Marhaba from Baghdad
Well, it has been over a month since me and my fellow shipmates arrived here in the cradle of civilization, and, according to our estimation, our mission is 10% complete. However, that 10% means now means squat as the temperature begins its August climb. Not that I am complaining though, for I am more fortunate than many others already, especially since I do work and sleep in air conditioning.
Many people have written and asked me what life is like here. Well, to be honest, at least in the International Zone, it is better than I first imagined. However, it is not quite the safe haven that the news media originally made it out to be. At least once a week we get pounded with mortar and rocket fire. In one instance I was less than a block away from an incoming round (which is closer than you might think). The other danger is stray bullets, particularly after the Iraqis national soccer team won its last two matches at the Asian Cup. Today they play Saudi Arabia, and if they win, my guess is that, like the other day when over 70 people died in twin suicide vehicle bomb attacks, even more will perish.
On the subject of vehicle bombs, once you hear an explosion you immediately reorient yourself back to reality, as the sound instantly reminds you that you are in Baghdad, and that, death here can come in an instant. Just the other day the entire International Zone was severely shaken from a yet another car bomb directly across the river from the embassy. The blast killed 60 some people and severely injured at least 90 other people, and when I say it "shook" the IZ, I really mean it, for the blast wave shook and broke windows for at least a mile (if not more) in every direction.
As far as everyday life is concerned here, at least by the shores of the Tigris, it appears that, despite the fact that the civil war has likely broken the spirits of many Iraqis, the struggle for normalcy goes on, despite the bombings and violence. As for those of us here in the International Zone, life here can take some adjusting too, as there are few things to do on during the off hours besides watching movies in one's room and hanging out at either the embassy lounge and cafe, or at the palace pool.
I presently reside, along with hundreds of others, at the U.S. Embassy compound, which used to be, prior to the war, Saddam Hussein's Republican Palace . The IZ is full of reminders of the Saddam era. Many of the familiar sites we saw on CNN during the first Iraq war, such as the Hands of Victory parade ground, the Monument to the Unknown Soldier , and the Al-Rashid Hotel. In addition to these places are the reminders of how the last two wars were won- with precision bombing and missile strikes to key government buildings, none of which have been rebuilt. The site of the bombed out structures is truly eerie, and they are a constant reminder of the recent past.
Well, that's it for now. Another day is beginning, as I head towards my 40th birthday on the 31st.
Signing off for now from the waters near Babylon,
Smitty
