In The Zone, Part Three (end)
It was the second day of yet another mission out in the Red. I glanced around just before going into the building. My guard had gone up when the 'security guard' (an Iraqi man wearing blue jeans and a watch cap) stood up and checked his AK-47 (assault rifle) as we drove up. This was supposed to be the barracks of the unit that we were there to inspect.
The area we were in was called Habaniya...a quaint little hole in the world nestled snuggly between Fallujian and Ramadi...both of them very lovely this time of year. Again...it was the kind of place that Mad Max would have felt right at home.
The Iraqi Army doesn't have the nicest of facilities. However, even they don't stay in a building that is being gutted and renovated down to the frame. The unit had been moved, and no one seemed to know where. Not even the US Advisor that was accompanying us seemed to know where they could have moved to...nor how they could do it without his knowledge.
I didn't like the feeling I was getting.
So we move up to check out one of the guard towers, on the roof of the building. As I reach the top I can see that not more than fifty meters from where I stood was the perimeter to the base. Just beyond that, a small village...a village I found out moments later contained active insurgents and terrorists.
I feel like it is time for me to explain something here. In a situation such as the one described above...I get quite touchy...and I guess "highly alerted" would be a way to describe the feelings I have.
Why?
Simple...we were standing fully exposed to the enemy...no body armor, no helmet. We were in an area that had very little in the way of easy 'escape' routes. And...as far as who the bad guy will choose to shoot first? Let's just say that six foot six inches and two hundred and twenty five pounds makes a very large target.
Fortunately for us, nothing happened. But I grabbed hold of that feeling that I had, and I burned it into my memory. The men who do that every day...who sit in that guard tower and watch that village and that perimeter, don't have the luxury of knowing that by the end of the day they will be miles away from a place like that. I never want to forget how that felt...never want to take them for granted again.
So then it was back to more of those meetings that I just LOVE so much. I sat and listened to them talk...and counted the seconds until I heard one of them say "Chai." That quickly became my favorite word to hear in these meetings.
More talking...my mind wandered...more Chai...I drank all that they brought out. Then it was time to go. Again...a surreal moment.
The sun had set hours ago, and we were waiting for the helicopters to come in. As I stood and listened for the distinct sound of Blackhawk props cutting the air, I found myself also searching for Mad Max again. Fires burned in the junk yard that lay just beyond the airfield, and a pack of wild dogs howled out an eerie song to the chilly night. Chills went up my spine as I realized that this would be a miserable place to die.
I let out a long slow breath as I heard the faint sound of helos in the distance. I turned and told the group that we had incoming birds, and everyone began to gear up. As we loaded in, my mind slipped a million miles away to my family. They would be on their way back from work and school at this point. I thanked God they had no idea where I was.
As the familiar scenery of the 'Highly Fortified Green Zone' came into view below, I began to relax. It felt good to be back. I was ready to be in my bed...and the comforting sight of my battleship gray walls. The thing that meant the most was that I could call home and tell my wife that I had made it through another day.
Her voice was like heaven...and as she spoke to me, I let the tension of the mission slip away. My daughter got on the phone and began to tell me about the drawing she was doing...and the nightmare landscape of a Mad Max world seemed a thousand miles away. My son began to tell me about his day at school, and my heart and soul flew back home.
As much as I don't like being over here, it did feel good to be back to the familiar. As different as it is, my temporary home was the most welcome thing I could have in my current situation.
I am gaining all kinds of experience out here...experiences that I will treasure, and hold close always. I am learning lessons about humanity, different cultures, and most importantly...myself.
Weather it is out in the Red...or it is that place I go in my mind when I am on a mission, I am learning to live in my different zones. And now that I have experienced all that...and I am once again back in the familiar...I couldn't be more glad to be back In The Zone.
SFC NEWMAN
OUT
The area we were in was called Habaniya...a quaint little hole in the world nestled snuggly between Fallujian and Ramadi...both of them very lovely this time of year. Again...it was the kind of place that Mad Max would have felt right at home.
The Iraqi Army doesn't have the nicest of facilities. However, even they don't stay in a building that is being gutted and renovated down to the frame. The unit had been moved, and no one seemed to know where. Not even the US Advisor that was accompanying us seemed to know where they could have moved to...nor how they could do it without his knowledge.
I didn't like the feeling I was getting.
So we move up to check out one of the guard towers, on the roof of the building. As I reach the top I can see that not more than fifty meters from where I stood was the perimeter to the base. Just beyond that, a small village...a village I found out moments later contained active insurgents and terrorists.
I feel like it is time for me to explain something here. In a situation such as the one described above...I get quite touchy...and I guess "highly alerted" would be a way to describe the feelings I have.
Why?
Simple...we were standing fully exposed to the enemy...no body armor, no helmet. We were in an area that had very little in the way of easy 'escape' routes. And...as far as who the bad guy will choose to shoot first? Let's just say that six foot six inches and two hundred and twenty five pounds makes a very large target.
Fortunately for us, nothing happened. But I grabbed hold of that feeling that I had, and I burned it into my memory. The men who do that every day...who sit in that guard tower and watch that village and that perimeter, don't have the luxury of knowing that by the end of the day they will be miles away from a place like that. I never want to forget how that felt...never want to take them for granted again.
So then it was back to more of those meetings that I just LOVE so much. I sat and listened to them talk...and counted the seconds until I heard one of them say "Chai." That quickly became my favorite word to hear in these meetings.
More talking...my mind wandered...more Chai...I drank all that they brought out. Then it was time to go. Again...a surreal moment.
The sun had set hours ago, and we were waiting for the helicopters to come in. As I stood and listened for the distinct sound of Blackhawk props cutting the air, I found myself also searching for Mad Max again. Fires burned in the junk yard that lay just beyond the airfield, and a pack of wild dogs howled out an eerie song to the chilly night. Chills went up my spine as I realized that this would be a miserable place to die.
I let out a long slow breath as I heard the faint sound of helos in the distance. I turned and told the group that we had incoming birds, and everyone began to gear up. As we loaded in, my mind slipped a million miles away to my family. They would be on their way back from work and school at this point. I thanked God they had no idea where I was.
As the familiar scenery of the 'Highly Fortified Green Zone' came into view below, I began to relax. It felt good to be back. I was ready to be in my bed...and the comforting sight of my battleship gray walls. The thing that meant the most was that I could call home and tell my wife that I had made it through another day.
Her voice was like heaven...and as she spoke to me, I let the tension of the mission slip away. My daughter got on the phone and began to tell me about the drawing she was doing...and the nightmare landscape of a Mad Max world seemed a thousand miles away. My son began to tell me about his day at school, and my heart and soul flew back home.
As much as I don't like being over here, it did feel good to be back to the familiar. As different as it is, my temporary home was the most welcome thing I could have in my current situation.
I am gaining all kinds of experience out here...experiences that I will treasure, and hold close always. I am learning lessons about humanity, different cultures, and most importantly...myself.
Weather it is out in the Red...or it is that place I go in my mind when I am on a mission, I am learning to live in my different zones. And now that I have experienced all that...and I am once again back in the familiar...I couldn't be more glad to be back In The Zone.
SFC NEWMAN
OUT
posted by Unknown at 6:30 PM
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