July has been a very strange month here in Iraq. Quite possibly the strangest that the US and coalition forces have ever encountered. Movement and the well being of troops has been put to a stand still. The papers had announced that nearly all American troops are out of the major cities, and especially Baghdad. The Security Agreement that one of our Generals and Iraqi Government agreed on, was such action. Allowing the US to leave just enough troops within the city as advisers and as a quick reactionary force that could help the National and Iraqi Police out in the case of catastrophe. The other reserve troops would push outside of the cities and still stand by in case of even more chaos.
Other parts of the security agreement outlined that no combat troops were to remain within the cities, and any movement from coalition forces is to be conducted in non peak hours. The same such hours that you would only find yourself on grave shift. And yet another part of the agreement was to allow Iraqi law to govern over our own US military laws. They really have us by the balls at this point.
The morning that VI Day happened, (Victory in Iraq) I found myself downstairs with decorated Iraqi trucks and National Police dancing around. These individuals who we had been conducting joint patrols with over the last few months, had thought that we had left, or were leaving. They were a little bit disappointed. From an on the ground perspective, we figured, based on the viewing of the individuals we were working alongside; the National Police were in no way ready to assume control of this town. They seemed, unorganized, unmotivated, and in a huge part lazy. I mean these are people who don't even know where to dump their own trash and sewage. We weren't expecting a lot out of them.
We haven't done a lot of patrols since July 1st. Well he have barely done any. Two times, we have left our base since that day, which considering the 6 and a half months never having a day off, it seemed things were a wonderful shock. To be able to sleep in through the day, and not do really anything. Although the two times we did go out, twice, those brief missions that we ran, the slight glimpse of change that two weeks with no Americans sticking our nose in these peoples business, was simply unbelievable. The Iraqi's have not only beefed up the amount that they run patrols, but they have beefed up over all security. Checkpoints every 100 meters, and like some Roman legion, they have individuals standing every 10 feet as some kind of sentry. Simply amazing that the National Police have responded like this.
The National Police commanders are begging for us to leave. They feel insulted that we are here over looking their job. Those brief few glimpses of change that I saw in these last two weeks, has made one thing evidently clear. We do not need to be here. Not only are things so bad among morale, because cabin fever has most definitely set in, but we are restricted so much in movement now, that it makes it nearly impossible to resupply. One of our missions was to go and pick up mail from a larger base, that's still within the city, because we hadn't gotten any for three weeks. On top of that, the toiletries of most individuals were nearly out.
We can't blame everything necessarily on failure of the military to move out of the cities though. Places like FOB Loyalty, the nearest, big base to us, has failed to shut down due to the civilian contractors that are there. Because companies like KBR have signed contracts to stay at those bases until 2011, they are in disputes with out government trying to get just pay for the time that they were promised, and is now getting taken away from them. It's one big gaggle.
So where does all of this leave the boys of AT-4? the new Misfits? It leaves us bored. Extremely bored, fed up, and with a complete since of unimportance. We will go to whatever ends necessary to find something to entertain ourselves despite all of this. Our emotions run high, and we are mostly all of us are Alpha Males, which turns into us not getting along half the time. But since we have been around each other long enough, it's more or less like a brother-brother relationship than any real animosity towards each other.
But to really understand the Infantryman's mentality, I'm not even sure a scholar who hasn't been in the shoes could understand or explain. The aggression, and anxiety we have built up with the lack of ability to release it, leaves us in the dark in a lot of areas. The only thing that we've been able to do, is fight one another. Of course we are careful, and landing a few punches into each others face is quite exhilarating and fun. The Infantryman is a man that enjoys when the blood rushes hot up the back of your neck. Whenever there is a close call. We are somewhat of adrenaline junkies. We all jump out of airplanes at least. The only way I can really sum it up, is based on our sense of humor. As Danny would say, "I hope an EFP blows my head off, and is angled in such a way, that my teeth blow into Nelson's balls and bite them off." If you don't see the humor in that, well then you're probably not an Infantryman. And if you do, well then you understand our plight.
I'm Marty McDoogal, Signing Off
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