Mosul... first impression

So it has been a while and will try and back track...

we arrived in mosul via c130, about an hour+ ride and not so pleasant with all your gear on. there was no in flight movie or bag of peanuts... im writting my congressman. jk

Our team that we are replacing are sooooooo ready to leave and all but a few are even helpful in the transition between teams. I took drivers training on our new MRAP which is like an armored elephant rolling down the road. FOB Diamondback is different. it actually has trees, but small. the PX is a joke and our living area is even more of one. its a dump but atleast its our dump. but we dont know bc as we speak my boss is in a meeting with the division cmdr talking about exactly what section of mosul we will advising.

Mosul- For the last 3 days we have been conduct a combat currculation of the area (which is just a fancy term for checking out da hood) Ive been front seat on these patrols. mosul is like a cross between a TJ, mexico and a busted up city in france after WW2. its is trashed. trash in the streets, houses, alleys, everywhere! cows, sheep and goats roam the city looking for trash dumps to eat out of. the building are all broken down and most are just cinder blocks placed on top of each other. about 75% of the city is unemployed so a lot of the people just roam the streets like the cattle. kids run to your truck, waving and signaling they want candy or soccer balls. some people wave and all stare at you. its hard to tell there intentions sometimes when everyone is eyeing you. sewage is flowing down streets like creeks and you even see some people washing clothes in it. I have pics and will post when i can, bc its really hard to describe the way these people live. its most dirtiest and run down place i have ever seen... and that says a lot bc i have been to a lot of 3rd world countries. as we drive, we hear things on the radio. calls in of IEDs and fire fights from other sections in the city make it real and remind you that you are not on a pleasure cruise through town.

we met a couple iraqi units at their bases and that was just a depressing as the city itself. most are walled areas with a couple of building in them. Most of these bases are overlooked by taller building around, where a sniper or RPG can easily get a couple shots off at us without ever being in danger... that is a bad thing. with all the trash inside the bases you wonder why they just dont pick it up and improve life- but i guess that why we are here. The meeting my boss is in right now will dictate where we will live, and it is a strong possibility that we will be living in these dumps, hand in hand with the iraqi counterparts we advise. The iraqi army looks motivated and try their best to impress us as we meet with them, but as we get into accessing their combat power that is when we see all the little and major holes in their operating systems. In fact, most haven't even been paid for months... how motivated would you be to do your job?

Our interpreters are pretty cool, all young guys with a sense of humor- they are going to need it with our group. its kinda hard bc you still have to be on your toes. Our iraqi units we advise, our interpreters, and any local national could have an interior motive. it really is like the mafia movies where the guy smiling at you the most, is prob the most likely guy to shot you when your not looking. A captain the other day was killed by a iraqi soldier up here. it brings a whole new meaning to keeping your friends close and your enemies closer...

Believe it or not wars are NOT won by battles, but logistics. The iraqi log is all messed up. Bribery and corruption run rampant in the chain of command. The "wasta" is basically like street credit or favors. a commander will keep half of the supplies that should go to his unit and sell it on the black market or simply hoard it so his personal wasta will go up. that is power here, how much you have, can get, and can give, mostly on the governments dime. the problem is that this is how they do business and have been doing it all along, but it hinders a functional army. all those in with decision making power to change the system have the wasta so why would they want to change it?! and at the end of the day it cheats the soldier who is going out on missions, endangering his life everyday with only 15 bullets, no armor, and a rusty AK47. Iraq in the last year has earned over 90 billion dollars in oil revenues, but the system is broke... big time...

once again... i guess thats why im here.

SSS: Sand Storms Sucks

So now im stuck a Camp Taji (north of Bagdad) and we got hit my sand storm which means no flights. which means we wait. which means im bored. the visiblity is only about 200 meters and the sky is orange. seems like the calm before the strom.

I got news from the boss that im going to be an S3 (operations officer) which with the iraq force, plan and develop missions and operations within the battle space. we also got told that our mission has change and will be advising a brand now iraqi infantry battalion called 2-62 IA (iraqi army). implied missions? we will be dealing with a new unit which is like teaching pre-schoolers algebra, but with guns. there is a funny video on youtube of an american advisor trying to teach a group of iraqi soldiers jumping jacks... its pretty funny and frustrating if your on the teaching end so lets just say we got our work cut out.

with the sand storm and low visiblity its prime time for insurgents to lay IEDs and plan. last night a couple 155 arty rounds went off with a gun ship chinnok (helicopter) because a couple guys were spotted out side the wire. prob laying fresh IEDs at major access roads. first contact ive seen since in country.

The team is getting along fine but all anxious to get finally settled in our AO. cant belive i got lucking a hooked up this group. it could be a lot worse. the team we are taking over cant stand to be in the same room with each other let alone combat missions. we all have thick skin and if we have an issue we say it, remembering that one day that person you have beef with might have the power to save your life. I thinks its all about looking at the big picture and never forgetting it. granted i have short sight just as anyone else does, but the big picture allows focus on the smaller things. like sitting too close to the screen in a movie, you need to move your head around and not look at one side to see the other. the father away you sit and the better perspective you have. am i rammbling... i think im rammbling...

The food is good here, i love middle eastern food. not much else going around... did i mention that im bored? oh well i guess it all counts toward the year.

MOSUL'S THRIVING INSURGENCY

so far im tracking that today was the 6th move since ive been in country. Ive been shuffled from kuwait to all around bagdad. just finished with the PHX academy which is basicly a condensed verision of the training at fort riley. I guess the stuff we learn about is pretty cool... but not for the 4th or 5th time in the same powerpoint class.

So the stars and stripes (an army paper) yesterdays front page said in big black letters... "MOSUL'S THRIVING INSURGENCY"... yeah and we are supposed to be there in a few days. got briefed on some upcoming missions and without saying much, just look closely to that area for updates. should be fun.

had another sand storm here and its crazy bc all you see and taste is dirt and sand. yum yum gimmi some. and and speaking of, i think my interpeter was hitting on me last nite... you know what they say here..."women is for breeding and men are for fun"..... NASTY!

Training is lame

Training, training, then more training! I want to play soldier for real!!!! tommarrow is the last day for training! then we fly up to mosul and start missions. Real missions. the ones that count. the ones you dream about.
next week we start the real fun.

dumbed down iraq background

Wow. just got some of your comments and appreciated.

In reality i was thinking how this mission is really not different then my mission. "winning the hearts and minds of the people" except i have a gun and a licence to kill. most likely one of my tasks will be a doing the job called information operations, which is kinda a non-lethal form of warfare. its a challenge, trying to change an already solidly embedded mentality of mistrust and betrayal with this country (if you look at the last 100 year history). I guess the first problem is that they have no sense of "country" the way you or i do. just clicks and tribes. it is a middle eastern melting pot. the population is mostly shia, but sunni are the majority throughout the Arab nations. the sunni was suppressed and abused by the few sunni under Saddam's rule and now want power they feel is owed to them. but the sunni are used to being the higher class and refuse to share. and the kurds to the north were abandoned by the world with no real land or pot to piss in. sprinkle that with the idea that for the last hundreds of years all they have really know is fighting..... and welcome to iraq.

Hopefully that explains some of the background and challenges my team is going to face.

oh and ominae, tell B i have plenty of sunscreen.... its called 60 pound body armor and lucky its blocks UV rays too...

counter insurgency

So im in class all over again. training on counter insurgency, Iraqi security forces training, arabic. I spend about 2-3 hours a day on the language and I am determined to get this one down. its ALOT easier then cantonese so i figure i got a chance at getting good. (plus the arabic women are hot so thats also additional motivation).
I am working out like it going out of style, and the diet is in effect. no much else to do. just sick of training and moving around every couple days. there are some major shifts going on and location/mission/IA (Iraqi Army)/etc might have some serious changes. the election might effect the mission some but we'll see....

had a long talk with an iraqi dude tonite (we practically live on top of them) about religion sects of islam and extremists. I didnt think it would but with all the shadiness going around here, its hard to let yourself trust anyone, bc you never know. I mean we have killled all the stupid ones, so the ones left are smart. its kinda hard to not to hold a prejuduce against the entire country for a few crazys, but when you add poverty, religion persuasion, government coruption, tribal loyality, extremely violent history, and a million other factors, you just dont know who will be a peaceful farmer one day and an IED planter the next. that is just a taste of the unclassified things i can share... so lets just say that is just a potato slice in my bowl of tasty yellow curry.... damn im deep.

Deployment: the start (forgot to publish this one)

So two week ago I boarding a plane going from kansas to maine to ireland and then kuwait. Not much in kuwait be desert as far as you can see with a few beatles and sand storms... not cool. Its not so hot, and when I say that, I mean unless you like feeling your brain boiling inside your own head. we went through all the same training that we did at FT Riley, ranges, convoy live fires, and mostly we just acclimated to the searing heat. we got new combat vests that are just as heavy and awkard as the old combat vest (about 40-50 pounds) and got to run around the desert playing soldier. I came up with a couple goals:

1. get better God.

2. get into the best shape of my life.

3. educate myself (seems broad but I have my areas of focus)

4. document this experience through music



After about a week of fun in kuwait we boarded a C130. the seats were roomy with AC but the on flight movie was sub-parr. Ok not really we were in full battle rattle on top of each other in what felt like a suna with a every bump having a bar shoved up my backside... good times.



Bagdad is a little cooler but dirty as hell. The palaces from sadaams rule a massive but its kinda sad how the military has reformed the green zone in to a military compound.

I have never had a blog before and I need to add this disclaimer before you read on. This is more for me then you. I will share my expericences as a deployed soldier in Mosul, Iraq. I will not share any info that can potentially compromise my mission or my fellow soldiers, however, I plan in detail to do my bet to describe my life in combat.

Oh, and I cant spell worth a damn so no back seat spellers allowed!