HOME!! ...well, for a little while.

I'm on R&R! What an absolutely horrific journey to get from Baghdad to the U.S.! First, my designated leave dates got screwed up, so I only learned at the last minute that my R&R was four days later than I was originally told. Then the flight from BIAP (Baghdad International Airport) to Kuwait was delayed for 24 hours...twice. Our decision to make our way back to base each time and sleep in our own beds in air conditioned rooms instead of waiting around in the sweltering 120 degree heat was roundly criticized by our company. So be it. We'll agree to disagree on the wisdom of that particular line of reasoning. Once we got properly manifested on the flight to Kuwait, it was still a 5 hour wait in the heat, but we certainly weren't going to complain. The flight to Kuwait was probably the worst I've ever been on. The C-17 was packed the the gills, and was essentially an oven with wings. I am honestly surprised that nobody on that plane passed out from the heat. Kuwait was tolerable, but it was still better than 24 hours full of paperwork, briefings, etc. before we boarded buses for the 1 1/2 hour trip to Kuwait Airport. Once there, it was a packed charter to Shannon, Ireland ("No alcohol while in uniform!!!"), then finally the long stretch to Dallas. Arriving on American soil was...well...simply awesome. Firetrucks meet the planes full of soldiers on the runway, and offer a tribute of arcs of water over the planes. Our walk from the gate to customs is through a terminal full of applauding crowds welcoming home all the soldiers. I'm a sentimentalist, so it was a very humbling experience. I know that they do this for flights coming back from the war zone every day, but it still feels fresh and very welcoming.

Then I was stuck in Dallas for a good ten hours until I could get a flight back home. Thank you United Airlines for overbooking EVERY damn flight, and not allowing ANY standby on the planes. Really appreciate that. Still, the people in Dallas were awesome. Very friendly, and curious about our experiences and impressions. Shook a lot of hands.

When I finally got home, my family was waiting for me at the gate; a huge professional sign all made up in my honor. When I walked off the plane the whole crowd at the gate (United Airlines customers waiting for delayed flights and no doubt pretty grumpy about it) erupted in applause. I couldn't help but choke up.

It is almost scary how quickly and easily I shed the skin of a soldier and stepped back into the role of a civilian. I feel as if I'm stepped through a six month time warp. Iraq very suddenly seems so far away. I drive around town, go to stores and restaurants as if I'd never been away. Still, there is a distance that is difficult to describe. There is a triviality to everyday life. I sometimes feel like I am seeing the world through eyes that are not my own.

Enemies Unseen

Somebody brought to my attention this recent article in TIME magazine. I mention it because, even though the January 20, 2007 attack it centers on occurred before our arrival in country, we came to develop an intimate relationship with the events of that day. We also met and/or got to know many of the individuals mentioned in the article. It hits close to home.

Urban Myths

Had an interesting discussion over dinner with an Iraqi who works with us. In the course of the conversation, he listed several popular misconceptions and myths among Iraqis about American soldiers. Maybe this serves to illuminate the chasm that separates our people, and complicates finding a solution to the Iraqi problem.

• American soldiers dip their bullets in poison.
• We use 'smart' bullets. No matter where a person is hit, the bullet will automatically travel to a critical organ, e.g. a shot in the arm will travel up the arm and move towards the heart.
• Soldiers wear high-tech sunglasses that allow them to see through clothing.
• Knee pads (frequently worn down around the ankles for comfort when not on mission) are actually mine/IED detection devices.
• America already knows where all the terrorists are because of satellite tracking, but we don't attack them for unknown, but probably nefarious reasons.
• We have devices on our humvees that can detect bombs and weapons in cars from a great distance.

A couple of days ago on a mission, a group of children posed for several minutes while I took 'pictures' of them...with my mp3 player. I imagine that I could have easily launched a whole new cycle of rumors with this group if I had a mind to.

Roller Coaster

Have you ever been to an amusement park with a signature thrill ride? It is usually some sort of roller coaster, and its image and logo are emblazoned on black t-shirts and souvenir bumper stickers. Ever been in line to get on one of those things for the first time? Remember how your stomach felt?

I was thinking of this the other day as we waited to roll outside the wire. We were going to an area I was entirely unfamiliar with having never been there before. An hour before, the convoy commander himself had approached me to try to find out how to get to our destination. On top of that, our element was only traveling with three humvees; significantly less firepower and armor than we'd become accustomed to. So, when the headset radios started crackling with reports of IED strikes and discoveries of unexploded IEDs in our area, I began to experience that familiar pre-roller coaster tension in the gut. Here we go. Fasten your seat belts. Keep all hands and feet inside the car. Enjoy the ride.

Once again, fortune smiled upon us. A few wrong turns were made, and we needed some help from HQ, but we did eventually reach our destination unscathed, performed our mission successfully, and returned to base.

The Iraqi PM, al Maliki, has been making press lately by bristling at reports emanating from the U.S. that his government is not making enough progress in meeting benchmarks, and increasing pressure in Congress for a withdrawal of U.S. troops. His puffed up retort that U.S. troops can leave 'any time they want' is being greeting with bemused smiles by many soldiers here. Everybody knows this is political posturing, and not an accurate reflection of the current state of readiness of Iraqi forces. I believe we're making a lot of progress across both fronts; pushing back the insurgency, as well as training and equipping the Iraqi Security Forces. However, my own sense is that we're nowhere near a tipping point that would allow the ISF to be self-sustaining.

I keep forgetting to throw in this little tidbit from several weeks ago. As we roll through the streets of just about any town in Iraq, it is very common to see kids run out to greet us, holding both hands up as if holding a soccer ball above their heads. This is, of course, the universal sign for, "Mista, Mista! Give football!" In a previous post, I believe I alluded to the fact that soccer balls are just as popular, if not more so, among Iraqi police and soldiers. However, the Iraqi security forces are generally a little more subtle when it comes to begging for soccer balls. So, one day when we rolled through an Iraqi Army checkpoint, I was a little surprised to see one of the soldiers manning the checkpoint standing next to the road childishly holding both hands above his head begging for a soccer ball. I about choked on my camelback when his partner smacked him on the back of the head and gave him an incredulous look that said, "What in the hell are you doing?!"

Locher Cartoon

I Got Shot!

I had my second anthrax shot a couple of days ago. No big deal. It didn't hurt at all...until the next day. The injection site swelled up into a golf ball sized knot, and it felt like somebody slugged me with brass knuckles. It is still swollen today, but doesn't hurt quite as much. When we mobilized for deployment, the vaccine was optional. (It is actually a series of six shots, followed by annual boosters.) The military had decided that the relatively high risks of side effects coupled with the decreased risk of exposure to the spore in the battle space no longer justified making the shot mandatory. For reasons unknown, there has apparently been a policy change. Now everybody gets 'em. At least it isn't as bad as the smallpox vaccine. Yow...that one was no fun at all!

This morning the weather seemed to have cooled a bit. Indeed, as we strolled by the company HQ, the thermometer indicated it was only 100 degrees. The stiff breeze and the high humidity, however, meant that it is still pretty darned uncomfortable to be outside.

Wish there was more I could talk about. It has been pretty quiet lately...well, except for last night when something nearby made a big boom and rattled our cage pretty good. Not a big deal. You kinda get used to it.

Happy Birthday!

She's 231 years young. The Great Experiment continues. The principles that forged a nation nearly 2 1/2 centuries ago were unique in their time; never having been applied on such a grand scale. Today they are enshrined in the charters of most of the nations of the earth, even if imperfectly applied. Happy Birthday. I know they're just trying to exhibit a little patriotic holiday flair, but there is something a little disconcerting about the contractor responsible for operating the dining facilities forcing their glum little Pakistani workers to wear little red, white and blue paper Uncle Sam hats.

It has been relatively quiet for the past several days. We had started to become accustomed to the thud of mortars and the boom of outgoing artillery throughout the day, but lately it has been calm. What little of Baghdad we have had the opportunity to see is quite a bit different than where we had been previously posted. Parts of the city would feel very familiar to anybody living near a big city in the U.S. Wide elevated highways with sweeping on and off ramps slice through the city allowing rapid access to just about any part. Large green signs above the roadways announce in English and Arabic the way to the airport, city center, Balad, Abu Ghraib, etc. Yes, most of the guardrails have been removed to foil IED emplacers. Yes, all that remains of several overpasses is jagged concrete rubble and a web of iron bars thanks to car bombs (VBIED's). Yes, concertina wire obstructs all the pedestrian overpasses. Yes, great chunks of roadway have been blown away by IED's. Yet it is all so very familiar. We've all seen Hollywood create sets like this on back lots for post-apocalyptic films.

"The Day After" sensation was most palpable at one of the Joint Security Stations (JSS) in our area. These are the mini-FOB's that are operated by U.S. and Iraqi Army units, and are central features of the Surge strategy. This particular JSS is in a shopping mall. It has all the features of a large, modern urban galleria. Several stories tall, with a central courtyard and fountain, escalators, etc. It would not be out of place in Denver, Colorado. The difference is that all the stores are empty, there's concertina wire running the length of the escalators, sandbagged fighting positions throughout, bullet holes in the windows, no power (or air conditioning!), dust covers everything, and stray dogs roam freely within. Here soldiers make their home. The first time we walked in, I felt like I had walked into a weird parallel universe.

I'm sorry that it has been a while between posts. I'll try to throw something up here on a more regular basis...even if there is nothing particularly noteworthy going on. Enjoy the holiday everybody.