A Year In Iraq

Iraqi Security Force

2008-11-11T19:59:00.003+03:00

Today a group of us were touring the Green Zone and had a unique experience. We were at the famous "Crossed Swords", site of a huge parade field where Saddam Hussein used to watch his troops march up and down the field. The arms holding the Crossed Swords are modeled after Saddam's own arms. The new Iraqi government has expressed their plan to tear down this monument in the near future.

Anyway, on today's tour, there were several of us walking around and taking pictures. As we were doing this, a group of "uniforms carrying firearms" approached us. We recognized that they were not U.S. soldiers, and for a moment wondered if we were in an "off limits" area. But they seemed friendly enough as they approached us from their Humvee. As they came over, we recognized them as Iraqis, serving in the Sons of Iraq program. These are similar to "community watch" guards, usually assigned to a local community and keeping an eye on everything. This has been a huge success as it pays "military aged males" to help with security, as opposed to having them unemployed (and potential recruits for Al Qaeda).

They approached us and stuck out their hands and spoke to us, in very good English. They asked if they could get a picture made with us! We were excited to join them for a photograph to commemorate our visit to this landmark. No, it wasn't excitement about the landmark, it was excitement over the historic moment that we shared with these young Iraqi soldiers. As we chatted with them, one of the guys asked me quickly if I could help him emigrate to America. He stated that his brothers and sisters had made it to England, but he wanted to come to America. I was only able to give him a quick word of advice, we shook hands and parted ways. I was glad that we'd exchanged greetings with them, and had our picture made together. The upcoming change in political leadership in the States makes us all wonder what the future holds for both our reconstruction efforts, and the future of Iraq. I know that I speak for all of us in the picture when I say that we hope for peace in this war-torn country.

Scenes in the Palace

2008-11-08T21:53:00.003+03:00

The Embassy is now housed in one of Saddam's palaces, known as the Republican Palace. By the end of December, we expect to vacate the Palace and hand it back to the government of Iraq. It's been an unusual workplace! A few days ago I took a couple of pictures to share with you.

The chairs and couch are in a little corner around from my office. Since there are about 10 of us in my office, with no privacy, we often use these little sitting areas to hold conversations that require privacy.

The other photo shows the ceiling in one of the ballrooms in the Palace. The story I heard was that the artist was instructed to paint these horses, all stallions, in this scene. (Saddam saw himself as quite the "stallion"). The artist knew that upon completion of his work in this palace, he would be executed. (I was told that this was because Saddam didn't want the artist doing any future, better, work for anyone else.....that's sick, huh)? Anyway, as a last act of defiance, the artist painted the horses as geldings, not stallions.

If I could show you the ballroom floor, you'd be surprised! When the Palace was set up as our Embassy, our construction crews built a series of plywood cubicles all across the ballroom. Underneath that ornate, beautiful ceiling.......it's Dilbertville!!! I find this so ironic!!

Going to the Dogs!!

2008-11-08T21:28:00.004+03:00

Security is tight for all of us serving in the coalition forces in Iraq. I’d dare to venture that a very large percentage of the people and budget for Operation Iraqi Freedom is dedicated to security. We have military security and private-contractor security. A very important component of our security is non-human….they’re dogs!!

There are a lot of details that can’t be shared, but suffice it to say that we all transit through security checkpoints on a daily basis. Some of these checkpoints have specially trained dogs on duty 24/7. You do not pass through these checkpoints without a highly trained canine giving you the “once over”!!

Today we were treated to a rare opportunity to see some working dogs in action! We visited the compound of one of the private contract security companies that is responsible for providing security teams to the Embassy. They currently have over 100 teams working here, each team consisting of a person (handler) and their dog. These teams are specialists at detecting explosives, and the dog is the working part of the team!!!

For this work, 4 breeds of dogs excel…they are German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds, Belgian Malinois (MAL-in-wah) and Labrador Retrievers. I’m familiar with two of these breeds, but the Dutch Shepherd and Belgian Malinois are new to me. Both of these breeds mature at around 65 lbs, and like the other two breeds, are real working dogs. The security company obtains these dogs from four breeders; two in the U.S., one is Tanzania and another in South Africa. Seventy percent of their handlers are from South Africa, the rest from the States.

The dogs are trained to react (sit down) when they recognize one of the thirty-five different explosive components that they are trained to detect. These dogs cost between $5,000 and $15,000!!! These dogs arrive in Iraq already trained to a certain level. This security company then trains the dogs to an even higher level. Once trained, the go to work, putting in 8 hour shifts, regardless of the weather or other conditions. In addition to work, they continue to receive 12-14 hours of additional training every week! They have to maintain a 95% proficiency rate in order to keep their jobs.

We learned that these dogs are generally pretty “high strung”, and don’t usually make good pets. These dogs are almost “obsessive-compulsive”…..they work hard and want to work hard!!! We were allowed to pet a few of the dogs, but mostly had to keep our distance.

These working dogs are really impressive. I’m glad to know that they, and their dedicated handlers, are watching out for our safety!!

Headed to America!!

2008-10-27T08:18:00.003+03:00

Today, Oct 27, 2008 is a special day for two of my Iraqi friends, Omar and Mohammed. They leave on a flight to America to start a new life! I know it's a day of mixed emotions for them. I can't imagine leaving my homeland for what may be the last time. I can't imagine the bad experiences they've had here in Iraq, and I can't imagine the uncertainty that they must feel.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you about these guys. Omar has been working here in the Embassy for as long as I've been here. He appears to be about 25 years old. His "office" space has been in a hallway, in a bit of a cubbyhole under a flight of stairs. He has managed our version of "kinko's", a little space equipped with 4 copy machines. Whenever we need copies, we head down the stairs and sign them in with Omar, and he dutifully makes all our copies. He always greets us with a smile and a friendly nod from across the counter. When he's not busy with copies, we see him studying his Arabic-English Dictionary. He speaks very good English, it's evident that he has studied hard.

Omar lives in Baghdad with his mother and 2 younger brothers. His father is dead, a victim of the violence in Iraq. Every day Omar gets up at 5:30 am so he can report to work in the Embassy at 8:00 am. You see, he has to be very careful as he comes to work, or else he could be targeted by the anti-American insurgents who have killed hundreds of Iraqis who have worked with/for the Americans. Omar, his mother and 2 younger brothers will be leaving for America today, together, to start a new life. He has studied "business administration" in Iraq and hopes to continue those studies in America.

Mohammed has been working in another office where he's been the "jack-of-all-trades". He did everything from wash the cars to repair our computers. Unlike Omar, he's been living in the Green Zone, with a greater degree of safety for several months. He made a sign for me, with my name and title in Arabic and English. It sits proudly on my desk today, and will return home with me in a few weeks.

Both of these young guys head off to America today. I don't know many details, but some agency or non-profit will be waiting for them in the States. I think they are both headed to Atlanta. Their sponsor agency will meet them, and help them get started. I can't imagine how they feel today!! There must be a huge mixture of hope, anticipation, uncertainty and sadness.

It makes me think now of my ancestors who sailed across the ocean to start their new lives in our great land of freedom and promise. America has been a beacon of hope to people from all over the world for centuries. It makes me appreciate, even more, the fact that I am an American.

Baking Bread

2008-10-17T20:50:00.003+03:00

These pictures were taken by a friend, and fellow USDA-employee, James Bright. He was on the outskirts of a town one day at a farm village, and came upon these women baking bread in the traditional way! Of course, with the daily power outages, baking in the "old way" is almost the only way to bake.

The bread in Iraq is wonderful, and like most breads served in the Middle East, is a traditional style of "flat bread". In Iraq, the bread is known as "khoubiz" or "khubz". There are probabluy other variations on the English spelling. If you google on "arabic flat bread", "lebanese flat bread" or "syrian flat bread", you'll find a recipe.

The first photo shows a preparation table where several balls of dough are sitting ready to be rolled out and placed in the oven. On the right side of the photo you can see the finished product!

Look at the second photo, it shows the bread baking in a traditional oven....very unique!!! The dough is rolled or patted out into a thin, round shape. Then it is simply "slapped" into the oven and up on the near-vertical oven wall!!! It's left there for just a few minutes, probably around 5 minutes, and it's ready to go!!! These traditional ovens use wood or charcoal for building the fire. I understand that many are fired with propane.

This bread is wonderful and chewy with a great taste! We all look forward to the opportunity to get some authentic Iraqi flat bread.

Chicken Feed

2008-10-14T21:11:00.002+03:00

One of the constraints on Iraqi agriculture is a source of high-quality animal feeds. Iraq does not come anywhere close to producing enough feedstock for their domestic needs. Yields are low, feed values are low......this makes it difficult to produce a high quality meat product for the Iraqi consumer.

One of our ag advisors is a poultry specialist, very knowledgeable about all aspects of poultry management. Part of his effort has involved helping the Iraqi farmers import high-protein feedstocks to increase their efficiency in growing chickens.

These pictures are of a typical feedmill in Iraq. They are labor-intensive, which is probably a good thing since it provides employment for some number of men. Much of the operation is still manual, such as shoveling ingredients into the hopper, bagging and transporting. I suspect these guys are plenty tired when they finish their day!!

Terrorists??? Al Qaeda???

2008-10-14T20:36:00.003+03:00

Just kidding!!! As I took this photo, I was thinking that it could easily be mistaken for some kind of explosion, maybe from a mortar or rocket attack. It wasn't!

This is the site of a poultry slaughter/processing facility under construction in Anbar Province. These guys are the roofing crew working to melt the tar that will be used in construction of the roof. I think they were using old tires to fuel the flames under the big tank holding some molten tar.

We (USDA) have supported this project with financial support as well as technical advice. Much of the food supply in Iraq now is processed in very un-hygenic conditions. Livestock are slaughtered and processed on bare ground, in places without even running water, and no refrigeration! Meat may hang in the open environment for hours and hours.....even more. Can you imagine purchasing a roast that is covered with flies, and the temperature is 120 degrees? I once saw a small truck, just a pickup, with a load of dead fish in the bed of the truck. The fish appeared to have been dead for at least a few days. The farmer had them covered with a tarp, but the flies were buzzing all around! I don't think the fish were sanitary in any stretch of the imagination!

When completed, this facility will provide a hygenic location where Iraqi-grown poultry is processed under clean conditions, with water and refrigeration. They'll be quick-chilled, packaged and shipped via refrigerated truck to the nearest city.

Chicken Projects

2008-10-13T19:38:00.007+03:00

This is another shot from the poultry project that is underway. It's one of the many poultry programs that are quickly changing the poultry industry in Iraq. The first picture is the feed mill which is described in another blog entry, while the second shot shows an incubator. The eggs in the incubator were shipped in from Europe, the nearest source of the latest and greatest chicken genetics!! A total of 175,000 fertilized eggs arrived in this shipment. These eggs, and the resulting chickens, will form the foundation of the new poultry industry in Iraq.

In other locations, our agricultural advisors are rebuilding the poultry industry on a much smaller scale. They have purchased a few thousand baby chicks and distributed them, a few at a time, to rural Iraqi families. They are providing supplies to build a small chicken coop, and a few chickens. Just this small assistance will help to provide food to an Iraqi family. According to the latest statistics, Iraq is currently producing 15% of the poultry products (eggs and meat) that are consumed. There is a huge demand, these kinds of projects are helping to incrrease the supply.

Pictures

2008-09-09T21:30:00.004+03:00

One day we were out on a "mission"....sounds so important, huh? Well, it was a visit to an Iraqi farmer's association headquarters. We were there to visit their office and see some of the equipment which we had purchased on their behalf. Soldiers take us on these missions, and guard us all the way.

On this day, we had gotten out of the army vehicles and were walking into the building. You can see the soldier in the upper left, one of the many who were guarding us. As we approached the entry to the building, I saw this burro, and had to stop and get a picture. As I stopped, one of the soldiers came over to me quickly and said, "Sir, you need to get into the office...those are propane tanks on that trailer, and, well, sir, you just never know what might happen." Boy, did I feel pretty dumb!! I was excited to see the burro, and completely overlooked the potential danger! Those propane tanks could make one heck of an explosion! "Thanks", I said to the soldier, as I turned quickly and got out of there!

Here's a "garden of eden" shot!! This irrigation water is coming off the Euphrates River and entering a palm grove. Many of the palm groves are farmed in an intensive manner. The date palm trees make up the top canopy. The next canopy consists of citrus trees. Beneath the citrus trees will typically be patches of vegetables or perhaps some type of forage. Water is so precious, they use it as efficiently as possible.

Here's $50,000 in cold, hard, fresh-off-the-printing-press cash!!! The Provincial Reconstruction Teams spend a lot of money on various projects, i.e. refurbishing a hospital, building chicken coops, buying generators for a chicken hatchery, installing air conditioning in the local government center, etc. The Iraqi banking system doesn't work so well, so cash transactions are the norm. This is a picture of an ag advisor counting the $50K to make sure it's all there. I counted it, too, and it was all there....$50,000 smackers in a zip lock bag!! The guy shown here carried that money around in a backpack for several days while out on a mission. He said that he sure felt funny!!

Irrigated Agriculture

2008-08-29T17:27:00.007+03:00

Water is the lifeblood of agriculture. It's is a precious resource, especially in Iraq! The Tigris and Euphrates rivers run through Iraq, creating some beautiful alluvial valleys....where agriculture began!!! As I fly over the country, I'm amazed at the amount of desert!! Iraq is about the size of California, and a full 40% of it's land area is covered in desert!! That is a lot of barren land.

Recently I had the chance to visit a farmer's association outside of Baghdad that is trying to rehabilitate a pumping station. Water from the river is lifted up, approximately 60 ft vertical, to feed into the irrigation system that provides water to 50,000 acres. It's a large project, by Iraqi standards. I think that I understood the irrigation system to be about 40 years old, and in a sad state of repair. The picture in the middle shows the interior of the pump station. The equipment on the right are the electric motors that turn the pumps, that lift the water up to the irrigation project canals, like the one shown in the lower photo. The electric motors are powered by a couple of huge generators, because electrical power isn't reliable (like all of Iraq). So, the farmers that rely on the water, have to pool their resources to buy fuel to power the generators, that then power the electric motors...that power the pumps....oh boy, there are a lot of moving parts!!!!

Check out the two Iraqis shown in that photo...they work at the pump station, and had evidently just come out of the water. They have on their swimsuits and were still dripping wet. Just after I took this picture, one of them opened an electrical panel and was flipping switches....still dripping wet and barefoot!!! Evidently, OSHA has not found Iraq!!!!

The picture at top shows some of the Iraqi farmers on the left, our BBA (bi-lingual, bi-cultural advisor) and one of our ag people. They're walking along, holding a conversation with the help of the BBA who interprets. Except for the clothing, it could be a scene from the States.

The photo at the bottom is of the irrigation canal. Many of the canals are not lined in concrete. I was glad to see this one with a concrete lining. Notice the fields off in the distance on the right. We walked to the field and learned that the corn was planted by hand. It was at a much lower plant population than we'd see in a typical corn field in the States. The field in the foreground was soybeans, also planted by hand.

Mohammed's Story

2008-08-02T16:20:00.005+03:00

In Iraq we are dependent on BBAs to do our work. BBA stands for "Bi-lingual, Bi-cultural Advisor". As the name implies, these people aren't just interpreters, we rely on them to bridge the language and cultural barriers that we encounter. Without them, our work would be impossible. Many of the BBAs were born in Iraq, and now live in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Europe. Since they were born in Iraq, they understand the language and the culture. Their work here makes our work possible.

Mohammed Al-Azadi is a friend that I met a few months ago. He works at a BBA for the agricultural team at the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Babil, Iraq. This is his story.

Mohammed was born in the southeastern province of Dhi Qar, in the town of Nassariya, in 1972. His father was in the Iraqi Army, and was captured during the Iran-Iraq War in 1987 and held as a prisoner in Iran until 1998. This meant that Mohammed was 15 years old when his father was captured. As the oldest child, Mohammed had to work in order to provide for his family, as well as attend school. He completed high school in 1985. He then attended Baghdad University where he received a B.S. degree in Agriculture in 1990.

After finishing college, Mohammed returned to Dhi Qar province. There was much discontent at that time in Iraq. The people felt that Saddam Hussein had led them into two needless and foolish wars...the Iran-Iraq War, and the Gulf War. People started to rise up, as they did in his home province, only to be attacked by the Iraqi Army under orders from Saddam Hussein. Since Mohammed was educated (and viewed as a threat by the Saddam Hussein regime), he felt forced to leave the country. In 1991 he left Iraq aboard a U.S. Air Force C-130 airplane as a refugee. He was transported to Saudi Arabia where he lived in a refugee camp for three years. Life in the camp was "hell"! The first 8 months were spent in crowded tents. The desert temperatures were hot during the day, and cold at night. The Saudis weren't hospitable. Many of the refugees were killed by the Saudis. However, he survived life in the refugee camp, and in fact met and married his wife there, and they also had 1 child born while in the refugee camp.

In 1994 he was interviewed by a UN office at the refugee camp, and processed for immigration to the U.S. A church in the Seattle area was his sponsor, and a private individual through the church assisted Mohammed and his young family get settled. For 18 months, he attended ESL (English as a Second Language) classes at night, while working during the day in a factory. In 1999 he became a U.S. citizen, along with his wife and their child that was born in the refugee camp. Mohammed stated that many of his friends from the refugee camp went to other countries, and he feels very fortunate to have ended up in the United States of America.

In 2005, Mohammed returned to his native Iraq as an English-speaking U.S. citizen, working as a BBA. This is a very important job, as his skills and background are necessary for anything to be accomplished!! I've seen him in action....quickly explaining to us how the political system works here, or how we can best work with the Ministry of Agriculture, then interpreting for us as we ask the Iraqi farmers about their needs. His work is invaluable to us, and the Iraqis!!

He still has family living in Iraq. I asked him about how his brothers and sisters feel about the direction in which their country is now headed. He said that they say life is better, they have hope for a better future, and now have better salaries than previously. They now have hope their children will inherit a better Iraq!

I asked Mohammed about being a Muslim in the U.S. He stated that this is not a problem, that the American citizens are so tolerant, especially about religion which makes him feel comfortable and safe to practice his religion, just as our Constitution promises. He said that cultural difficulties are more noticeable, particularly for his daughters when it comes to dress. They still wear the headscarf, the "hijab", and more loose-fitting clothes than their American-born classmates. He also stated that we Americans are such devoted workers....whereas the Iraqi culture emphasizes social interaction.

Mohammed plans on returning to the States by the end of the year. His family now includes a total of 4 children, the youngest three born in the States. He's been a valuable part of the rebuilding of Iraq, and I'm proud to know him!!

Lunch in Al-Amariah

2008-07-27T17:38:00.004+03:00

The Iraqis are amazingly hospitable. Recently I traveled to a location with some of our agricultural advisors to discuss the formation of a farmer's cooperative. We had about 11 sheihks attend. I was told that each of them represented from 100 - 500 people in their respective villages. Each of these were the "patriarch" of their respective villages, and very much responsible for making decisions on their behalf.

The meeting was held at the home of one sheikh, in a large room that was probably 40 ft x 15 ft. There was no air conditioning and it was around 120 degrees outside. But, he had gone out ahead of our arrival and purchased a swamp cooler. We could see that it was brand new, purchased just for the occasion of our visit. As the meeting started, a couple of young boys came around with bottled water for each of us.

We met with them and explained the idea for forming an agricultural cooperative. After some heated discussion, they decided that it was worth the risk. We then asked them to elect officers. This is a totally new concept for them....democracy in action!! It was interesting to watch them nominate and elect officers. Actually they didn't actually vote, they more or less reached consensus. It was obvious that they were enjoying the idea of having some degree of self-determination, some control over their own futures.

After the meeting, lunch was served! We never saw the women, but it was pretty obvious that some talented ladies had cooked a fantastic spread for us!! A few young guys brought in some tables, and spread plastic lace tablecloths over them. Then....the food was brought in!!! First, they came in carrying stacks of the traditional flat bread. The young guy, probably a teenager, just had these big circles of flat bread laid over his arm. He walked down both sides of the table and more or less just "flopped" a piece of bread at each place, right on top of the tablecloth. Then, someone followed him and placed a tablespoon at each place. Then they brought in trays of meat, rice and vegetables; chicken with vegetables, and bowls of tomato-okra soup.

There were no individual plates, and no chairs. We stood to eat. Each person had their own spoon, piece of bread and bowl of soup. The meat and vegetables were served "family style", you might say....only with no utensils for common serving! The tradition is to just reach in and grab with your right hand...never your left as that is the "unclean" hand. It was sure a little awkward, but one of my friends at the table brought some hand sanitizer with him and we passed it around (as inconspicuously as possible) just before eating.

So, you reach in with your right hand and grab some meat off the dish. The meat isn't cut up, it's still connected, so you just reach in and pull it off. If it resists, you have to sort of maneuver with your hand (only your right) to pull it off. We Americans decided that the best way to eat the rice was to use our spoon and dip some of the tomato-okra soup up and onto the rice (it was still in the "common" bowl)....then quickly use the spoon to spoon some of the rice onto a piece of bread, then eat it quickly before the soup ran down your arm!! I guess the Iraqis thought we were crazy!!! It must have taken all their self-control to keep from falling in the floor laughing as they watched us attempt to eat "Iraqi style"!

The meat: The meat we had was lamb, from their favorite breed of sheep, known as Awassi, also known as "fat tail" sheep. Their body conformation is a little different from the varieties that we see in the States. The fat tail sheep are so named for a reason....they develop a fairly large fat deposit at the base of their spine, just above the tail. This deposit of fat serves as an energy reserve in case they have to go without food for a few days. It's an adaptation that is very valuable in this desert country. The goats of Iraq don't possess that unique feature. So, when the Iraqis put on a big spread, and want to show you that you're getting the best they have, they cook up a "fat tail" sheep, as it's preferred over goat. And, for display, they leave this fat deposit attached to the sheep, just so you can see for yourself that you're getting the best they have!! Look closely at the picture here and you'll see this fat deposit.

After we "men" finished eating, the teenage guys came in again and picked up all the dishes. There was no way we could finish all the food that was on the table, so there was plenty of food left. They picked up the dishes, and our interpreter told us that the women and children would finish if off. That meant that the soup I left in my bowl wasn't thrown out, someone else finished it.

Well, it was quite a meal, and a real cultural experience. I hope these farmers will be able to work together, improve their production methods (more on that later) and continue to control their own destiny.

Prayer Beads

2008-07-26T14:36:00.005+03:00

I have limited interactions with the people of Iraq. I do get out and meet them occasionally, but not often. And, usually, at any meeting, there are no women present, we always meet with the men. And the one thing that is consistent about those meetings is that they have their prayer beads with them, and they're usually "working" them!! I find this really fascinating. So what's with prayer beads? Wikipedia has this to say,

"Prayer beads are traditionally used to keep count of the repetitions of prayers, chants or devotions by adherents of religion. Since the beads can be fingered in an automatic manner, they allow one to keep track of how many prayers have been said with a minimal amount of conscious effort, which in turn allows greater attention to be paid to the prayers themselves.
There are three widely accepted uses for prayer beads:
Repetition of the same devotion a set (usually large) number of times. This is the earliest form of prayer beads (the Japa Mala) and the earliest Christian form (the prayer rope). This is also the type in use by the Bahá'í Faith
Repetition of several different prayers in some pattern, possibly interspersed with or accompanied by meditations.
Meditation on a series of spiritual themes, e.g. Islam."

"In Islam, prayer beads are referred to as Misbaha or Tasbih, and contain 99 beads, corresponding to the 99 Names of Allah. Sometimes only 33 beads are used, in which case one would cycle through them 3 times to equal 99. Use of the misbaha to count prayers and recitations is an evolution of Muhammad's practice of using the fingers of his right hand to keep track. While in pretty wide use today, some adherents of Wahhabism shun them as an intolerable innovation, preferring to stick to the exact method believed to have been used by Muhammad. Their use as a religious item has somewhat diminished over the years, and many use them nowadays strictly as worry beads and as status symbols. They are most commonly made of wooden beads, but also of olive seeds, ivory, amber, pearls or plastic."

I was at one of the local shops today and looked at their selection of prayer beads.....and yep they all had 33 beads, no more, no less!! And, they come in a variety of colors, including green as is shown in the photo. But, I'm still not sure what the Iraqi men that I meet are doing with their prayer beads. They might be for worry, for a show of status, or for prayer. I'll probably never know, but it is certainly interesting!!

The practice of using prayer beads is found in many different religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Bahai.

SSG Jeremy Dale Vrooman

2008-07-26T14:06:00.008+03:00

This week I traveled out to FOB (Forward Operating Base) Warhorse, northeast of Baghdad. It's actually only 35 miles as the crow flies, but from appearances, it could be 300 miles away. It's really a desolate location, as are many of our FOBs.

We arrived around 3 pm that afternoon, and learned that at 5 pm there would be a memorial service for a soldier that had died last week. He was SSG. Jeremy D. Vrooman, originally from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I didn't know SSG. Vrooman, but felt compelled to attend the memorial service. You see, most of my days are spent in the relative luxury and solid security of the International Zone.....thanks to the many soldiers like SSG. Vrooman. Anytime I travel outside the International Zone, or off one of the FOBs, I'm guarded by young men just like SSG. Vrooman....young guys wearing 50 lbs of body armour, carrying backpacks of gear and their weapons. Guys sweating so much that they drink a few gallons of water every day. Young men hoping they complete today's mission without any "incidents". Young men and women just hoping to finish their tour and return home to their family.

A week earlier, SSG. Vrooman was on a patrol outside of FOB Warhorse, "clearing" some houses that were suspected of being Al Qaeda hold-outs. He was leading his patrol and was about 45 seconds ahead of the rest of his men. He walked into a house, and triggered a booby trap bomb that claimed his life. That was one of eleven homes in that area with booby traps!! By entering the house first, his actions cost him his life, but saved the lives of his men. He could have stayed back near the vehicles, after all, he was the patrol leader, the senior among his men. But, he was, as the military says "leading from the front"...not asking his men to do anything that he wouldn't do.

SSG. Jeremy D. Vrooman leaves a wife and two small children. Was his death worth the loss? Will this war leave Iraq a better place? How many more young men and women from our armed forces will die? Will we defeat terrorism? When will Iraq be able to govern and protect itself? I don't know the answers to these questions. I do know that SSG. Jeremy Vrooman deserves my honor and respect. May God bless him, his family, and all the other soldiers and civilians who have given the ultimate sacrifice to this war. Jeremy Vrooman is one of the 4,124 soldiers who have died in Iraq.

FOB Warhorse

2008-07-26T10:42:00.006+03:00

Last week I visited FOB (Forward Operating Base) Warhorse....located northeast of Baghdad, in Diyala Province. We have 3 ag advisors working there, and I was on a visit to their location. While there we had meetings with local sheikhs regarding poultry, date palms, vegetables and honeybees. Diyala is truly an agricultural province, but it is experiencing a severe drought this year.

One a mission one day, we visited a group of Iraqi farmers and discussed the possibility of forming an agricultural cooperative which could help them reduce costs and improve marketing. It was an interesting discussion, and they quickly selected some from among the attendees to serve as officers. All this is still very new to the Iraqis........they're not accustomed to making their own decisions about many of the things that we take for granted. It was good to see them adopt these basic tenets of democracy!

On the return trip to FOB Warhorse, one of the vehicles in our convoy broke down, and it was the one in which I was riding!! Murphy's Law!! We were just driving down the road at a normal speed and the engine just quit. Turned out that it had lost the coolant, and overheated....probably ruined the engine. There were 3 more vehicles in our convoy, so they assumed protective positions around ours, and we sat there for about 90 minutes before they could get another vehicle out there to pick us up! It was about 2 pm and must have been 120 degrees...outside. We tried not to think what it might be inside!! But really, it wasn't too bad. They opened the hatches for some air movement, and we had plenty of water that we kept drinking. I had a bandana with me and kept it wet for a little cooling around my neck, which felt very good! After they picked us up in another vehicle, we traveled down the road for a few minutes with the hatch open, and the dust started rolling in!!! That's why I quickly put my bandana over my face.

Dubai

2008-07-16T16:42:00.003+03:00

I recently attended a conference in Dubai. What a place! After nearly a year in Iraq, it was sure nice to see an Arabic country that "works"! I'm sure other Arab countries work, too, I just haven't spent time in any other than Iraq.

Of course, I guess that's not really true. The people who work in Dubai are not the natives....but people from India, Pakistan, the Phillipines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc. The people of Dubai are so wealthy (oil money) that few of them work. Restaurant workers, construction workers, policemen, hotel staff, retailers, etc. are all foreigners!!! It is really a weird place in that regard.

Not to mention the construction and the fact that everything is new!!! As I stepped outside of the hotel, there were 7 construction cranes within a block or two!!! I heard that Dubai has the 2nd largest population of construction cranes of anywhere in the world, except China. I'm not sure how they count that, but I'm not going to argue!!! There were a lot of cranes. And, construction work went pretty much 24/7!!! There were 2 buildings under construction adjacent to my hotel, and I heard construction noise during the night!! Luckily, they must have been prohibited from using the jackhammers that I heard during the day!!!

I took the usual "tourist" trip....the Desert Safari. It consisted of riding around some sand dunes in a Toyoto Land Cruiser for about an hour and a half....stopping to see a pen of camels, and eating a traditional dinner at a little "village" in the desert. Oh, there were shops there, and they had a belly-dancer (who didn't appear to be Arabic)! It was a fun trip.

Back to Work

2008-07-16T14:27:00.005+03:00

I've been out of touch for a while...sorry about that. After returning from my last R&R (and the great wedding for our daughter and new son), I just didn't post anything. But, I've been back at work for some few weeks and back "on the road" now.

Today finds me in Ramadi in the province of Anbar. This is the site of the "awakening" movement, in which some of the local Iraqi leaders saw that following the insurgency (al qaeda) was leading to a downward spiral for their province and families. So, they decided to work with the American and coalition forces...... to work for the future. They banded together to help coalition forces defeat al qaeda. It came at a great price to these leaders. A number of them have been murdered, or had family members murdered. Yet, they press ahead, hoping and building for a better Iraq....a better future for their children. You have to admire them!! Would I have the courage to walk in their shoes?

On this trip, I'm accompanying our videographer. His duty is to capture some of our people working, showing the good jobs they're doing with the Iraqis and helping to rebuild agriculture here in Anbar Province. This is the first of several stops for this project. I think it will produce a nice video. I'm looking forward to the finished product.

Right now, we're sitting around waiting for a helicopter flight out. However, flights are currently under a "weather hold"....delayed because of dust. It hasn't been windy, but just a slight breeze. I guess this dust is so fine that the slightest breeze can stir it up!!! So, we've finished with the video taping part of this trip, and are just waiting for the dust to settle so we can get out of here and on to our next assignment. That's just one of the constraints that impact work here in Iraq!!

More from our next stop, and some pictures, too!!!

Traditional Meal

2008-05-30T20:17:00.003+03:00

Another treat in Dhi Qar was the traditional Iraqi food that was served. On the last evening of our trip we had a huge spread of food served in traditional fashion....on the floor! As we entered the room that was covered with beautiful rugs, we were invited to remove our shoes and take a seat. There was a long sheet of plastic placed over the rugs to protect them from all the food that was brought in by 3-4 Iraqi boys. The food was spread all up and down the long sheet of plastic as shown in the photograph.

You'll find it interesting if you look closely in the picture, there are no spoons, forks or knives. Again, this is the traditional manner for serving food in the Middle East. And, the meals are generally served "family style"....large bowls or platters with many servings. There was plenty of traditional bread, called "khoubiz". You eat in the following manner: Take a piece of bread, which is usually the size of a dinner plate. Tear off a smaller piece, maybe the size of the palm of your hand, and use it to dip into the common platter or bowl. If the bowl has a more 'liquid' food, you just dip it in and pull it up and take a bite of the bread with the liquid. If the food is more of a solid, you use the bread to grasp it and then eat it. It's a different experience for us Westerners who are accustomed to using utensils!!!

The food was delicious!!! The plate at the bottom shows a traditional fish dish. The fish is carp, which we consider to be a 'trash' fish in the States. It's a delicacy here! We also had a tremendous amount of vegetables, boiled eggs, olives, hummus, and on and on! Our Iraqi host was one of the local politicians, and he treated us like visiting royalty!!

Poetry in Dhi Qar

2008-05-22T15:05:00.003+03:00

We really got the cultural treatment in Dhi Qar, including some poetry. It was delivered in Arabic, with a translator providing English translation. I felt like the guys at the United Nations with the little speaker hanging on my ear while listening to the translation.

Here is an example:

Destinies by Mahmud Al-Braikan

The liner is at anchor beside the dock
It rests with its decayed hulk,
Within its interior it hides
The rust of the eras.
It was by sailors left long ago,
And it sides are re-enameled,
It is decked with lamps lined
Up in the air,
And coloured paper birds.
And it reposes at the dock
A restaurant afloat,
It is here where the no-comers
Rejoice at the smell of the sea
From within the smell of the delicacies,
And they cast across the tables
Their looks at a sole life-buoy.

**********************************

Music in Dhi Qar

2008-05-22T09:05:00.003+03:00

Another joy from our trip to Dhi Qar Province was the local music! We were entertained twice by a group of Iraqi musicians. They were all male, and the group must have had 8-9 men playing. We were familiar with some of the instruments...electric keyboard, violins, tambourines and drums of various types. Others were more exotic....a strange dulcimer-like instrument and a very small metallic drum.

There was a man playing something like a penny-whistle. It appeared to be made from white PVC pipe, maybe 20" long. He also played one made from a cane or reed type plant (which is abundant in this area). There were 3 drummers....playing tambourine, and drums typical of the Middle East and Africa.

However, one drum stood out from the rest. It was a very small drum, and at first I couldn't figure out what it was. The gentleman playing it had a black leather belt around the bottom of his ribcage. That leather belt held a small metallic drum that was placed sort of under his left arm, just about under his left elbow. The drum itself appeared as a metal cylinder....you could almost say it was the size and shape of a soft drink can. The "bottom" end of it pointed forward, and that's the end that the drummer "played". I couldn't see how long this metal cylinder was.

He played it with the tips of his fingers, while playing another drum placed between his knees with his hands...he just moved from the bigger drums to this small, metal drum....back and forth.

The sound of the small drum was very metallic, almost "tinny"....and loud!! He'd start playing on the small drum and it sounded like a machine gun off in the distance!! I can't imagine that his fingers didn't hurt from the impact of playing!! He was really whacking that drum!!! I found all of the music pleasing to the ear, with the exception of this little metal drum.

The music was outstanding!! We were all asking to purchase a CD of the music, but they had none! I guess there's an opportunity for some economic development!!!

Later in the day, they entertained us again. During one of their numbers, a singer entertained us. Of course the song was in Arabic, and I don't have an idea of what was said, but it was very pleasant.

Again, it was great to see this expression of artistic talent in Iraq. So often we see only the big T-walls, poverty, litter, drought, etc. etc. This was a welcomed adventure into the hidden Iraq!

Ziggurat of Ur

2008-05-19T21:16:00.005+03:00

I'll have several stories to share from my recent trip to Dhi Qar Province, I hope you enjoy them all.

Today I visited the ancient ziggurat near the ancient city of Ur. "What's a ziggurat?", I said as our hosts told us that we were taking an archaeological adventure before leaving on the plane. Here's the answer from Wikipedia:

"Ziggurats were important to the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians of ancient Iran and Mesopotamia. The earliest examples of the ziggurat were simple raised platforms that date from the Ubaid period during the fourth millennium BC, and the latest date from the 6th century BC. The top of the ziggurat was flat, unlike many pyramids. The step pyramid style began near the end of the Early Dynastic Period. Built in receding tiers upon a rectangular, oval, or square platform, the ziggurat was a pyramidal structure. Sun-baked bricks made up the core of the ziggurat with facings of fired bricks on the outside. The facings were often glazed in different colors and may have had astrological significance. The number of tiers ranged from two to seven, with a shrine or temple at the summit. Access to the shrine was provided by a series of ramps on one side of the ziggurat or by a spiral ramp from base to summit. Notable examples of this structure include the Great Ziggurat of Ur and Khorsabad in Mesopotamia.

The ziggurats had no internal chambers. they were almost always square or rectangular, where one side was upwards of 170 feet (50 meters) long.

The Mesopotamian ziggurats were not places for public worship or ceremonies. They were believed to be dwelling places for the gods. Through the ziggurat, the gods could be close to mankind, and each city had its own patron god. Only priests were permitted on the ziggurat or in the rooms at its base, and it was their responsibility to care for the gods and attend to their needs. The priests were very powerful members of Sumerian society.

There are 32 ziggurats known at, and near, Mesopotamia. Twenty-eight of them are in Iraq, and four of them are in Iran. "

We visited the ziggurat near Ur, in the southern region of Iraq. It was a hot day, and the landscape around the ziggurat looks like the moon, devoid of vegetation. Standing on top of the ziggurat gives one a view of some remains of structures in the immediate vicinity. It was so quiet and lonely, and difficult to imagine that thousands of people must have worked on this site some 4,000 years ago! Yes, this ziggurat was built around 2100 B.C.!!

Locals claim that the prophet Abraham was born in this very location, but that's unproven, of course. Regardless, this is an awesome, historic site that reflects the intelligence of this ancient civilization.

Top photo: Ziggurat of Ur, see the man standing on top? That gives you an indication of the size of this....all made from mud bricks!!

Middle photo: Me, standing on top of the Ziggurat of Ur.

Bottom photo: A photo from the top of the ziggurat of Ur, looking down to the next level, with the surrounding terrain in the background.

Warming Up!

2008-05-05T17:39:00.002+03:00

The temperatures have been warming up a bit in the Green Zone. April 15th was the first day of the year to exceed 100 degrees! Since then, we've had a few days when it only hit 90, which seemed like a very nice day!! I'm guessing that as the temperatures continue to rise, we'll look back on these days of "only 100 degrees" and regard them with fond memories!

Singing on our Knees

2008-05-05T17:29:00.005+03:00

I've already described church here as a very different experience, and that continues to be true. Last night proved to be an exceptionally "different" night. Last night, May 4th 2008, we had the pleasure of hearing Canon Andrew White, with St. George's Episcopal Church, here in Baghdad. He grew up in Great Britain, and is a huge man. He must be about 6' 4", with a booming voice. Ten years ago, he came to Baghdad to serve at St. George's Church. I can't imagine the culture shock that he has experienced! His church is only about a mile outside of the Green Zone, so he lives and works in the heart of Baghdad. He told us a little about his church, and the wonderful Iraqi Christians in his congregation. Sadly, he informed us that he's lost 58 members in the last 2 years. They were victims of all kinds of violence from suicide bombers, to car bombers, to just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He didn't say it, but I suspect that some were killed because they were Christian. I was calculating that and it comes out to an average of one death every two weeks, just in his congregation!!! Yet his faith, and his congregation's faith remains strong in the face of such adversity. His church has guards working there around the clock. After all, Christians are not well loved by most of the remainder of the Iraqi population. These folks have experienced life like we can't imagine. Well, as sad as that news was, it was still a highlight to have him visit our chapel, and to tell us that his church loves us, and sends us their blessings.

As special as his visit was, it was just the first event of a special night. Lately, the International Zone has come under rocket and mortar fire. It started on Easter Sunday, and I suspect this wasn't a coincidence, but an expression of disdain for Christians. Regardless, things have been a little "on edge" lately.

Whenever there is an alert for an in-coming rocket, we hear this loud WAAA-OOOO-WAAA-OOOO-WAA-OOOO over the speaker system. Standard protocol is to head to the nearest concrete bunker, or to simply "hit the dirt". Earlier in the service last night, we sang a new song, "No, Never Alone". It's an upbeat, "gospelly" song that makes you want to clap your hands or tap your feet. Last night, a few minutes after Canon White had spoken, we were just starting to stand up to sing this song again, when the alert went off.....WAAA-OOOO-WAAA-OOOO-WAAA-OOOO!!!!! The chaplain (who's an army colonel) instructed us to get on the floor. So, we all got onto the floor, most of us simply got on our knees and tried to "hide" behind our chairs. My friend, Manilka, was sitting in the row of chairs in front of me and we were like a couple of school boys peeking at each other between the chairs. As we settled into this position, listening for any explosion, someone started singing the chorus to that song. Within an instant..... spontaneously, we were all singing...... as best we could given the position that we were in....on our knees with heads lowered. At that moment, I don't think there was an ounce of fear left in the building. Here we were, on our knees, but singing a song entitled, "No, Never Alone". How could we fear anything? We continued singing, finishing the song while still on our knees. Then we stood up and continued the service. It was a very surreal experience!!!! A few of us who were there last night have mentioned how the events of May 4, 2008 will always remain with us. I know that I'll always remember the night we sang on our knees in church in the International Zone, just a mile down the street from our Christian friends at St. George's Episcopal Church. I'll always remember the fear that they have to endure daily, and pray that they know the words to the song "No, Never Alone".

To read about St. Geoge's Episcopal Church, go to: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81799_94311_ENG_HTM.htm

Dust Storm

2008-04-18T12:59:00.002+03:00

It's rarely windy here in Baghdad. Heck, there's generally not even a slight breeze blowing! However, there are some days that prove to be the exception.

Yesterday I woke up and thought that it must be cloudy. It was time to get up, but not as much light as it should have been at that time of day. I was partially right.....it wasn't cloudy in the normal sense, instead it was a dust storm....a huge cloud of dust! The pictures above are taken from the same spot. The first picture was taken a few months ago, the second picture was taken yesterday. It tells the story!

Funny thing was that we had the same visual effect inside the Embassy! As we looked down the long hallways inside, we saw the same haze hanging in the air.

This dust is very, very fine! Folks describe it as "talcum powder" dust, an apt description!

Business Growth

2008-04-13T18:51:00.003+03:00

The International Zone has a lot of Iraqis living within it's boundary. After all, this was pretty much the seat of power during the Saddam era. One of the pleasures of living here is taking a walk through the IZ and checking out what passes for "normal" life in Baghdad. We can walk to many of the Iraqi landmarks like the "Crossed Swords", "Memorial to the Unknown Soldier", and the famous Al-Rahseed Hotel. This hotel was the on-site location for many of the international news reporters who were here during the 2003 invasion.

There are a limited number of businesses here. One is the Freedom Cafe. It's located down the street from the Embassy and serves authentic Arabic food. We can walk there in a few minutes and have a traditional lunch of hummus, lamb kebabs and swarhima. It's a nice break from the food at the Embassy Dining Facility (which serves great food).

On a recent trek to the Freedom Cafe, we noticed that they've added a little food market in the back of the cafe. We noticed some fresh vegetables, ketchup, laundry detergent, honey, pancake syrup, olives, paper towels, some TV dinners (not frozen), canned vegetables, rice, and some sweet breads for a nice dessert. We commented that this is a good sign of businesses "coming back". We hear of things like this happening all around the country. Slowly, but ever so slowly things are improving. I hope they continue!

A Great Mann

2008-04-07T14:07:00.003+03:00

This is in honor of a fallen friend, Doug Mann. Doug was a rare gift to a lot of people. Full of life, humor, compassion and a passion for life, Doug was a friend to so many people. Many of them needed a friend very badly. As a family therapist, Doug helped many people through some difficult times. If you walked into a room full of people, he'd made you feel like the most important person in the room!

Although his profession was family therapy, his serious hobby was firearms and marksmanship. A few months ago, Doug decided to make a career change from family therapist to security guard in the Middle East! Not an easy transition! But with his expert marksmanship skills, Doug was hired! He "broke into" that fraternity that is usually composed of ex-military or ex-cops! That speaks to his abilities, and passion.

Doug died March 9th, not in the Middle East, but back in the mountains that he loved so much. Doug loved his dogs, horses, friends, and his wife more than everything else.

He will be missed by many people. He'll be remembered as a great Mann! Semper fi, Doug! We'll be looking for you on the other side!

Dangers in the IZ

2008-04-07T13:55:00.003+03:00

Many of you probably know that the last few weeks have been a bit dangerous here in the IZ. There are so many political fights (Iraqi politics, that is) that I can't begin to keep up with them, much less understand them. Add to that the fact that Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker are in Washington this week to brief our leaders and you get a volatile situation as the insurgents look for the next "CNN moment".

But, for us in the IZ, it's been a bit of a distraction. I returned from my R&R to find a group of sleep-deprived colleagues who have been sleeping on cots. But, overall, morale is quite high. The insurgent attacks are seen as an inconvenience. There have been some deaths associated with the recent attacks. The threat is real. But, our job is real; our efforts are genuine; our desire to do something good for this country is undeniable. We press on, take all precautions suggested and keep moving ahead. Are we right, wrong or just crazy? History will be the judge. In the meantime, I've got to go grab my sleeping bag and toothbrush so I can sleep on a cot tonight!!

Back to the Green Zone

2008-04-07T13:48:00.002+03:00

Gee, sorry for my tardiness in posting! My mother passed away in Feb, so I went back home for 2 weeks emergency leave. Then, we had a big conference here in March, and immediately after that I took my 3 weeks of R&R and returned home. It's been a busy few months.

I'm back in the Green Zone (aka IZ - International Zone) now. During my absence there were a number of rockets fired into the IZ, and some deaths. People here in the IZ had been instructed to sleep in the Embassy, so there have been hundreds of cots brought in. People had been sleeping in the hallways, offices and large rooms all over the Embassy. When I returned a few days ago, that restriction had been lifted, so I was able to enjoy the last few nights in the privacy of my little hooch. Well, today the restriction was put back in place and I'll be sleeping in the Embassy tonight. At least I'll be in a semi-private room!

My R&R was anything but! However, it sure was good to see friends and family!

More later!

The Paper Shredder

2008-03-04T22:07:00.002+03:00

Security is taken pretty darn seriously over here. Let me tell you about the paper shredder. Each office has a very small trash can, and a very large paper shredder! I'm talking heavy-duty, industrial-strength paper shredder. These things are the size of a small washing machine! They must turn very fast inside. I've guessed this because they each have a 1-gallon plastic jug of oil attached to the side, with a tube running from the jug and into the paper shredder. Looks sort of like an IV bag in a sick person...got to have that steady drip, drip, drip of oil to keep the gears lubricated.

You've guessed that these aren't your run-of-the-mill shredders! Heck, you turn on one of these paper-eating-monsters and the lights in the room go dim momentarily!! Well, that might be a bit of a stretch, but I promise you that you won't fall asleep at your desk while someone is running the paper shredder!!

The shredders really destroy paper. These shredders cut both horizontally and vertically. In fact, when they get through, each individual chunk of paper.....no, it wouldn't qualify to be called a "chunk".....each "itsy-bitsy" piece of paper is about the size of one of these letters on your computer screen.

Of course, all of this extra effort is for security. We don't want anything sensitive falling into the wrong hands. In fact.....and don't tell this to the EPA.....we burn our trash over here. That's right! You never know what might happen to trash that is buried.....could be dug up in the middle of the night. So, our trash goes out to a big flat spot and is burned while security guards watch over the whole operation.

I joke a little about this, but security is taken seriously. In fact, when I receive any mail, I carefully tear off any return address so that won't fall into the wrong hands. After I've collected a few of these torn-off addresses, I just drop them into that heavy-duty, industrial-strength paper shredder that sits in our office!!! Then I know that I've done my part to keep friends and family safe.

Ridin' the Rhino

2008-02-16T21:12:00.002+03:00

You might expect to ride a camel in Iraq, but what's the deal with a Rhino? The Rhino is an armored bus that transports folks around, generally between Baghdad International Airport and the International Zone. I understand that the Rhino is manufactured in Israel, a location that has a lot of experience with armored vehicles and explosions.

The Rhino is about the most unglamorous ride you'll ever experience. For most of us, the Rhino only runs at night. And, to make matters worse, the folks in charge of the Rhino don't tell us when it's going to start the trip. Security, you know. The less folks that know when it's leaving, the better chance we have of getting to the destination. Of course, it's probably not hard for anyone to figure out that it runs sometime between midnight and 4 am....there aren't that many 50' long, green, armored busses running around after midnight anyway!!

The Rhino has thick metal sides and small, thick glass windows, the bulletproof kind. It feels a little strange getting into the Rhino. It also travels in a convoy of armored military vehicles that run ahead of, and behind, the Rhino on it's nightly trips out of the IZ, into the "red zone", and to the airport.

If you want to ride the Rhino, you have to show up at the bus shed at some pre-appointed time, generally after dark, but before midnight. Then you sit around the bus shed with 50-75 other folks, who like you, would rather be in bed sleeping at this time of night. You can't use your cell phone, because folks might be listening and you could inadvertently announce the time that the bus is supposed to run. Of course, I wouldn't have any friends up at midnight anyway, unless I was calling back to the States!

The Rhino takes us to the airport where we arrive sometime between midnight and 4 am. Of course, we're all headed to the airport to catch a flight somewhere. But, just like the Rhino schedule, we don't know the air schedule. So, we arrive at the airport by 4 am, and might hang around until the afternoon to catch a plane.

If you're going to ride the Rhino.....bring a book!!!

It's a Small World!

2008-02-11T20:16:00.001+03:00

You just never know who you'll meet.....even in Baghdad! Here are some examples!
I met an army colonel who went to veterinary school at Colorado State University. He grew up in Colorado, and we were chatting to see if we had any acquaintances in common. Guess what...his in-laws retired and now live in a little town in my home county! They even live in a house that we looked at when we were moving to the county.
Another person I met lives in our state's capital. We were talking about where I live, and it turns out that he knows our local Division of Wildlife Managers! Turns out that they've been friends for some number of years.
Last week I was talking with a gentleman who grew up in my home state of Tennessee. I asked where he was from and he mentioned a county not far from where I went to college. We chatted more, and it turns out that one of his best friends is one of my first, and finest college professors.
A high-ranking Foreign Service Officer in the Embassy has a home in my wife's home county. His wife is a native of that area, and knows my wife's family!
Last week I was sitting at the dinner table with a guy....turned out that he knows my cousin, a retired police officer!!
Well, it is true, it's a small world, you just never know when you're going to run across somebody with a "hometown" connection!!

The Bean

2008-02-08T16:02:00.000+03:00

Just like at most offices, coffee is the stimulant-of-choice at any military or diplomatic station. The International Zone is no exception, nor are the military bases scattered around Iraq! There must be hundreds of gallons of coffee served here on a daily basis. Coffee is free at the Dining Facility (DFac), and at the coffee station inside the Embassy. However, for coffee aficionados, there's evidently nothing like a cup of coffee from The Green Bean. It's the military/diplomatic version of Starbucks, and can be found at almost every military outpost in Iraq, and at other military outposts in the Middle East.

Inside the Embassy, there's a large room with a coffee shop over in the corner.....the "Green Bean" as it's affectionately known. The large room is filled with small tables, along with some couches and soft chairs. This is the central meeting place inside the Embassy. There aren't many formal meeting rooms, and they're usually busy. So, if you want to meet with someone, or a few people, you generally meet "at the Bean".

As I've traveled around Iraq, I'm always impressed by the presence of the Green Bean coffee shops. What a treat it is for our troops to get a big cup of their favorite coffee. I'm impressed that a company would dedicate itself to serving our troops. I've never run across this company, so went to the internet to learn more. From their website, here's a short history:

"During a business trip to the Middle East, Jason Araghi had the once-in-a-lifetime chance to bring Saudi Arabia its first gourmet coffeehouse, and opened the Art Nouveau Cafe in 1996. U.S. Army personnel at nearby Eskan Village caught word about the new coffeehouse, and soon after, invited Jason to open a cafe on the US Army base. Within months of operating at Eskan Village, the Air Force extended an invitation for a further 3 locations at the Prince Sultan Air Base, in Al-Kharj KSA.

Today, GBCC Inc. serves military personnel in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Uzbekistan, and Djibouti, Africa. The company has not only grown in locations, but also in its mission to support our men and women in uniform.

Every corporate mission statement reads like a litany of values too good to argue with, yet too ordinary to matter. Not ours. Our 10-year heritage of supporting those that put their lives at stake for our country is firmly rooted and non-negotiable. That heritage of caring is the foundation of our operating philosophy."

I see that the company is actually known as Green Beans Coffee Company. So, here's a tip-of-the-hat to a good company that's serving good coffee, frappes, cappucino, tea, smoothies, muffins, etc., to our troops who are away from home! I see from their website that you can buy a Green Beans gift card for a soldier, even if you don't know a soldier over here.

If you get over here, give me a call....I'll meet you at the Green Bean!

Sunday - Thursday

2008-01-31T21:51:00.000+03:00

Our "official work week" runs from Sunday - Thursday, that corresponds to the Middle Eastern work week, in most of the countries. Friday is the Muslim holy day, and Saturday, I guess is a day off!

For most of us working here, Friday and Saturday are just another day. We probably sleep a little later, and might do some laundry, and then go to the office. After all, there isn't much else to do!

Speaking of laundry, we have two choices. We have a regular laundry and dry cleaners, and also a self-service laundromat. The laundry is staffed by people from Sri Lanka who are very friendly and efficient. Turn-around for "wash and press" is 2-3 days, dry cleaning takes a week. Most of us send our pants and shirts to the cleaners, and then do socks, underwear, sheets, etc. in the self-service laundry.

The staff at the cleaners have this quaint custom (that's the best way I can explain it). When you turn in your laundry, you get a receipt. After they fill out your receipt and tear your copy from the book, they fold it very precisely and gently, before handing it to you. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I've never handed in any laundry that they didn't go through that little ritual! I have to admit that I find it a nice custom, almost respectful, or something like that.

Oh, speaking of the laundry staff. I turned in some clothing the other week and one of the guys from Sri Lanka asked me, "where you from?" I told him from the States, and he nodded that he understood (well, at least that's what I guessed that nod meant). Then he asked, "you have teeth white medicine at home?" I looked puzzled for a minute, then figured out that he was talking about something to whiten teeth. I replied that, "Yes, our dentists have treatments they do in the office." He then motioned across his top teeth, and I figured out he was talking about the tooth whitening strips! "Yes", I said, "we have those, too". So, he smiled at me and asked, "You bring some to me when you go home, yes?"

Of course I said "Yes", that's such a small price to pay for such friendly and efficient service!

The Palace

2008-01-28T19:44:00.000+03:00

This is the back of the palace, officially known now as the US Embassy-Annex. You can see that it stretches for about 3 blocks! The only way to get a full picture of this would be from a helicopter!!

Australian Day

2008-01-27T21:44:00.000+03:00

Yesterday was "Australia Day"...a national holiday for our Aussie friends, where they celebrate the establishment of the first penal colony on the Australian continent. It's not a big holiday for them, but when you're in the IZ, any excuse for a party is good enough!!
So, our office received an invitation to their party. I thought it'd be at the Australian Embassy, but found out that it wasn't. Of course, it had been raining, and fairly muddy, so it's a good thing that they didn't plan to hold it at the Embassy, or there'd have been a big mess to clean up afterwards. So, our office loaded up into two vehicles and we drove over to a house in the Iraqi section of the IZ, close to where the only liquor store in the IZ is located. (Those clever Aussies, huh?). It was rather low-key...quite atypical for the Aussies, but we had a good time. They had a bonfire and were cooking hot dogs on the grill. There was a cash bar, but not a Fosters or Australian wine to be found! Well, you do have to make sacrifices in a war zone I guess!!
We stayed a couple of hours and left around 9:30.
Like all the houses here, there is a big fence around each yard. I'm still not sure exactly what house we were at for the party, we never went inside, just hung out in the yard around the fire. But, both coming into, and leaving the yard, we passed through a gate with a guard stationed inside the gate. Included in our group was a fellow who had just arrived here a couple of days ago. After we passed through the gate on our way out, he said something that made me think that I've already been here too long! He mentioned that this was the first party that he'd ever been to that had a guard....armed with a machine gun..... at the entrance! It was only then that I thought....."oh yeah, that guy did have a machine gun" and I'd just walked in and out and never even gave that fact a second thought!!! Over here, that is normal!!

Mail

2008-01-24T20:56:00.000+03:00

At the US Embassy, we get to participate in the military mail system, familiar to many of us by various initials, such as "APO". It's a great system for us as it allows us to get U.S. mail while in a foreign country. And, it costs the same as domestic postage because it's treated as domestic mail, not international mail. In fact, for us, a lot of mail is free! For regular envelopes that contain personal mail we simply write "Free Mail" in the space where a stamp would normally go.....and off it goes! If it's a larger envelope, or a package, then we have to pay postage at the normal, domestic U.S. rates.

Getting mail to military personnel (and civilians serving in certain locations), is a joint effort by the US Postal Service (USPS) and the Department of Defense (DoD). Here's a little overview of how the mail gets delivered to overseas military locations, including the US Embassy in Baghdad.

USPS has a standard addressing format that we all recognize.....name, street address (or PO Box), City, State & Zip.
Military mail has to conform to this. To do this, they've created two "city" equivalents:

APO, stands for Army Post Office
FPO, stands for Fleet Post Office

And, three "state" equivalents were created, and they are:

AA, which stands for Armed Forces- Americas
AE, which stands for Armed Forces- Europe
AP, which stands for Armed Forces- Pacific

Based on these categories, a typical Overseas Military Mail address looks like this:

Name
Postal Service Center + Identifier
APO, AP ZIP

Our address in the Embassy goes like this:

Name
US Embassy + Office Name (and maybe room number)
APO, AE 09316

Mail coming in isn't delivered through typical mail boxes. Instead, each office has 1 person identified as the official "mail person". This person picks up the mail for everyone in their respective office, then hands it out....just like Radar on the TV series, "M.A.S.H." And, just like it's depicted on M.A.S.H., we all look forward to receiving mail. In fact, at the mail receiving shack, there's a sign outside and the staff there writes on it every day, either "New Mail Today!", or "No New Mail Today".

It's just another way that we're allowed to keep in touch with family and friends back home!

The Movie Theatre

2008-01-21T14:58:00.000+03:00

In the basement of the Embassy (Saddam's former Republican Palace) is a movie theatre. From the looks, it wasn't added on by us, it was an original part of the Palace. Now it's known as the "Palace Theatre". It only seats about 45 people (I guess Saddam didn't have many friends). The seats are very nice, with plenty of leg room. A short guy like myself can really stretch out here, and I don't have to worry about hitting the seat in front of me. Everyone can move around easily without feeling like you're about to fall into somebody's lap.

The Theatre is active every night. We have a movie at 7:30 and again at 10:00. There's even a popcorn machine. I'm guessing that might be an American touch, but who knows. It feels a little strange to sit in the theatre and know that Saddam Hussein once sat here, too. Wonder if he sat in this exact chair that I now occupy?

The theatre is part of the entertainment program here. The movies vary from the Chipmunks to Terminator....you just never know what might be available from one night to the next. There's also an outdoor theatre, out by the pool. I think the attendance at the outdoor pool has been off quite a bit lately because of the cold weather. But, regardless of whether we go to theinside or outside theatre, having movies to pass the time is a good thing.

Helicopters

2008-01-20T10:09:00.000+03:00

Most of the time it's a good thing to hear the helicopters flying over the IZ. The sound of the jet engines and the "whoop---whoop---whoop" of the blades remind me of American ingenuity, and technological "muscle" that we possess.

Sometimes, though, the sound of the helicopters brings sadness. That's when we look up and see the helicopters that have a Red Cross painted on their sides. These are the air ambulances that are transporting injured troops to the nearby hospital. Who's in there? How bad is the injury? Will someone get to return home with a relatively minor injury and resume a normal life? Will a bereaved family be planning for a funeral next week?

"Christmas in Baghdad"

2008-01-18T13:48:00.000+03:00

It's been almost a month since Christmas, but I thought you might like this. I wrote this for my church family just a few days before Christmas.

Church is a bit of a different experience in a war zone. Since the chapel serves all faiths it's pretty bare of religious symbols. Except for a very plain wooden cross that sits on a table, you could easily think you'd just walked into a big class room. No pictures of Jesus, no stained glass windows, no altar, no pews, no smiling minister greeting us as we come in the door! Perhaps the thing that is most unusual is the sight of our military members as they come into church carrying their weapons. Those who are authorized to carry weapons do so, regardless of where they are. I don't feel a bit uneasy, but the first time you see that will sure cause you to look twice!! Last night I noticed my friend Eddie from Pittsburgh gently lay down his rifle beneath his folding metal chair before he sat down. He was a couple of minutes late and didn't want to make any unnecessary noise. Somehow that sight of him being so gentle with his rifle looked funny!

It's a great experience to sit in church with people from all around the world! Last night I sat next to a man from Kenya. Around us were people from Uganda, Sri Lanka, Korea and Iraq! We sang Christmas carols with extra enthusiasm, probably brought on by our absence from friends and family. We prayed for Jamal, an Iraqi man been kidnapped the day before. You see, he was working for us (Coalition Forces) in some capacity and was kidnapped because of his association with the coalition forces. We prayed for his safe return. We prayed for our friends and family back home, and praised God for the many things for which we have to be thankful.

There were a few Iraqi Christian women at church last night. One wore the traditional headscarf, known as a "hijab". If I'd seen her on the street I would have assumed that she was Muslim. Another of the women asked for prayer for her Muslim friend who is reading the Bible, turning away from Islam because of the hatred.

On Saturday night we'll be entertained by the Ugandan Men's Choir as they sing Christmas songs! These men are working as security guards around the International Zone. Like us, they're far from friends and family but will lift their voices in celebration of the birth of the Christ child....an event that spans across the many cultures represented here, across the time zones and across the centuries!

Snow in Baghdad!

2008-01-17T08:59:00.001+03:00

It snowed in Baghdad last Friday, Jan 11, 2008! The locals say that snow is very rare here in Baghdad, and that it has been many, many years since the last snow. It started snowing during the night. It was rain at first, then turned into a mixture of snow/rain, and finally snow for a brief time. The snow melted as soon as it hit the ground, but it did stick to the palm trees for a short time. By daylight, it was all gone, and nothing but water.

The locals also say that the snow is a "sign" of good things in the coming year! I pray that they are right! Every few days we hear an explosion off in the distance, out in the "red zone" (anywhere outside of the heavily guarded "Green Zone"). When I hear those explosions, I wonder how many people just lost their lives? How many shops were destroyed? How many funerals will take place before this time tomorrow? Why do some people hate so much?

If snow is a good sign, let's have some more!!

T-Walls

2008-01-17T08:54:00.000+03:00

The insurgents don't like us! They'd love to see the coalition forces leave Iraq tomorrow and let them gain control. After all, at $100/barrell, the 2 million barrels of oil that are produced here every day, makes for a pretty handsome treasure chest! So, they use their only weapon to try to diminish our resolve to do our work here....terror. One way of creating terror is through the use of "indirect fire". That just means that somewhere outside of the International Zone (IZ), a couple of insurgents fire a rocket or mortar into the IZ. They can't aim very accurately, so they just lob 'em over and run. That's the bad news. The good news is that we are experiencing indirect fire very rarely now. A few mortars were fired into the IZ on Thanksgiving Day, and then we had no more until Jan 15th...almost 2 months! A year ago, the IZ was receiving indirect fire almost daily! So, things are getting better!!

Oh where was I going with this? T-walls, that's where! Everything in the IZ is separated and surrounded by T-walls. These are huge chunks of concrete that are placed in rows so that they create a heavy-duty barrier against blast damage and trespass. The T-walls are individual chunks of concrete that are about 12' tall, 5' wide and 2' thick. They have extra wide bases at the bottom which makes them stable enough to stand upright. They just stack those T-walls side by side and make long walls around everything. These T-walls surround the various "compounds" here, like the US Embassy compound, and many of the areas within the Embassy compound. Rows of T-walls surround my little "subdivision". These T-walls protect us from the indirect fire. With concertina wire on top of the T-walls, they also keep anyone from crawling over the top (which wouldn't be easy anyway)!I can't estimate the number of cubic yards of concrete required to make all the T-walls that are inside the IZ....it would be in the millions, I bet. There are miles and miles of T-walls spread all throughout the IZ.

"Sounds of the IZ"

2008-01-16T20:54:00.000+03:00

After you get used to the visual stimuli of the International Zone (IZ), the next thing you notice are the sounds. So many sounds, and in some ways, very unusual.

Here are the various things I've noticed when it comes to "sounds"!

Helicopters: There's a constant coming-and-going of helicopters. Planes fly in and out of the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP), but that's not in the IZ, it's about 8 miles away. So, there are two ways to travel in and out of the IZ...by armored vehicle or helicopter. Of course, we all want to ride the helicopter! They're seen as safer, and waaay more fun!!! There's a landing field near the Embassy, and helicopters are always (if weather is suitable) moving people in and out. They always travel in pairs. Helicopters are as plentiful here as pickup trucks are at home. In a way, they are the "pickup truck" of the IZ. When they come in, they don't even slow down their engine speed...just keep 'em revved up, unload one batch of people, get the next load of people on board and take off. As soon as they get about 200' off the ground, the side doors open and you see the machine guns extend out the doors. These bad boys are armed and dangerous!! A lot of flights occur during the night for security reasons. When these guys take off, and fly over our little hooches during the night, you can bet we hear 'em!!

Generators: Most of Baghdad is now getting electricity for about 12 hours/day. That means that businesses and households have to get everything done in 12 hours, at least everything that requires electricity! Some areas of the country get electricity for more hours per day, some get less. But, unlike the rest of Baghdad, the IZ gets power 24/7 from an army of generators. If I look one way down the street I'll see a battery of a half dozen generators that are nearly the size of a tractor-trailer!! Along the sidewalks there might be a small generator running a "street light" during the night. Everything in the Green Zone relies on generator power, and that means noise. The generators have big mufflers, and they're placed behind big walls to help diminish the sound....but you can always hear them.

Muslim call to prayer: The IZ includes a lot of Iraqi citizens. After all, this part of Baghdad was the center of government. There are apartments and private homes all through the IZ, with Iraqi citizens inhabiting them.....as well as some places that could only be described as a shed. And, there are mosques here in the IZ, too. So, 5 times each day, you can hear their call to prayer. I have to admit that when I first heard it, I found it a bit unnerving. I can't understand a word that is being blared through the loudspeaker. I'm almost sure it's a recording. But, after being here a few months, I can now say that it has something of a soothing, melodic sound. I wish I could hear it sung in English!

Speed-bump-thumps: There isn't much traffic in the IZ, but all traffic moves very slowly because of the strategically-placed, super-heavy-duty speed bumps! I'm not talking about your average, run-of-the-mill little asphalt speed bump that's only 3" deep at the center. I'm talking welded steel plates that are usually about 8" deep. Hit one of those at even 5 mph and you'll be dragging the transmission along behind the bumper! So, if you walk down the sidewalk, you hear a constant "thump"....."thump" as vehicles creep over those Herculean speed bumps! Occasionally you hear a big "clunk" as some vehicle bottoms-out on the speed bump.

Spanish: This is probably the last place you'd expect to hear people speaking Spanish. But, the security guards around the IZ are primarily from Peru! So, those of us who can speak a little Spanish, get to practice it daily as we pass through the security checkpoints. And, as you approach each checkpoint, you'll hear the constant chatter of the Peruvian guards as they talk to each other in their native tongue.

Birds singing: Except for people, there is little animal life in the IZ. I've seen a couple of dogs and a couple of cats, but they're the exception. And, of the dogs, I only heard one of them bark. I think that not barking is a survival skill for a dog in Baghdad. Bark and you might not survive! (There are no small-animal veterinarians here......pets are a luxury that this war-torn country can't afford). But the birds don't know boundaries, and can escape from the terrestrial dangers and barricades that keep everything else at bay. As I walk under the trees in the evenings the birds are just starting to roost for the night. As I hear their chirping (and try to avoid getting tagged by some bird droppings), I think about where they've been during the day. They might have been out over the "red zone" in the part of Baghdad still considered dangerous, for us! They might have heard a newborn baby cry, or watched kids at play, or observed an insurgent planting a car bomb. If only they could talk!

"Sir" and "Ma'am": The Embassy is home to the highest-ranking civilian and military leaders of the coalition forces. On the military side, there are more full-bird colonels and 2-star generals than you're likely to see this side of the Pentagon! I see Navy, Air Force, Army and Marine officers all the time. Then you have to add the British, Romanian, Italian, Australian, Czechoslovakian, etc. military, and it's pretty confusing. Being a civilian, I have trouble telling if they're a Captain or a Commander; a Major of a Lieutenant Colonel. The same goes for the civilian side....lots of high-ranking foreign service officers. They don't wear uniforms with any insignia, so it can be hard to de-cipher their relative "rank". So, until you get close enough to someone to call them by their first name, it's just safer to say "sir" or "ma'am"!

"Living in a Hooch"

2008-01-15T21:05:00.000+03:00

Here in the International Zone (IZ), we live in little metal "sheds" officially known as "containerized housing units" (CHU). The slang form is "hooch". Not sure exactly how that happened, but that's the truth. The hooch is a metal building, much like one of those storage sheds that you might have in your backyard. It's about 8' x 16' and maybe 7' high. Generally, there are 2 hooches set about 8' apart. Connecting the 2 hooches is a common entryway and bathroom. The only water in the units are in the bathroom. In a way, they're furnished much like dormitory rooms. A twin bed, 1 or 2 metal clothes closets, a small refrigerator, TV, nightstand, small desk and chair. Oh, and a combination heater/air conditioner in the wall.

Iraq is very dusty, so that tends to be a problem. If we have a computer in our hooch, we generally keep it covered with plastic to keep the dust at a minimum.

The hooches are all arranged into "subdivisions" with tasteful names like, The Palms (they have some palm trees), Poolside (next to the pool), etc. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that come spring, we'll have a "Spring Hooch Show" with prizes for the most tastefully (or tastelessly) decorated hooch!!

Luckily, we have sidewalks made from pavers. Sidewalks lead to some narrow streets and I can walk to the office without stepping in the dirt.

Rows of sandbags are placed strategically throughout, and around, each "subdivision" for protection from possible mortar attacks.

All in all, it's not too bad. I've visited some of my colleagues who are stationed at some of the more remote bases and they have it a lot tougher.

Getting Started and "The Typewriter"

2008-01-15T15:02:00.001+03:00

I've been in Iraq for over 2 months now. My intentions of keeping a journal have fallen short...shall I say "way short" of my goal?? Well, I'd rather type than write, so I'm thinking this blog might be the best way to keep that journal and keep family and friends updated on my experiences.

First, I'm not posting much information about my identity for security reasons. Those of you reading this will know who I am. Second, names of individuals I mention here have been changed to protect their identity. Finally, if you post anything here, I ask you to use caution, too. Your initials will be good enough, and no need to mention a town, county or even a state.

OK, what am I doing in Iraq? Hopefully, I'm contributing in some small way to the reconstruction efforts in Iraq, which are part of "Operation Iraqi Freedom". Why would I do this? As I've told a few folks, agriculture is important to those of us in the U.S., but it's always in the background. Food in our country is so cheap and plentiful that we take it for granted. That's not the situation in Iraq. This is the time and place in history where agriculture meets Iraqi reconstruction efforts, and our national security. For an agriculturalist, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

Now, some stories! Let me tell you about the typewriter! Before coming here I had to undergo 3 weeks of training in Washington D.C. The training covered a variety of topics...PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) structure and goals, history of Iraq, Military/Civilian teamwork, Islam, Arabic customs, a few hours of Arabic language, First Aid, security, etc. During one lunch break during the first week, the organizers arranged to have 2 Iraqi women visit with us as we ate lunch. The first lady to speak was probably in her late 60's. She (Hasna') and her husband (Saud) had left Iraq during the early years of Saddam Hussein's reign to pursue an education in the U.S. She related this story that I hope to never forget.

Saud and Hasna' came to the States with little money, and few possessions...only their clothing and most precious photographs in their delapidated luggage. Within a few days of their arrival, they made a trip to the local Goodwill store where they were puchasing items necessary to start life in a new country. They were buying sheets and blankets, some dishes and utensils, pots and pans....the typical items necessary to start over. As she was pushing their buggy down the aisle, her husband stepped away and came back in a few minutes carrying a typewriter, and he had a huge smile on his face. They had little money and no jobs, they couldn't afford something as useless as a typewriter...besides, as he played with it a little they discovered that it didn't work 100%! "Put it back," she insisted! Saud said, "Please, I must have it!" She asked him what he was doing with something as unnecessary as a typewriter? He wouldn't listen...he had to have that typewriter, and finally Hasna' agreed. Why?

Under Saddam's rule, owning a typewriter was forbidden! It wasn't just forbidden, it was against the law, and punishable by death. To Saud, the typewriter represented freedom! Freedom to think, and to type what he thought! Freedom to get an education! It's a freedom that few of us in the US can comprehend, because it's so available! Hasna' closed by telling us that as they enter retirement, they still have that typewriter today. It sits on their bookshelf in a place of high honor. To them, that broken old typewriter represents the opportunity that America gave that young, broke, and hopeful couple so many years ago.

Could I be part of an effort that brings that kind of hope, and opportunity, to the people of Iraq? If the answer is "yes", or even "maybe", how can I not try? That's why I'm here.