Hillah, Iraq. The Marines fired illumination mortar rounds as SWAT searched the bushes for the primary target. They are really good at firing illumination rounds. The Marines would hang the mortar, timing the dropping of the round so that it would fly to its zenith and ignite just as the previous mortar flare was burning […]

Hillah, Iraq. 4th ANGLICO is hereby required and directed to redeploy back to the continental United States. We have to be in Diwaniyah on [CLASSIFIED]. Our flight is scheduled for [CLASSIFIED], plus or minus three days. The latest we can be in West Palm Beach is [CLASSIFIED]. Exact dates compromise operational security, but I can […]

Hillah, Iraq. We have been having a difficult time with our Exchange lately. The Exchange is the military sponsored store on base. These stores typically supply soldiers, sailors, and Marines with the basics, such as razor blades and soap. They also carry snacks, and often electronics. Imagine a military Wal Mart, and you have the […]

Hillah, Iraq. I awoke to the sound of mortar fire. I checked the time: 0430. Mortars at 4:30AM is not good news, especially if you are not the one firing them. I got up to look outside. El Sals were running around. I listed to the mortar fire, and realized there were no explosions. I […]

Hillah, Iraq. I dug out my seabags from underneath my rack, and opened up my new trunk. I was actually having trouble packing my gear because despite this first concrete proof of going home, I still have a lot of trouble believing that I am actually going home. I can’t believe that I can’t manage […]

Hillah, Iraq. Things were not right. We listened to fragmented and contradictory radio traffic in the team room. SWAT had canceled on us two nights in a row, which is extremely unusual. They were late tonight, and we sat in full Battle Rattle trying to figure out what was going on. The radio traffic told […]

Kalsu, Iraq. Given that it was 0600, I had trouble understanding how the cup of coffee had managed to get so bitter that early in the morning. The SWAT had interrogated their prisoners in a regrettably unsupervised and more traditional manner which although brutal, had produced a list of names and locations of the insurgents […]

Hillah, Iraq. Patrick, my particular friend, once commented that a man eating an apple was in control of the situation. The chow hall had a fresh shipment of Gala apples (the finest of apples) and I took two of them on this mission. I sat munching on one as we marshaled up with the Iraqi […]

Hillah, Iraq. The stereo in Yazoo 25 died today. I will not say that it was destroyed through any sort of intention or negligence, but suffice it to say that the lance corporals were cleaning the vehicle and the stereo didn’t work afterwards. I asked a few questions, but the lance corporals were vague about […]

Hillah, Iraq. The day wore on with nothing in particular to do, which, of course, made us antsy. The Captain finally allowed a presence patrol, an activity much like a pleasant drive in the country but the possibility of violence both given and received. The Captain authorized only half the team and vehicles to go, […]