Journal: ‘ThunderCat6’ gets to know Baghdad

DATE: May 4, 2006
TO: Friends, family and colleagues

SUBJECT: Greetings from Baghdad — One down and 51 weeks to go ... 

All,

Where do I start?

I left Fort Bragg and traveled for basically 48 straight hours. But, the good news is at the end of that two-day period I was already at my new home in Baghdad, FOB Loyalty. FOB is a Forward Operating Base, the 21st century name for a fortified, heavily defended camp. It is called being “inside the wire”; when you leave it is called going “outside the wire.” Those that rarely or never leave the FOB are called “Fobbits.” Those are support folks or senior-ranking military folks. In my role I leave the wire about five to six times a week for about five to seven hours. My job is to be out working with the local Iraqis to improve conditions and solve problems.

Accommodations
My room on a scale of 1-10, one being a tent in the desert and 10 being the Ramada Inn Romulus next to Detroit Airport, I give this a 5 or a 6. I basically live in a side room off an old auto-body shop with three other officers. I have a clean bed, a couple of wall lockers, and the room has air conditioning. In terms of the overall building, we have a bathroom with four private shower stalls, and a little bathroom with a couple of toilets. We also have a little kitchen with a microwave and electric heaters. Oh, and three or four industrial-sized refrigerators to keep our ample supply of water bottles. …

The mess hall is AWESOME. Some of the best food I have ever had. The selection is huge and no limits to portions. Better than any company/corporate cafeteria I have ever seen. There is a local Iraqi who has a little barbershop and cuts hair for $2. BTW, when you see my haircut it no longer seems like a bargain.

It does have a gym, not exactly New York Sports, but a nice facility. I have been working out each night to assist in my acclimation and continue to improve my overall fitness (now that my life depends on it).  ;)

My assignment
I am a Team Chief, and I am overall responsible for Sadr City, that is my sector. It is basically a slum of 2 million people in a (tiny) area. Check it out on Google Earth. It is almost 100 percent Shi’a and was the site of the all the violence and confrontation in 2004.

That is the bad news. The good news is that we have a truce with (cleric Muqtada) al-Sadr and his militia for the time being. It is a dangerous area, but aren’t they all? There are over $400 million in projects ongoing today in Sadr City and (they) vary from education and health, to economics and fuel (yes fuel!).  But, the real issues there remain very basic — water, sewage, trash and electricity. I work with all the various contractors and I am currently the main liaison for the coalition with the local government (City Council, if you will). I mentor and coach the mayor and his staff.

Needless to say I am very excited to have an opportunity to help these people in need, especially the poor, the children and the sick. They only have five real hospitals for 2 million people. As I have mentioned in previous e-mails, our goals are to have the Iraqis build up their infrastructure, capabilities, and most importantly have the capacity and capability to manage all these things on their own. No doubt there are some real significant challenges and major complex issues, but it is great to be a part of the birth of a new democracy.

Courtesy of Tom Deierlein The members of Alpha Company, 414th Civil Affairs Battalion, posed for this photo at Forward Operating Base Loyalty in Baghdad in June 2006.

The risk
The biggest risks I face are the ones you hear about on the news: roadside bombs and suicide bombers. Those aren’t the only ones, obviously, but those are the primary. I have been outside the wire five times already and led my first mission just this morning. A bomb has gone off each day I have been here, including in my sector. I would share more about this topic but my Mom is on this list. …

The reality is that I have the right tools and planning support to stay VERY safe. As we say in sales, “It’s all about how you prepare for the meeting.” I am bright boy and will minimize my exposure. High-quality, accurate information is out there on how to avoid this risk and I will leverage those EVERY day before I leave the wire. Those who know me know the discipline I can exhibit and my love of processes, steps and order. This review of information will happen every time without exception. I promise (Mom).

What can you send?
I really don’t need anything personally right now. But, if you want to, please think of inner-city children and what they need. Specifically, I need things in bulk. Ones and twos are nice and still appreciated, of course, but I need bunches of stuff if I am going to set up a distribution and do anything meaningful.

Here are some thoughts:

• Baby/children’s clothes, plain, and simple is best. (Nothing with religious symbols or names.) Perhaps you can have a clothing drive at your local church or school, box it up and ship it here. I may even be able to send photos back.
• Children’s vitamins (like Flintstones Chewables). Once again, quantity is key.
• Soccer balls — yes, cliché, but the kids still want soccer balls here.
• Frisbees, tennis balls, super balls, Nerf footballs, anything easy to toss out of a moving vehicle. Basic toys that any 5- to 12-year-old boy or girl would like.

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DATE: May 27, 2006
TO: Friends, family and colleagues

SUBJECT: Happy Memorial Day — One down and 11 months to go

Greetings. Time flies. I can’t believe how FAST the first month went. I hit the ground four weeks ago yesterday.

First and foremost, thanks to all who have already sent charity items. It will make a BIG difference for some children here. For any of the government aid items in stock we now have to give them to the Iraqis to give out so they are seen as providing for the people instead of us. Usually they steal some or all of it unless we check up and guarantee it gets to the needy. I will use the stuff you all are sending to give out on my own to the neediest and most poor of Sadr City. I will do my best to take pictures when possible, although to be blunt, people can be killed if seen cooperating or associating with the Coalition Forces in some parts of Sadr so I have to be careful.

We have already lost two men. One was a lawyer and IRR call-up like me. He got (injured) in the lung and was heading home — he didn’t make it. He left a wife and two small (children). The second was a veterinarian on his way to help a farmer with some goats. A few of the guys I trained with since November back at Fort Jackson had some close calls, but no one I know personally has been hurt yet.

Security issues, kidnappings, murders and sect violence
I roll down the street and see all kinds of people in all kinds of uniforms, with all kinds of weapons. Scary ... like the Wild West with automatic weapons. We pulled off the road May 9 to get out and to stop an Iraqi policeman from stealing fuel from a poor street vendor.

Overall, we have definitely found a groove and continue to improve every day. Having spent a month together we are all getting better at our jobs and helping each other get better at theirs.

I continue to work with the local politicians (District Council) and must admit to getting a bit frustrated already with them at times. All they do is complain and all they want to do is talk and talk with no solutions or goals. I will talk more about that in my next e-mail next month. But in the end we all want the same thing — quality services for the people of Sadr City. Also, they have a tough job. Not in my district but the one next to me, three of the District Council members were murdered and the chairman fled the country all in the last two weeks. It is a true shame because he was a great leader, excellent manager and a bit of a visionary. I need to spend a little more time studying up on Arab culture to find better ways to work with them and to have them want to work with me. I’ve bonded with some already, but a couple of the key players remain aloof since they have dealt with colonels and generals in the past and I am a lowly captain.

On the bright side of things we opened a new health clinic this week and also turned on 27 water compact units capable of providing 405,000 liters of fresh water EVERY day for Sadr City while we wait for the more permanent water network, which is coming slowly.

One day last week, I traveled to inspect five projects. We went to a hospital, two fire stations and a health clinic. A reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle came with us. She wrote an article and a blog about the trip. I want to get mad and disagree with her assessment, but the reality is that she is right, there is only three to four hours of electricity in many parts of the city, including Sadr. There is open sewage that flows on too many streets. There isn’t a reliable source of water for struggling families. There was gross mismanagement of many of the infrastructure and development projects. But, and this is a big but, it doesn’t mention how much worse it was BEFORE we ever got here. …

The issues are VERY complex and I hope that five to 10 years from now things will be running smoothly. Let’s not all forget the truly daunting task we have taken on here. Starting a democracy and rebuilding and nation is hard, it takes time. Look at Hamilton versus Jefferson, look at our own Civil War. Politics aside, we came here and we need to properly finish what we started. If we don’t show resolve here, then what signal does that send our potential future enemies?

Without getting on a soapbox, there are evil people in this world that wish Americans harm just because of who we are and what we stand for. I don’t know if we should have come here in the first place, I really don’t, but I do know we are here and more importantly, I know that I am here, so I am going to make a difference even if just a little bit at a time each and every day.

On the more mundane front
This week I am not eating any ice cream or sweets. My excuse of “I deserve an ice cream after that stressful mission” is running a little thin. I have been hitting the gym irregularly and even found a cigar smokers’ club every Saturday night on top of one of the buildings here at 2130 (9:30 p.m.). We even have a token liberal Democrat to argue with. I ended up having an economic theory and International Monetary Fund policies discussion with him last week in between our “What celebrity would you sleep with if your wife/husband gave you one get-out-of-jail-free card?” and “What is the best movie of all time?” chats.

I also finally got my own call sign — “ThunderCat6.” Not exactly “Maverick,” “Goose” or “Iceman,” but I like it.

MORE FROM CHARITY BEGINS AT WAR

Charity Begins at War Section Front

Part 1: From executive suite to Baghdad Journal: Called back to active duty — ‘No joke’ Day 2: Minimal training for a huge task Journal: Readying for ‘very dangerous job’ Part 3: Venturing ‘outside the wire’ Journal: ‘ThunderCat6’ arrives in Baghdad Part 4: It all comes back to garbage Journal: Goodbye Baghdad; hello bed rest Part 5: Charitable spirit survives Journal: A new foundation Charity Begins at War Section Front   Add Charity Begins at War headlines to your news reader: