, this Arab League Summit being held here is a big deal, and I'm excited to see how it goes.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
A Plundering We Will Go...
Day by day we continue to build the Squadron in Iraq. As mentioned before, we aren't switching out with another unit, so we have to "build the airplane in flight." Also mentioned before, there are not as many units here as before, but they left a lot of useful stuff around. So as we receive our stuff from the States and we gather stuff that has been assigned to us from other bases around Iraq, opportunities arise for us to fill our shortfalls and get other stuff, and sometimes it is best to not ask where this stuff comes from.
Scouts are great at 'figuring things out.' So today we got word of an abandoned building here on the base that had some stuff in it. What began with an orderly "let's send a couple of guys over there to see what is in it" turned into a full-on Katrina-style grab-and-go by the line Troops. Furniture, office supplies, a weapons rack, some power transformers (convert Iraqi 230 to US 110)--it was all on sale, and all for the right price.
Initially it seemed right: We were 'repurposing.' This stuff had been in that building since the last unit left- months ago. Heck, we were saving the Guvmint money by not spending subsequent tax dollars on stuff that was already available. All seemed right. Sort of.
Then the MPs showed up.
I was not present for the opening of said building, nor did I visit it during its 'liberation.' But had I asked some targeted questions beforehand, all of this would have immediately been revealed as suspect, and we could have gone about a different way to make it right. The following outlines the line of questioning after the incident:
Me: Who told us about the stuff?
Staff guy: A civilian who works at Division.
Me: So who opened the door?
Other staff guy: It was open when we got there.
First staff guy: Well, it was opened for us.
Me: Did he have the key? Did he unlock the door?
Other staff guy: He opened the door...
Me: Did he use a key?
First staff guy: Uhhh, yes sir, about that-- He sorta used a knife....
After some conversations with the MPs, the FOB Mayor, the actual alleged owner (Army guy) of the building, all is fine. In fact, tomorrow the guy who did in fact "own" the building is going to take us to another one tomorrow to take a crack at that one.
"The incident" highlights an important fact: We have been here for eight years, and all of this stuff we have built up here isn't going to magically teleport itself out of theater. There are decisions being made by echeloned working groups that will determine what stays and what gets turned over to the Iraqis. Some of it the Iraqis will pay for, some of it they won't. Most of it would cost more to ship it home than it is worth, so it will get signed over to the Government of Iraq.
One thing is evident, as previously highlighted: Drive around this place for an hour and it is easy to see why the war is as expensive as it is. We did it to ourselves- I think in some ways our government felt they had to 'give the Soldier everything they need to fight the war' so they wouldn't feel guilty for having 1% of the population of the nation do the bidding for the 99% that couldn't stomach it. So units here ordered and contracted everything they needed and wanted to excess, and no one ever really told them no. I am sure KBR had their hand in it too- "you bet we can do that! Sign here and don't ask about cost!!!"
The danger of this (other than a colossal waste of money) is we have created a generation in the Army that thinks a two-man CHU, their own F150 pickup, flush toilets, gallons of contractor-supplied hot potable water, salsa night, internet on demand, and four hot meals a day is now the standard, and anything less than that they are being deprived and somehow persecuted.
Everyone wants to leave, but there is no way we can maintain this standard of living until the end. Services will have to be cut, and it is already starting, much to the dismay of some of the units that have become accustomed to their "entitlements." The way out of Iraq will likely drastically change all of those expectations.
Good times lie ahead! Stay tuned!
Ron
Scouts are great at 'figuring things out.' So today we got word of an abandoned building here on the base that had some stuff in it. What began with an orderly "let's send a couple of guys over there to see what is in it" turned into a full-on Katrina-style grab-and-go by the line Troops. Furniture, office supplies, a weapons rack, some power transformers (convert Iraqi 230 to US 110)--it was all on sale, and all for the right price.
Initially it seemed right: We were 'repurposing.' This stuff had been in that building since the last unit left- months ago. Heck, we were saving the Guvmint money by not spending subsequent tax dollars on stuff that was already available. All seemed right. Sort of.
Then the MPs showed up.
I was not present for the opening of said building, nor did I visit it during its 'liberation.' But had I asked some targeted questions beforehand, all of this would have immediately been revealed as suspect, and we could have gone about a different way to make it right. The following outlines the line of questioning after the incident:
Me: Who told us about the stuff?
Staff guy: A civilian who works at Division.
Me: So who opened the door?
Other staff guy: It was open when we got there.
First staff guy: Well, it was opened for us.
Me: Did he have the key? Did he unlock the door?
Other staff guy: He opened the door...
Me: Did he use a key?
First staff guy: Uhhh, yes sir, about that-- He sorta used a knife....
After some conversations with the MPs, the FOB Mayor, the actual alleged owner (Army guy) of the building, all is fine. In fact, tomorrow the guy who did in fact "own" the building is going to take us to another one tomorrow to take a crack at that one.
"The incident" highlights an important fact: We have been here for eight years, and all of this stuff we have built up here isn't going to magically teleport itself out of theater. There are decisions being made by echeloned working groups that will determine what stays and what gets turned over to the Iraqis. Some of it the Iraqis will pay for, some of it they won't. Most of it would cost more to ship it home than it is worth, so it will get signed over to the Government of Iraq.
One thing is evident, as previously highlighted: Drive around this place for an hour and it is easy to see why the war is as expensive as it is. We did it to ourselves- I think in some ways our government felt they had to 'give the Soldier everything they need to fight the war' so they wouldn't feel guilty for having 1% of the population of the nation do the bidding for the 99% that couldn't stomach it. So units here ordered and contracted everything they needed and wanted to excess, and no one ever really told them no. I am sure KBR had their hand in it too- "you bet we can do that! Sign here and don't ask about cost!!!"
The danger of this (other than a colossal waste of money) is we have created a generation in the Army that thinks a two-man CHU, their own F150 pickup, flush toilets, gallons of contractor-supplied hot potable water, salsa night, internet on demand, and four hot meals a day is now the standard, and anything less than that they are being deprived and somehow persecuted.
Everyone wants to leave, but there is no way we can maintain this standard of living until the end. Services will have to be cut, and it is already starting, much to the dismay of some of the units that have become accustomed to their "entitlements." The way out of Iraq will likely drastically change all of those expectations.
Good times lie ahead! Stay tuned!
Ron
Friday, February 11, 2011
Apparently I am notorious
http://ronaldofarabia.blogspot.com/2009/03/five-months-soccer-fields-and-powepoint.html
So tonight I had dinner with my Squadron Commander and the Commander of the US Brigade we are going to work with/for (exact relationship TBD). His unit is responsible for about 400 square kilometers, and it includes the area I was in last time. He is partnered with the same unit I worked with about 14 months ago.
In passing, he mentioned he had a conversation with Staff Major General Ali, and the incident referenced above (the IED on the soccer field) came up... I told him that was us.
"Does he know your face?" Asked the US Brigade Commander.
"I think so, he might remember me," I said.
"He remembers the incident! Do not go down there! He's still pissed about that night!"
Heh heh.
So tonight I had dinner with my Squadron Commander and the Commander of the US Brigade we are going to work with/for (exact relationship TBD). His unit is responsible for about 400 square kilometers, and it includes the area I was in last time. He is partnered with the same unit I worked with about 14 months ago.
In passing, he mentioned he had a conversation with Staff Major General Ali, and the incident referenced above (the IED on the soccer field) came up... I told him that was us.
"Does he know your face?" Asked the US Brigade Commander.
"I think so, he might remember me," I said.
"He remembers the incident! Do not go down there! He's still pissed about that night!"
Heh heh.
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