Welcome

Since Instapundit gave a shout out to this blog, we are getting a visitor every ten seconds. We normally welcome about 50 visitors a day.

For those of you visiting for the first time, the Soldier remains anonymous. He is a reservist who has been in Iraq for one month. I am Patrick Eakes, and I maintain this blog for the Soldier.

If you wish to leave a comment, I will be sure it is forwarded to the Soldier.

Welcome

The News & Record ran a front-page article today on a recent attack in Iraq that Nick Sowers documented in an email sent home. The N&R article included an information box directing readers to two blogs I maintain, including this one.

If you are visiting this blog for the first time, welcome. This blog documents the life of a reservist who has been deployed to Iraq. The Soldier remains anonymous, and I post his entries for him.

Blogs are organized so the most recent posts are at the top of the page. If you are first time visitor, I suggest that you scroll to the bottom of the page and read the posts from the bottom up, which will be chronologically correct.

Below each post you will find a comment tab. Click on it if you wish to make a comment on the post or send a message to the soldier.

Please visit this blog from time to time to get updates from the The Soldier.

Settling In

Another week has passed, and although it can't go fast enough, the time is flying by. My team is getting settled, and we received our room assignments this week, which was a big morale boost. It may not seem like much to most, but we've been living in transient quarters since we were activated in November, and although it's not home, it's what we've got for now.

The guys' morale is high as they take the lead in their new positions. When I was here in 1990 I was a 2LT. Now, I am Major, and I get a few extra privileges. Ironically the unit I deployed with in the first war is in my area now. I visited the 2LT in the same position I was in back in 1990. A lot has changed in 14 years, but the position is still there, and some of the same problems still exist.

The outgoing unit leaves soon. They have done an outstanding job here, and we've made some friends in our short time together. They are a National Guard unit out of New York. It is amazing to sit back and here the two groups exchange stories: NC vs. NY. The contrast is comical, and everyone has had a lot of fun at the other's expense. Bottom line - they spent a year here, accomplished their mission and every one of them is going to make it back home safely. This is exactly what I want my successor to say about us.

Mortars - We were attacked several times this week. Only one minor casualty from another unit. The report is that he will be ok. Mortars here are a daily event. Yesterday one hit about 500 meters from our trailer -what a way to wake up. My guys reacted great. We all got in our bunkers before the second one hit further away. Then, we waited to hear the outgoing artillery. You hear the shot, wait about 20 seconds, and then you hear the impact. As bad as it feels to be on the receiving end of their stuff, it really has to suck being on the receiving end of ours.

Iraqi NG - I watched the Iraqi National Guard training the other day on post. As I watched them conducting basic drill and ceremony activities, I wondered what kind of lives they lived before all of this started, and what would their lives be like from this day forward. They looked as if they came from all walks of life: young and old, rich and poor, and like us they are citizen soldiers serving their country. The American soldiers training them have had good things to say about how they are progressing. I hope to get the chance to know some of them better as the year goes on.

The news has reported the Abu Ghraib sentencing of the soldier convicted of mistreating the Iraqi prisoners. Comments here are as I expected. Most are shocked that he received 10 years, and that what was reported as "torture" was more like humiliation. Most soldiers believe the beheading and disfigurement of those captured by the Iraqis is torture, but the news doesn't seem to be interested in that. It is obvious those soldiers involved used bad judgment, and they along with their leadership will be held accountable, but relative to the bad judgment used by our enemy, the U.S. Soldiers' crimes seem insignificant.

To better illustrate how differently soldiers think, the other day I spoke to a soldier that I've notice moping around. After some small talk, I asked what was bothering him and his response was one I've heard before, especially from young soldiers. He explained "I just don't feel like I'm getting enough action." In his mind, he wanted to engage the enemy and strike the decisive blow that would destroy the enemy's will to ever fight again. This particular individual used to be a line soldier and now holds an administrative position.

I know it sounds crazy to some people who hear this kind of talk, but it is this mentality and training that allows sane men and women to knowingly go into harms way. We spoke for a few minutes about friends we both had that were escorting convoys and having daily contact with the bad guys. We laughed at how strange the military mind-set can make us look at situations, and I got the feeling he realized how strange his original statement was.

I am still amazed at all of the functions that go on daily to make this whole operation work. The synchronization of all the forces along with the civilians is incredible. Soldiers from every branch of service are working together in harmony. Soldiers are taking initiative at all levels to do things right, and right is being acknowledged and praised. As much as I miss my family, I'm glad to be part of this operation. What an honor to serve next to the soldiers here. I wish every American could experience this feeling and I hope that my words will allow some to understand the process a little better.

Take Care and God Bless.

Arrival In Kuwait And Iraq

My unit arrived in Kuwait safely. We had a commercial flight chartered by the Army. My commander, CSM, and I passed up an opportunity to fly first class, and we sat with our troops for the 20 hour voyage. I don't know if they appreciated the gesture or thought we were foolish for not moving up. Anyway, it seemed like the right thing to do.

Our time in Kuwait was minimized because of our motivation to get out of there. Our reception was not well organized, and if you sat back and waited on the system to process your unit, you could be there for weeks. We made some contacts, identified the key training events that we needed to hit and coordinated our move north to Iraq.

We were originally scheduled to Convoy. Our vehicles were not up-armored, and this was our biggest concern. In my 15 years of service, I've learned that the military may be bullish, but it does change. I found an active duty unit similar to ours that was going to the same place as us, and after some conversation I discovered that they too were not up-armored, but they were not going to convoy. Puzzled, I asked how they were going, and to my delight I discovered a method to get our troops and equipment flown. My Commander and I were floored. In the past six months, as much as we requested, this option was never given to us. Our soldiers flew out 48hrs after we discovered this option, and everyone arrived safely. Our equipment will follow, so the unit we are replacing will let us use their equipment until ours arrives.

All here is going well. My soldiers' morale is high, and we are settling in. Our replacements were excited to see us and are doing a great job showing us the ropes. I work out of an old hangar that is said to have housed Saddam's private jets. Who knows what went on here; soldiers can conjure up the best stories. We live in trailers and walk about 200 yards to the bathrooms and showers. It's not too bad. I had hot water this morning. The weather is about what I expected - cool now, but not to cold.

Nothing here is easy. Even going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, you have to be fully dressed. The unit we are replacing should leave in a few weeks, so I expect things will get better then.

Our first morning here we were greeted with a mortar attack. Not everyone reacted the same. I met one soldier in the bunker we went to and asked him why he was here and his roommate was not. His response was classic. He simply said that he had not had the best of luck lately and was not taking any chances. He told me that within the last week, while driving his vehicle, he hit an IED [ed: improvised explosive device] and was involved in a firefight. He was a young guy from the Alabama Reserves, he was very upbeat about things and stated that he was scheduled to go home in a few weeks. After listening to his story I explained to him that he was mistaken about his luck. I told him that I felt good about being near him because to me, after hitting an IED and being in a firefight and coming out physically unscathed -- his luck seemed pretty good. I was proud to share a bunker with him and to hear his stories for the next hour. When we received the all clear sign, I shook his hand and wished him the best.

Take Care and God Bless

Good News From Iraq

I spoke to Mrs. Soldier yesterday. She said that the Soldier made it to Kuwait City fine. He was there a few days, then traveled by convoy to his final destination, which is outside Fallujah.

The soldier told me before he deployed that the convoy would be unescorted, meaning they would not have significant defense if attacked, so we are all glad he made it to his compound safely.