Joint Base Balad, Iraq October 26, 2008
Everyone:
Well, I have finally made it into Iraq. The trip was a bit arduous in that it took awhile. In typical military fashion, we got up at 3am, drove an hour to Ali Al Salam (another base in Kuwait). We proceeded to sit in this “airport” for about 15+ hours. The reason for this long delay was the Air Force. We drove all the way out to our plane, only to find out that “their duty day was over”…meaning that the crew was done flying for the day…even though we had a scheduled flight. So we did not end up leaving Kuwait until after 2200 hours (10pm). The good news (sarcasm) is that we were able to fly in a C-130 (this is a 4 propeller cargo plane). This plane is not built for comfort as can be seen in the picture below:
What is hard to see is how tight it really is. You have to make a deal with the person sitting across from you on how to work your legs. Of course we have to be in full gear as we can take small arms fire while over Iraq. Notice the red straps on the left…these came down to form a very comfortable mesh seat for us…nice.
We finally arrived safely in Balad, Iraq with no problems. We slowly got settled into our new living quarters (I will discuss more below), met the soldiers that we are replacing and immediately got to work. The base that I am at used to be known as LSA (logistic support area) Anaconda, but is now more of an Air Force base so it is known as Joint Base Balad. It is one of the largest bases in Iraq, housing as many as 30,000 people! It is divided into East and West sections based on the runways. The base is affectionately known as “Mortaritaville” due to the high number of mortar and rocket attacks that it receives. In the past two weeks we have received numerous attacks, the sirens go off, and we get into bunkers…I think I have slept through a few…most of the time we never hear any impacts or detonations. I guess that they land on the other side of the base. Either way, we have lots of “things” here to keep us safe.
Let me show you how nice my room is…best accommodations I have had while in the Army. I have been a bit lucky as the Brigade that I am normally a part of and the soldiers that I deployed with to Afghanistan are all here on the same base…they have taken care of me and again “found” items for me to “set me up”.
Here is the inside of my room. Check out my desk and chair! I was told not to ask…so I do not ask. If I turn the camera just slightly to the left:
I have the Butler flag flying proudly in my room…thank you to everybody for signing it. When I find that I am having a hard time, all I have to do is read a few lines and it really “picks me up”. I appreciate it. Of course, I have my trusty new body armor close on its stand (another gift from the Brigade). The next picture I stepped up by my chair and essentially it is 180 degrees from the above picture.
I actually have a TV which has about 6-8 channels from the Armed Forces Network (AFN). These channels carry a variety of shows from ESPN to ABC etc. They switch and are varied. There are no commercials though…so the military makes its own commercials…I call them my daily download of brainwashing messages. I have a DVD player, a refrigerator and a microwave. I am living like a king now. The door to the room is just out of site to the right next to the big chair. I am good as long as a mortar does not come crashing through my ceiling.
If you walk out my door here is the view:
This is the back of our housing units. The concrete all makes a big bunker to protect us from indirect fire (mortars). If you go down my stairs there are more concrete bunkers inside the big housing bunker that we get into when the “Red Alert” sirens go off. This gives us some added protection. The reason that the picture is a bit grainy is that I took it during a huge sandstorm.
The first few days that we got here the temperature was Hot! There is a thermometer outside 1LT Welch’s room that read it as 120 degrees. Then we got a cold front that instead of bringing in thunderstorms it brought us a sandstorm. If you go down these stairs to the edge of the bunker and turn to your right about 120 degrees you get a view of our PX: 
It may be hard to see in this picture, but the big white building is the PX (mini-Walmart type place). The white roof is actually a mortar protection structure build over it. The smaller brown building in front is actually a little food court. If you can see the three small signs on the building they are for “Cinnabon, Burger King, and Pizza Hut”
Here is the same picture during the dust storm: 
The above picture was taken in the middle of the afternoon! It looks like fog, but it is literally sand and dirt. It gets in your hair, ears, mouth…pretty terrible.
I showed my room with the Butler flag, well I flew it over the base. Here is the Butler flag flying proudly over Balad:
On the bottom picture you can see all the signatures!
I wanted to take the remaining time with this letter to see if I can help make clear some of the geo-political issues here in Iraq. Below is a picture of Southwest Asia and the Middle East which includes the Arabian Peninsula between Africa and the Middle East (Persia). 
First Balad is about 40-50 miles due north of Baghdad. There are two major factors at play in Iraq. The first is based on ancient geographic history. To the West (and including Iraq) the people are Arabs…being from the Arabian Peninsula. To the East is Iran, which is ancient Persia. These people are known as Persians (not Arabs). Iraq sits between these two populations and is the “crossroads” between them. The Arab influence is the red arrows coming in form Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and of course Saudi Arabia. The Persian influence comes from Iran. There are enough feelings over this Arab versus Persian that the Persian Gulf is often called the Arabian Gulf by some Arabs. Collectively this area is known as the Middle East (although technically Iraq and Iran are Southwest Asia). Afghanistan and Pakistan are actually part of Central Asia which has a large Asian influence and are thus not technically Arabs or Persians, but rather Asians. What makes this more complicated is the second feature which is Religion. The Arabs are traditionally Sunni. Most of the World’s Muslim population is Sunni ( ~90%), and the Persians are traditionally Shi’ite. In Iraq, the Sunni population is the majority and is mainly located in the central and western parts of the Country. The Shi’ites are found south of Baghdad. These two groups do not get along and essentially hate each other. The third group are the Kurds (tribal group), who are located to the North by Mosul.
What is the difference? Well, The Islam religion was founded by Mohammed in the seventh century. In 622 he founded the first Islamic state, a theocracy in Medina, a city in western Saudi Arabia located north of Mecca. The hatred between Sunnis and Muslims goes back to 632 CE and the death of Prophet Mohammad. The most critical issue following Mohammed’s death was his succession. The forbearers of the Sunnis followed the tribal tradition of having a council of elders select as the head of the Islamic community the individual most qualified to lead. The forbearers of the Shiites on the other hand believed that Mohammad’s heirs should rule the Islamic community. The conflict came to a head in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE when the Sunnis forbearers massacred the prophet’s grandson Husayn and his followers. Gleefully, the victors carried Husayn’s head to Damascus and paraded it there. This is why for the next thirteen hundred years, there has been hatred and recurring warfare between these two sects within Islam who differ radically in their religious practices.
One can begin to see that many of the foreign fighters here have alternate agendas rather than just “anti-US”. In the Shi’ite South is a city known as Najaf, it houses the Imam Ali mosque and is considered to be the third holiest Muslim site in the World especially to the Shi’ites. Muqtada al-sadr is a Shi’ite cleric in Najaf and was a source of one of the largest resistance forces in Iraq. There is obvious tension between his Army and the new Iraq Sunni Government. Iran obviously supports Al-sadr and wants to “be a good neighbor” and build a highway to Najaf for all the Persians (Iranians, Shi’ites) to be able to get to Najaf…of course this would flood the Iraq with the Shi’ite influence and help push its “beliefs” west. The Sunni’s do not want this for obvious reasons. This may just give you a hint at some of Iran’s motivations (remember that the some of the more extreme Shi’ites want a return of the Caliphate).
Many people want the US to just leave Iraq. If we just leave, there will be a huge power vacuum and all the “arrows” will flood into Iraq…there would be a civil war between the Sunni (Arabs) and Shi’ites (Persian) with the winner gaining control of Iraq and the influence at the “crossroads”. This is why Syria and Iran have both been very interested in getting the US out as each side thinks it will gain the upper hand. The other exit strategy is to carve the country into three pieces…Sunni, Shi’a, and Kurd….the problem is that you have two religious groups and one tribal group. Also the Sunni area is mostly desert. Not so sure the other two groups would go out of their way to help the Sunni state survive (Saddam was a Sunni). The bottom line is that there really is not a good solution. The US is trying to help Iraq become strong enough with all the groups to prevent the impending civil war.
I think that I have given enough of a liberal arts lecture here, please know that this is very simplified and how I best understand the situation. Finally, I wanted to include some nice emails that I have received recently for my “shout out section”. It is essentially a prayer that was shared with me by my friend Alex Ansara, which in turn, I wanted to share with you. It is essentially two prayers. The first is a prayer that he says daily…not a bad idea:
"Look at your life. You can walk. You can talk. You can hear, see, taste, and touch. You have your family, you have great friends, a good job, a place to live, food to eat, clothes, a car, TV, internet, and the joy of music. Most importantly, as if all that isn't enough, you're healthy and you have God in your life. What the heck are you upset about???"
The second prayer:
DEAR GOD: I want to thank you for what you have already done. I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves; I am going to thank you right now. I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet; I am going to thank you right now. I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job; I am going to thank you right now. I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed; I am thanking you right now. I am thanking you because I am alive. I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties. I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles. I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better. I'm thanking you because; YOU haven't given up on me.
CPT Mike Roscoe
Phipps TMC / 215th ASMC
APO AE 09391
Everyone:
Well, I have finally made it into Iraq. The trip was a bit arduous in that it took awhile. In typical military fashion, we got up at 3am, drove an hour to Ali Al Salam (another base in Kuwait). We proceeded to sit in this “airport” for about 15+ hours. The reason for this long delay was the Air Force. We drove all the way out to our plane, only to find out that “their duty day was over”…meaning that the crew was done flying for the day…even though we had a scheduled flight. So we did not end up leaving Kuwait until after 2200 hours (10pm). The good news (sarcasm) is that we were able to fly in a C-130 (this is a 4 propeller cargo plane). This plane is not built for comfort as can be seen in the picture below:
What is hard to see is how tight it really is. You have to make a deal with the person sitting across from you on how to work your legs. Of course we have to be in full gear as we can take small arms fire while over Iraq. Notice the red straps on the left…these came down to form a very comfortable mesh seat for us…nice.
We finally arrived safely in Balad, Iraq with no problems. We slowly got settled into our new living quarters (I will discuss more below), met the soldiers that we are replacing and immediately got to work. The base that I am at used to be known as LSA (logistic support area) Anaconda, but is now more of an Air Force base so it is known as Joint Base Balad. It is one of the largest bases in Iraq, housing as many as 30,000 people! It is divided into East and West sections based on the runways. The base is affectionately known as “Mortaritaville” due to the high number of mortar and rocket attacks that it receives. In the past two weeks we have received numerous attacks, the sirens go off, and we get into bunkers…I think I have slept through a few…most of the time we never hear any impacts or detonations. I guess that they land on the other side of the base. Either way, we have lots of “things” here to keep us safe.
Let me show you how nice my room is…best accommodations I have had while in the Army. I have been a bit lucky as the Brigade that I am normally a part of and the soldiers that I deployed with to Afghanistan are all here on the same base…they have taken care of me and again “found” items for me to “set me up”.
Here is the inside of my room. Check out my desk and chair! I was told not to ask…so I do not ask. If I turn the camera just slightly to the left:
I have the Butler flag flying proudly in my room…thank you to everybody for signing it. When I find that I am having a hard time, all I have to do is read a few lines and it really “picks me up”. I appreciate it. Of course, I have my trusty new body armor close on its stand (another gift from the Brigade). The next picture I stepped up by my chair and essentially it is 180 degrees from the above picture.
I actually have a TV which has about 6-8 channels from the Armed Forces Network (AFN). These channels carry a variety of shows from ESPN to ABC etc. They switch and are varied. There are no commercials though…so the military makes its own commercials…I call them my daily download of brainwashing messages. I have a DVD player, a refrigerator and a microwave. I am living like a king now. The door to the room is just out of site to the right next to the big chair. I am good as long as a mortar does not come crashing through my ceiling.
If you walk out my door here is the view:
This is the back of our housing units. The concrete all makes a big bunker to protect us from indirect fire (mortars). If you go down my stairs there are more concrete bunkers inside the big housing bunker that we get into when the “Red Alert” sirens go off. This gives us some added protection. The reason that the picture is a bit grainy is that I took it during a huge sandstorm.
The first few days that we got here the temperature was Hot! There is a thermometer outside 1LT Welch’s room that read it as 120 degrees. Then we got a cold front that instead of bringing in thunderstorms it brought us a sandstorm. If you go down these stairs to the edge of the bunker and turn to your right about 120 degrees you get a view of our PX:
It may be hard to see in this picture, but the big white building is the PX (mini-Walmart type place). The white roof is actually a mortar protection structure build over it. The smaller brown building in front is actually a little food court. If you can see the three small signs on the building they are for “Cinnabon, Burger King, and Pizza Hut”
Here is the same picture during the dust storm:
The above picture was taken in the middle of the afternoon! It looks like fog, but it is literally sand and dirt. It gets in your hair, ears, mouth…pretty terrible.
I showed my room with the Butler flag, well I flew it over the base. Here is the Butler flag flying proudly over Balad:
On the bottom picture you can see all the signatures!
I wanted to take the remaining time with this letter to see if I can help make clear some of the geo-political issues here in Iraq. Below is a picture of Southwest Asia and the Middle East which includes the Arabian Peninsula between Africa and the Middle East (Persia).
First Balad is about 40-50 miles due north of Baghdad. There are two major factors at play in Iraq. The first is based on ancient geographic history. To the West (and including Iraq) the people are Arabs…being from the Arabian Peninsula. To the East is Iran, which is ancient Persia. These people are known as Persians (not Arabs). Iraq sits between these two populations and is the “crossroads” between them. The Arab influence is the red arrows coming in form Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and of course Saudi Arabia. The Persian influence comes from Iran. There are enough feelings over this Arab versus Persian that the Persian Gulf is often called the Arabian Gulf by some Arabs. Collectively this area is known as the Middle East (although technically Iraq and Iran are Southwest Asia). Afghanistan and Pakistan are actually part of Central Asia which has a large Asian influence and are thus not technically Arabs or Persians, but rather Asians. What makes this more complicated is the second feature which is Religion. The Arabs are traditionally Sunni. Most of the World’s Muslim population is Sunni ( ~90%), and the Persians are traditionally Shi’ite. In Iraq, the Sunni population is the majority and is mainly located in the central and western parts of the Country. The Shi’ites are found south of Baghdad. These two groups do not get along and essentially hate each other. The third group are the Kurds (tribal group), who are located to the North by Mosul.
What is the difference? Well, The Islam religion was founded by Mohammed in the seventh century. In 622 he founded the first Islamic state, a theocracy in Medina, a city in western Saudi Arabia located north of Mecca. The hatred between Sunnis and Muslims goes back to 632 CE and the death of Prophet Mohammad. The most critical issue following Mohammed’s death was his succession. The forbearers of the Sunnis followed the tribal tradition of having a council of elders select as the head of the Islamic community the individual most qualified to lead. The forbearers of the Shiites on the other hand believed that Mohammad’s heirs should rule the Islamic community. The conflict came to a head in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE when the Sunnis forbearers massacred the prophet’s grandson Husayn and his followers. Gleefully, the victors carried Husayn’s head to Damascus and paraded it there. This is why for the next thirteen hundred years, there has been hatred and recurring warfare between these two sects within Islam who differ radically in their religious practices.
One can begin to see that many of the foreign fighters here have alternate agendas rather than just “anti-US”. In the Shi’ite South is a city known as Najaf, it houses the Imam Ali mosque and is considered to be the third holiest Muslim site in the World especially to the Shi’ites. Muqtada al-sadr is a Shi’ite cleric in Najaf and was a source of one of the largest resistance forces in Iraq. There is obvious tension between his Army and the new Iraq Sunni Government. Iran obviously supports Al-sadr and wants to “be a good neighbor” and build a highway to Najaf for all the Persians (Iranians, Shi’ites) to be able to get to Najaf…of course this would flood the Iraq with the Shi’ite influence and help push its “beliefs” west. The Sunni’s do not want this for obvious reasons. This may just give you a hint at some of Iran’s motivations (remember that the some of the more extreme Shi’ites want a return of the Caliphate).
Many people want the US to just leave Iraq. If we just leave, there will be a huge power vacuum and all the “arrows” will flood into Iraq…there would be a civil war between the Sunni (Arabs) and Shi’ites (Persian) with the winner gaining control of Iraq and the influence at the “crossroads”. This is why Syria and Iran have both been very interested in getting the US out as each side thinks it will gain the upper hand. The other exit strategy is to carve the country into three pieces…Sunni, Shi’a, and Kurd….the problem is that you have two religious groups and one tribal group. Also the Sunni area is mostly desert. Not so sure the other two groups would go out of their way to help the Sunni state survive (Saddam was a Sunni). The bottom line is that there really is not a good solution. The US is trying to help Iraq become strong enough with all the groups to prevent the impending civil war.
I think that I have given enough of a liberal arts lecture here, please know that this is very simplified and how I best understand the situation. Finally, I wanted to include some nice emails that I have received recently for my “shout out section”. It is essentially a prayer that was shared with me by my friend Alex Ansara, which in turn, I wanted to share with you. It is essentially two prayers. The first is a prayer that he says daily…not a bad idea:
"Look at your life. You can walk. You can talk. You can hear, see, taste, and touch. You have your family, you have great friends, a good job, a place to live, food to eat, clothes, a car, TV, internet, and the joy of music. Most importantly, as if all that isn't enough, you're healthy and you have God in your life. What the heck are you upset about???"
The second prayer:
DEAR GOD: I want to thank you for what you have already done. I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves; I am going to thank you right now. I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet; I am going to thank you right now. I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job; I am going to thank you right now. I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief; I am thanking you right now. I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed; I am thanking you right now. I am thanking you because I am alive. I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties. I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles. I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better. I'm thanking you because; YOU haven't given up on me.
Thank you again to everybody who continues to support my family, and me. I miss all of you. I almost forgot to give you my address:
CPT Mike Roscoe
Phipps TMC / 215th ASMC
APO AE 09391
Finally, never forget our soldiers, their families, and all those who serve. Never forget that we live in the greatest country on Earth. Never forget all our blessings. Please remember to vote…does not matter which side of the fence you are on, just don’t sit on it! To my PA students…keep working hard!
CPT Mike Roscoe
1 comment:
You Can't Tell a Vet Just by Looking
He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia, sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carrier didn't run out of fuel. He is the barroom loudmouth whose behavior is outweighed in the cosmic scales by four hours of unparalleled bravery near the 38th Parallel in Korea. She is the nurse who fought against futility in Da Nang and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years. He is the POW who left one person and came back another. She is the drill instructor who has never been in combat, but has saved countless lives by turning no-accounts into Marines. He is the parade-riding legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand. He is the white-haired guy bagging groceries at the supermarket, aggravatingly slow, who helped liberate a Nazi death camp. He is the very missed professor of the Butler PA program who is not seen in his office this semester. A vet is an ordinary and extraordinary human being — those who offered their life's vital years in the service of their country.
They are soldiers and saviors and swords against the darkness, and nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known. We will never be able to repay the debt of gratitude we owe.
—Author Unknown—
Professor Roscoe, we are constantly thinking of you and on this Veteran's Day, I want to thank you for all that you do to protect us! I apreciate your dedication to serving our country as well as our school.
I took the liberty to add a line to the post above.
Take care,
Shawn B
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