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.