Life in Iraq II

One of the first things you will notice upon entering Iraq is that there are a group of people who want to cause you bodily harm. I don’t know what exactly I have done to offend this particular group of people but they are mad as hell and want to take it out on someone. They have given clear indications that they don’t like me being here. I am sorry to say that I haven’t had the chance to tell them that the feeling is mutual. I want to leave as much as they want me out. They don’t have to shoot to convince me that I don’t want to be here. Still, given the opportunity to sit down and discuss the matter I am sure we could figure out a way to get along.

These folk have a variety of ways to make their grievance known. In fact there seems to be a terrorist attack due jour. Each day offers a different approach, Innovative Explosive Devices, Vehicle Born Innovative Explosive Devices, Rocket Propelled Grenade’s, mines, small arms fire, kidnapping, assignations, mortars and rockets. A wide variety of expressions I must say. I have often wonder how do they decide what event will they take up each day. Do they have one of those black eight balls they shake which predicts what they will do tomorrow? “Ah, yes the ball says IDE. Excellent!” The terrorist says. I don't understand the mind of someone who wakes up in the morning and decides to go out and cause harm to people he/she doesn’t know. Why am I guilty by association? "Oh, he is an American Soldier, kill him." Maybe I have something to offer that would be helpful.

It is quite evident that the terrorist, insurgents, whatever they are called now, value the use of rockets and mortars. They seem to show up regularly. What is more interesting than the rockets themselves is the soldier’s reaction to these same rockets. Whenever there is a big boom we all act rather disinterested. (This would not be the case if someone was indeed harmed. Every effort would be made to treat and take care of the soldier who might be injured.) Again I am only speaking of my experience and observations. We are very fortunate that all of the rockets that have come our way have fallen harmlessly out in the middle of a field. In reaction to the harmless blasts, we look out our windows and say something benign like, "Oh a rocket went off." As though we were saying, “Oh look, a leaf just fell from a tree” or, “Oh look at that interesting sunset.”

There was a night not so long ago that some rockets landed while we were sleeping. The initial sound is always startling. I laid there wondering, “Is there going to be another and where will it land?” Then two more hit. I didn’t hear any instructions to head to the bunkers so I went back to sleep. The next morning as I was stepping out of my room I saw two of my fellow soldiers sitting in chairs reading. “It sounded like we had some fireworks last night.” I said as though it was hardly worth mentioning. “Yeah, I think so.”, one of them grunted, more interested in his book than conversing about rockets.

What makes this so strange to me is when I juxtapose the reaction here with what would happen if three rockets landed in my back yard at home. “Oh my God! Get down! Call 911! Break out the weapons! The terrorist are coming! What the hell is going on here!” Panic city. We would expect the police to show up in force, news media everywhere, chaos reigning! We wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. It would seem the whole world was coming to an end! Rockets don’t fit into my backyard at home. Yet in Iraq it's, “Oh, a rocket. Look at that.”

Of course there is a reason for this. There is nothing uglier than blind panic. In fact it is down right deadly. Panic begets panic and calm is followed with more calm. If we flew in to a frieze every time a rocket hit we would cause more harm to each other than the rocket ever would. Through their disinterest the soldiers outside my door where telling me, I am okay- no worries. The earth is still spinning on its axis and I have the pleasure of enjoying another day. So be it.

I had the occasion to experience another rocket attack in which we actually saw them land and explode. One of the soldiers became anxious and started panicking. I could feel my own level of anxiety rising and I had to check myself and remember not to get caught up in this person’s reaction. Panic is contagious. There is no need to fret over the sky falling. What is important is that we are all okay. That is the only thing that matters.