Hanta Yo
Well-known member
Sent 11/20/07:
I have settled into things here now that I have my own station. Although, they are now saying my station is doing so well, it may be cut down to one visit a week and I will be re-assigned to a station that is having trouble. The station I work at, for now anyway, is Al Karradah Patrol Station. That means, they man checkpoints and drive around. If they find a bomb, they call EOD. (However, too many are watching American TV and are trying to defuse them. A few days ago, some Iraqi Police thought they had defused a roadside bomb and brought it back to their station. It detonated there. we are working hard to get them to change but when you have done things one way for so long it is hard to convince them to call EOD and just condone off the area.) If they find a dead body, they call a Local Police Station. In fact, when they find a body, they often load it in the back of a vehicle and drive around with it for a bit and then take it to their home station. There is no traffic accident investigation here. The people involved just figure it out themselves...sometimes by gunfire or fist fighting.
On Sunday the 18th, the base on which I live was hit by about 17 mortars &/or rockets in just over 20 minutes. WOW!!! I was still in bed and trying to sleep as I had about 45 minutes before I had to get up to get ready for a mission. I was rudely shoved back into reality by a rather loud boom. Although the first one was not super close to my building, the sound is intensified by fact that it is a tin building. When the 4th or 5th one went off, a guy started running down the hallway, pounding on everyone's door. Like we had not heard the explosions. Anyway, I got up and stood in the entry to our building with the other guys. I was safer in my room...I have a T-wall right outside my room and am on the bottom floor. A few Apaches finally got up and found the insurgents. They were firing from a big truck as they drove up and down a road called Pluto...a really dangerous road for US troops. The Apaches made them a smear on the road. Thankfully, no one was hurt here but a few buildings and vehicles and one tree took a beating.
One of my best friends here, was part of a convoy that got hit last week. The EFP was buried in the roadway and aimed incorrectly, thankfully. It hit the trunk of the humvee. No one was injured. He is the 4th or 5th one from my training class to get 'smacked'.
I have not made any new revelations about life here lately. I do know that what the military and people like me are doing here is worth it. THe news only tells you about the bad stuff and even that they misrepresent and often out-right lie about. The big thing right now is contractors, of which I am one. I promise you that 99% of them are here to do a job and go home. While we may have to kill someone, we do not want to shoot a child or other innocent persons. The insurgents pick up their dead and remove all signs that they were there. If they can not take the body, they take all weapons and other signs that the person was not just a normal citizen. It is not the contractors or the military that plants bombs near schools, mosques, and markets to kill or maim innocent people. In fact, most vehicle bombs specifically target people of the opposite Islamic sect. The children here are, for the most part, happy to see US Troops. We hand out food, candy, toys, and do our best to make their lives better and safer. A few days ago, the insurgents detonated a bomb near where US Troops were handing out toys to local kids. The bomb was specifically triggered to target US troops when children were close so they could try to blame the US for the incident.
Even though the news was a bit of a downer this time, do not let that make you think I am down on the mission. I still believe we are making a positive difference and that being here is the right thing to do. Enjoy your families and be safe. Talk to you all soon. Send me an email and fill me in on the latest gossip, I mean news.
I have settled into things here now that I have my own station. Although, they are now saying my station is doing so well, it may be cut down to one visit a week and I will be re-assigned to a station that is having trouble. The station I work at, for now anyway, is Al Karradah Patrol Station. That means, they man checkpoints and drive around. If they find a bomb, they call EOD. (However, too many are watching American TV and are trying to defuse them. A few days ago, some Iraqi Police thought they had defused a roadside bomb and brought it back to their station. It detonated there. we are working hard to get them to change but when you have done things one way for so long it is hard to convince them to call EOD and just condone off the area.) If they find a dead body, they call a Local Police Station. In fact, when they find a body, they often load it in the back of a vehicle and drive around with it for a bit and then take it to their home station. There is no traffic accident investigation here. The people involved just figure it out themselves...sometimes by gunfire or fist fighting.
On Sunday the 18th, the base on which I live was hit by about 17 mortars &/or rockets in just over 20 minutes. WOW!!! I was still in bed and trying to sleep as I had about 45 minutes before I had to get up to get ready for a mission. I was rudely shoved back into reality by a rather loud boom. Although the first one was not super close to my building, the sound is intensified by fact that it is a tin building. When the 4th or 5th one went off, a guy started running down the hallway, pounding on everyone's door. Like we had not heard the explosions. Anyway, I got up and stood in the entry to our building with the other guys. I was safer in my room...I have a T-wall right outside my room and am on the bottom floor. A few Apaches finally got up and found the insurgents. They were firing from a big truck as they drove up and down a road called Pluto...a really dangerous road for US troops. The Apaches made them a smear on the road. Thankfully, no one was hurt here but a few buildings and vehicles and one tree took a beating.
One of my best friends here, was part of a convoy that got hit last week. The EFP was buried in the roadway and aimed incorrectly, thankfully. It hit the trunk of the humvee. No one was injured. He is the 4th or 5th one from my training class to get 'smacked'.
I have not made any new revelations about life here lately. I do know that what the military and people like me are doing here is worth it. THe news only tells you about the bad stuff and even that they misrepresent and often out-right lie about. The big thing right now is contractors, of which I am one. I promise you that 99% of them are here to do a job and go home. While we may have to kill someone, we do not want to shoot a child or other innocent persons. The insurgents pick up their dead and remove all signs that they were there. If they can not take the body, they take all weapons and other signs that the person was not just a normal citizen. It is not the contractors or the military that plants bombs near schools, mosques, and markets to kill or maim innocent people. In fact, most vehicle bombs specifically target people of the opposite Islamic sect. The children here are, for the most part, happy to see US Troops. We hand out food, candy, toys, and do our best to make their lives better and safer. A few days ago, the insurgents detonated a bomb near where US Troops were handing out toys to local kids. The bomb was specifically triggered to target US troops when children were close so they could try to blame the US for the incident.
Even though the news was a bit of a downer this time, do not let that make you think I am down on the mission. I still believe we are making a positive difference and that being here is the right thing to do. Enjoy your families and be safe. Talk to you all soon. Send me an email and fill me in on the latest gossip, I mean news.