November 15, 2008
Balad, Iraq
Everyone:
I hope this letter finds everyone well. Sorry that this posting is a bit late but I have been swamped with my clinical duties, teaching, and trying to finish my PhD. There is a ton of topics that I wanted to cover in this letter.
I have received numerous questions regarding the reaction from the troops and Iraq regarding the election. The troop reaction is probably exactly the same as it is in the United States in that we are nothing more than a cross-section of the general population. There are those that are ecstatic and those that were upset…and every shade in-between. If you noticed during the election there were no “reactions” in the new from soldiers. There were no cameras or media allowed on our bases in Iraq. The real reason is that the head of the military is the President, and it is punishable by UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) to openly speak out against the President, President-Elect or any other public servant. We can also get in trouble for openly supporting a candidate while in uniform or on active duty. Since we are deployed soldiers, we are always on active duty with no down time. I would say that I am cautiously optimistic with a new President, but I think that people should be realistic in what he will be able to accomplish once he enters office. I have also spoken to several Iraqis here at the base. Most of the Iraqis here are Kurds and Chaldeans (very pro-US) which leads me to my next section.
In my last letter I discussed some background on the Sunni and Shi’ites. I actually did have an error that I need to correct. I erroneously mentioned that Iraq had a Sunni majority; it actually has a Shia (Shi’ite) Majority. If you recall from the last letter these are the two main Muslin religious factions that had influence form the Arab (Sunni) peninsula, and from Persia (Shi’ite). Anyway, if you were to put this into a percentage, Iraqi is about 60% Shi’ite and 40% Sunni…so it really is a crossroad (or battle ground) for these two religious sects. In simple terms, neither of these two groups particularly likes the United States. Almost all the insurgents are from these two groups. The other two groups that I wanted to discuss are the Kurds and the Chaldeans.
The Kurds are a nomadic tribal people that had a large area under the Ottoman Empire that extended into Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. The area is often known as Kurdistan (although this is often now only means the area in Northern Iraq – Iraqi Kurdistan). They compose about 17% of the population in Iraq and are mostly Muslim. They associate themselves more with their tribe then their religion. During the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, the Kurds supported Iran, and Saddam Hussein retaliated and implemented anti-Kurdish policies and committed mass murder of hundreds of thousands of civilian and wholesale destruction of thousands of villages. (He often used chemical weapons (WMD) to complete the task…so yes they were here).
The second minority group that I want to discuss is the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans trace their heritage all the way back to around 500 B.C. and King Nebuchadnezzar II. In this time period Chaldea was a kingdom/territory. King Nebuchadnezzar conquered the Phoenicians (Syrian population) and territory of Judah (Semitic population). In keeping practice with the time he brought the King of Judah and forced a large part of the Jewish population (estimates of more than 10,000 people) to relocate to what is now North Central and Northern Iraq. On an aside King Nebuchadnezzar rebuild the city of Babylon to be the most impressive city of the day and included the Hanging Gardens of Babylon which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Nebuchadnezzar also rebuilt the great temple-tower or ziggurat, the Biblical "Tower of Babel," ….what does this history lesson have to do with Modern Iraq? …well we are getting there.
In the first century A.D. Saint Thomas the Apostle brought Christianity (Catholicism) to the Chaldeans. This Christian population was East of Rome and was then part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Byzantines (Christian empire in the East) were in constant conflict with the Persians and also broke ties with the Universal Church (Roman Catholic). In 634 A.D. Muhammad conquered the entire region and brought it under Islamic rule. In the 16th century portions of the Christian population re-established ties to the Church of Rome. From this date forward those Christians in union with Rome were known as Chaldeans and the remaining Christians were known as Assyrians. Here it all is in simple terms: Chaldeans are the largest Christian population in Iraq. There are about 650,000 Catholics (Chaldeans) and about 200,000 other Christians Assyrian, Nestorian, Armenians, etc). Now, do you remember about King Nebuchadnezzar…he brought a large contingent of Semitic population to Chaldea. These Christians have maintained some of the original B.C. culture (Semitic) and actually have their own language that has a Hebrew base. We talk about this area as the cradle of life (between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers), well the Chaldeans have ties to all three major religions in the world. To say that they are persecuted by the Muslims in this part of the world is an understatement (Christian and with a Semitic heritage).
What do you think the response from the few Iraqi that I have talked to are? I have talked with two groups of Iraqis that have been heavily persecuted in the past. They are terrified that the United States is going to leave Iraq. I mentioned to a Chaldean that it was a shame that there would probably be a civil war between the Sunni and Shia when the United States left. He merely stated “good”. He said that with the US here the Muslims here have retaliated against the Chaldeans because they are easier to “pick on” then the armed Christians (US military). See the United States looks at this as a geo-political struggle. Many Iraqi’s view this as a religious “thing” almost more than a political thing. Of course the Sunni and Shia just as soon have us gone tomorrow so they can get on with fighting each other. They are happy with the prospect of the new President sending US troops home.
On election day we were received a mortar and rocket attack and had an IED at our gate…more attacks in one night then the entire week prior. However, since Obama won, we have not received any attacks. I guess they figure that they have won in a way in that the US is going to now start moving soldiers out of the cities and back to the big bases and finally out of Iraq. I guess we will find out if the overall attacks decline.
I think that is enough of the historical background. The weather has certainly changed here. It is now only in the mid 80’s during the day and gets in to low 60’s high 50’s at night. We also had a torrential rain storm and it flooded our living area. The water was so deep it was above our ankles.
Balad, Iraq
Everyone:
I hope this letter finds everyone well. Sorry that this posting is a bit late but I have been swamped with my clinical duties, teaching, and trying to finish my PhD. There is a ton of topics that I wanted to cover in this letter.
I have received numerous questions regarding the reaction from the troops and Iraq regarding the election. The troop reaction is probably exactly the same as it is in the United States in that we are nothing more than a cross-section of the general population. There are those that are ecstatic and those that were upset…and every shade in-between. If you noticed during the election there were no “reactions” in the new from soldiers. There were no cameras or media allowed on our bases in Iraq. The real reason is that the head of the military is the President, and it is punishable by UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) to openly speak out against the President, President-Elect or any other public servant. We can also get in trouble for openly supporting a candidate while in uniform or on active duty. Since we are deployed soldiers, we are always on active duty with no down time. I would say that I am cautiously optimistic with a new President, but I think that people should be realistic in what he will be able to accomplish once he enters office. I have also spoken to several Iraqis here at the base. Most of the Iraqis here are Kurds and Chaldeans (very pro-US) which leads me to my next section.
In my last letter I discussed some background on the Sunni and Shi’ites. I actually did have an error that I need to correct. I erroneously mentioned that Iraq had a Sunni majority; it actually has a Shia (Shi’ite) Majority. If you recall from the last letter these are the two main Muslin religious factions that had influence form the Arab (Sunni) peninsula, and from Persia (Shi’ite). Anyway, if you were to put this into a percentage, Iraqi is about 60% Shi’ite and 40% Sunni…so it really is a crossroad (or battle ground) for these two religious sects. In simple terms, neither of these two groups particularly likes the United States. Almost all the insurgents are from these two groups. The other two groups that I wanted to discuss are the Kurds and the Chaldeans.
The Kurds are a nomadic tribal people that had a large area under the Ottoman Empire that extended into Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. The area is often known as Kurdistan (although this is often now only means the area in Northern Iraq – Iraqi Kurdistan). They compose about 17% of the population in Iraq and are mostly Muslim. They associate themselves more with their tribe then their religion. During the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, the Kurds supported Iran, and Saddam Hussein retaliated and implemented anti-Kurdish policies and committed mass murder of hundreds of thousands of civilian and wholesale destruction of thousands of villages. (He often used chemical weapons (WMD) to complete the task…so yes they were here).
The second minority group that I want to discuss is the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans trace their heritage all the way back to around 500 B.C. and King Nebuchadnezzar II. In this time period Chaldea was a kingdom/territory. King Nebuchadnezzar conquered the Phoenicians (Syrian population) and territory of Judah (Semitic population). In keeping practice with the time he brought the King of Judah and forced a large part of the Jewish population (estimates of more than 10,000 people) to relocate to what is now North Central and Northern Iraq. On an aside King Nebuchadnezzar rebuild the city of Babylon to be the most impressive city of the day and included the Hanging Gardens of Babylon which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Nebuchadnezzar also rebuilt the great temple-tower or ziggurat, the Biblical "Tower of Babel," ….what does this history lesson have to do with Modern Iraq? …well we are getting there.
In the first century A.D. Saint Thomas the Apostle brought Christianity (Catholicism) to the Chaldeans. This Christian population was East of Rome and was then part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Byzantines (Christian empire in the East) were in constant conflict with the Persians and also broke ties with the Universal Church (Roman Catholic). In 634 A.D. Muhammad conquered the entire region and brought it under Islamic rule. In the 16th century portions of the Christian population re-established ties to the Church of Rome. From this date forward those Christians in union with Rome were known as Chaldeans and the remaining Christians were known as Assyrians. Here it all is in simple terms: Chaldeans are the largest Christian population in Iraq. There are about 650,000 Catholics (Chaldeans) and about 200,000 other Christians Assyrian, Nestorian, Armenians, etc). Now, do you remember about King Nebuchadnezzar…he brought a large contingent of Semitic population to Chaldea. These Christians have maintained some of the original B.C. culture (Semitic) and actually have their own language that has a Hebrew base. We talk about this area as the cradle of life (between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers), well the Chaldeans have ties to all three major religions in the world. To say that they are persecuted by the Muslims in this part of the world is an understatement (Christian and with a Semitic heritage).
What do you think the response from the few Iraqi that I have talked to are? I have talked with two groups of Iraqis that have been heavily persecuted in the past. They are terrified that the United States is going to leave Iraq. I mentioned to a Chaldean that it was a shame that there would probably be a civil war between the Sunni and Shia when the United States left. He merely stated “good”. He said that with the US here the Muslims here have retaliated against the Chaldeans because they are easier to “pick on” then the armed Christians (US military). See the United States looks at this as a geo-political struggle. Many Iraqi’s view this as a religious “thing” almost more than a political thing. Of course the Sunni and Shia just as soon have us gone tomorrow so they can get on with fighting each other. They are happy with the prospect of the new President sending US troops home.
On election day we were received a mortar and rocket attack and had an IED at our gate…more attacks in one night then the entire week prior. However, since Obama won, we have not received any attacks. I guess they figure that they have won in a way in that the US is going to now start moving soldiers out of the cities and back to the big bases and finally out of Iraq. I guess we will find out if the overall attacks decline.
I think that is enough of the historical background. The weather has certainly changed here. It is now only in the mid 80’s during the day and gets in to low 60’s high 50’s at night. We also had a torrential rain storm and it flooded our living area. The water was so deep it was above our ankles.
This is a view from my door looking down into all our bunkers. I tried to put out a wooden pallet down at the base of my stairs so I could hop to the area on the right between the bunkers and then try to walk through the bunker to get to the clinic. The problem was that the water was so deep the pallet kept floating away. Here is another view with me standing just past the bunker in front of you at the bottom of the stairs looking left.
I think I saw a Venetian gondola go by. Each of the openings in the bunker goes to a housing unit like mine. There really was no way around the water to get to the clinic so most of us just put on chemical boots and waded through the water, trying not to cause any waves as it was almost to the top of the boots.
I took a trip to our perimeter to see what it looked like. Here is a picture of what it looks like through our perimeter fence.
It is true then that Army = plant death. Outside our perimeter is pretty lush. This is a palm tree grove. It is really pretty…it is a lot different from my experiences in Afghanistan. Here is another picture that I found interesting.
This picture is of a home just outside our perimeter. Look at all the satellite dishes. Just to the right of this picture is a herd of cattle.
One of the traditions that have developed for military is the painting of a bunker wall when a unit is leaving. Some of you have been aware that the headquarters of the 76th Brigade Combat Team, which is all Indiana National Guard, was here at this base. I am the commander of the medical company for this brigade. Anyway here is there wall; it really is an amazing piece of artwork. Understand that this was painted with crappy brushes, bad paint on a dirty bunker wall.
Each one of the crest on the right is one of the Battalions in the brigade. I am actually part of the 113th SPT BN which is the fourth one down (has the cross on it). They will almost all be home by the time you read this letter.
My last talking point is about the Air Force. They are a bit of a challenge to work with as they have different rules and protocols then all the other branches of service. They are a bit pompous. Let me give you an example…we were going to the chow hall. 1LT McFarland (Butler PA grad) just got back from the gym and did not have his weapon on him. He was not allowed to enter the chow hall because of this (we do not have to kill our foot first…just protocol), anyway right after him were three Air Force soldiers no weapons at all…they get to go in without problems. In fact the Air Force does not carry weapons on the base at all! Army, Marines always have to have ours with us. They also have areas where only Air Force go and Army is not really that welcome including gates. Additionally, getting them to assist the Army on the post for some task is like pulling teeth. Anyway, I think they are just mad that they were originally the Army Air Corps. Here is a comic strip that pretty much sums up the differences between Army and Air Force (thanks Matt):
Well, thank you for all the notes on Veterans Day. I am proud of my service, I am proud of our military, I am especially proud of all the support given to our soldiers. Given Veterans Day and the upcoming holidays:
Support our troops and their families. Every Thanksgiving and religious holiday that you enjoy with family and friends, please remember that there are literally thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen far from home wishing they could be with their families. Thank God for our military and the sacrifices they make every day.
'It's the Veteran, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the press.''It's the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech.''It's the Veteran, not the campus organizer, who gives us the freedom to demonstrate.''It's the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.'
I think that pretty much sums up my views. Thank you everyone, NEVER FORGET. Thanks for the packages; I have shared most with the soldiers here. I am proud of my wife who is managing a house and essentially being a working single mother of four kids under the age of 12. YOU ROCK! She just recently accepted a new position at Butler University. She will be leaving Advancement and moving to the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. It was really hard for her (and me) as Advancement has been so kind and generous to us. This move however should be better for her and our family. It is just so hard to make changes sometimes. I will close this letter, please continue to pray for my family, and all the soldiers, especially as we enter the Holiday season, which tends to be rough on everybody.
Love you all!
CPT Roscoe
