Sergeant Grumpy: March 2008

Thursday, March 20, 2008

This and that

So yeah, it has been a while since my last update. I have been both busy and unmotivated to blog much (or maybe I've been drunk the whole time !?), plus have not had much interesting to write, although I have had several interesting things happen. I'm just not really able to write about them.

All in all things are okay, mostly life is sort of like the movie ground hog day. With no days off to mark the weeks, one week, then one month, bleeds into another. Muqtada al-Sadr's extension of the freeze was complicated recently with a "clarification" that is was not against the cease fire for JAM members to "defend themselves." This has resulted in the militia being seen back on the street around their political offices (imagine if there was a Republican/Democrat Militia) and mosques. Some more radical members have taken self-defence to mean attacking US forces in retribution for the arrest of wanted militia members. So there has been a mild uptick in attacks in our AO, although in perspective it is still really low compared to 2005/2006.

There have been a few personnel changes, but that is always bound to happen on any deployment. And we've had some turmoil with our partner force, but for the most part they are a good bunch of men. But their concept of personal space and comfort touching and holding hands is most uncomfortable for Americans.

For any friends or family reading this in the news - Panel probes troops' electrocution deaths in Iraq - don't worry about us here. The US Navy Seabees checked the wiring on our entire base to make sure we didn't have any wiring issues.

And of course there are the daily frustrations of an American War, with all the bureaucracy, difficultly sharing information, politics and politically driven constraints. We joke that this is like some ridiculous game of tag, where if the fucks can get inside a political office or mosque, they can yell "base" and we can't get them. But I have to trust the constraints are there for Bigger Reasons, made by people who get the Big Picture. It sure sucks for us and the PBI, though.

Of course, I've got to thank everyone who continues to support us, me, and my team. The care packages we get are the envy of the other units in the area [;)