Pregled posta

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Are you scared yet?

Russ is driving the SUV that we’re all piled into on our way to one of our missions in Baghdad. Of course, we’re part of a convoy with a Humvee front and rear of us. At one point he turns around in his seat and smiles saying,

"Are you scared yet?"

He laughs are recalls for us how he would tell ghost stories to his two young sons and would always end by asking them, "Are you scared yet?"

"You may be scared with me driving", Russ says.

"No way, Russ", we assure him. He’s a very good driver and we are not scared of his driving or of Baghdad.


26 May 2003

"Fusion Cell" meeting at the CMAC (Civilian-Military Affairs Center) with the Civil Affairs military folks:

Two Civil Affairs soldiers talk to Donna and me about their patrols through Baghdad. They have been out enough that they have scouted out the local ice cream parlors and pizza joints! We had no idea such things existed in Baghdad.

"We record the GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) coordinates", the female soldier says, with a smile.

I can imagine them talking on the Humvee radio, "Yeah Sarge, we’re headed out to ICP number 12 (Ice Cream Parlor in Grid 12) to check it out. We’ll call you if we need assistance".

They talk also about their rug and jewelry purchases.

"Wow", Donna says. "We want to go with you."

We’ve got "cabin fever" from being confined to the Green Zone, other than when on a mission.

"We’ve only been shot at three times", the female soldier says with a big smile. But then with a look of genuine concern she notes, "The traffic is terrible and it’s always hot".

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I saw a memo going around the Palace about "Force Protection". It is noted that people are going out to eat "on the economy" (In Iraqi public restaurants). The memo states "Doing so makes you the soft target since the troops are so hard to hit. Don’t go home in a body bag for a meal on the town". (Wow. I guess no ice cream for us.)

I hear such conflicting reports that I don’t know how to gage the danger in Baghdad. The security briefings document patrols under rocket propelled grenade (RPG) attacks while other soldiers talk about stopping for ice cream in the City.

When I’m "under the wire" (outside the Green Zone) I’m alert but not scared. I’m "situationally aware" but not afraid. Baghdad makes a joke out of "force protection" measures in the U.S. The average U.S. citizen would just freak out over here. If more people from the U.S. would experience Baghdad, perhaps the U.S. would do more to change things here. My feeling about security so far is more one of hoping for the best, despite of what I see and hear about.

Dennis, our security officer tells us that there has been firing on the Al Rasheed Hotel, twice lately. This is where the Department of Justice staff is staying. The Al Rasheed Hotel is right across from the Convention Center; both in the Green Zone.

Dennis notes recent firing at our troops in various parts of the City. A Humvee was hit yesterday on the road to the airport by an RPG and a land mine. Three were hurt. A convoy, 95 miles north, came under attack, resulting in one killed, one wounded. There are warnings out about mortar attacks on the Green Zone in the next 72 hours. Iraqi women have been warned by the bad guys against working with the U.S.

I read on the internet news that Wolfowitz just testified to Congress that things are getting better in Iraq. Maybe Dennis should talk to him.

Dick heard a lot of gunfire last night down towards the river. That’s where the bad guys are in buildings across the water. Is this where the threatened mortar attack is to come from? There’s been a lot more military activity around the Palace lately; Bradley’s, APCs (Armored Personnel Carriers), Humvees, and Abram tanks on patrol; more Blackhawk and Apache helicopters in the sky, more concrete barriers going up at the entrance gates.

More of Fusion Cell Meeting:

One of the officers says, "The Mujahedeen is handing out leaflets outside schools warning the kids and their parents to stay away from U.S. forces. The Mujahedeen is telling them that they (the "Mujahedeen") can’t ensure the local folks’ safety when the uprising takes place."

I’m thinking, "Great, another threat." And, this is the first time I heard anyone name the "Mujahedeen" as the bad guys. Is this official, or just this officer’s imagination? How is "Mujahedeen" defined anyway? I recall President Regan calling the Mujahedeen "Freedom Fighters". Now I’m really confused.

Someone mentions a mortar attack on a bank in Baghdad. It’s unsure if it was a robbery attempt or an attack on the troops guarding the bank. (No mention of the Mujahedeen thi

After building the Snow Plow/Road Salter I knew I needed a street and snow for it to plow/salt. I wanted the street to have authentic details besides lane dividers so I added the white grill plates to serve as tire tracks in the snow that were left behind after the truck plowed most of the snow away, 1x1 clear round plates to serve as salt, clear cheese slopes as ice and a 2c2 round tile as the sewer. The sewer came pretty late in the build as I thought of it much later on. I knew I wanted it to be slightly below street level (like real life) and I accomplished this detail using SNOT techniques. I also wanted the snow to look as if it were melting into the sewer hence the gap just above the sewer. I also wanted the street to appear half plowed hence the straight wall of snow that the plow just pushed out of the way. Oh, and the plow in the front lines up perfectly with the snow that it is pushing with the use of a wedge plate.

Enjoy!