Mortars and Linking Up
As I have written before, LSA Anaconda is the mortar magnet of Iraq. They get hit a lot. Yesterday, we had about 6 separate attacks, which means that everyone is supposed to run undercover. The problem is that by the time you know there was an attack, it is already over because it is only one or two mortars. If it was going to be a 5-10 minute barrage, then yeah, putting the gear on and running to bunkers make sense, the way it is now however, either one has your name on it or it doesn't. But today we are all in full battle rattle and we were hit again this afternoon, as I was dashing off emails to the lovely Mrs. Backdrafted and my blogging mentor. It was quite annonying. On my way back from the computer lab, I stopped in the bathroom, and I had a revolution that I have been cheating you the reader, because in every Army portapottie, there is great graffiti. There are written smackdowns between units, the ever present announcement of officers and sergeants that commit lewd and unnatural acts, amusing jokes, and creative artwork that is meant to fulfill the void left by the no pornography ban. Had I been more on the ball, I would have transcribed some of it for you. Maybe next time.
Actually, here is one. As you sit down, there was a statement that "you are playing s---house tennis. Look Left." You look left and it says "look right", so you look right and it says "look left". I actually watched a couple of volleys one day.
Moving onto the rundown, today we finally received the rest of our element and I spent the majority of the day working on issues that surfaced as a result of their arrival. It was a pretty active day. Armies have a lot of moving parts and pieces and nothing is ever simple, so there is always one more thing that you need to be doing. This evening we had a group meeting and then the brigade officer in charge, the non-commissioned officer in charge and I smoked a cigar and admired the desert sky. The evenings here are always very clear and you can see every star. It is quite peaceful. Like the Josh Harnett character in "Black Hawk Down" said, "It is almost a place you would like to come and visit."
posted by CS @ 9:26 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I really enjoy your Blog. I am a fellow IRR soldier who has been called up. I put in for a deferment (You can see my story at http://www.armyadvice.org/kevinomeara).
Keep up the good reporting and I will ensure to let everyone know about your site.
I found this very interesting. I think it gave me a better idea of what is going on. I wish I could see the film, but I do not get the right channel. Do you get the joke told at the beginning? Even after the explaination I did not get it. Wow How these guys changed. You can listen to this show by going to "This American Life", which is an NPR show, on the internet.
I go through PublicRadioFan.com to get there.
In Country
Stories from inside Iraq. Including interviews with Arkansas National Guardsmen stationed a few miles from Baghdad and clips from a new documentary TV series about them, Off to War. This unit shipped to Iraq with trucks manufactured between 1956 and 1964. Only four of 44 vehicles had proper armor when they arrived. The documentary follows several soldiers and their families back home.
Steve Mumford is an artist embedded with military units in Iraq, doing sketches and paintings. One of his images, "Riding in a Bradley," is pictured. The twenty-minute ride to Haifa Street is always done in Bradleys, since the area is too dangerous for humvees. Image by Steve Mumford, courtesy of Postmasters Gallery, New York
Post a Comment
<< Home