The Iraq/U.S pact

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Thousands of followers of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr took to the streets on Saturday in a demonstration against a pact that would allow U.S. forces to stay in Iraq for three more years. Read more here.

Sweet. So i guess i have a deployment or two guaranteed in the next 3 years. In case you don’t know who Muqtada al-sadr is, he’s been one of the biggest thorns in America’s side ever since Saddam’s execution. A theologian, political leader and commander of the militia army the Mahdi Army, he commands a great deal of influence in Iraq despite not holding an official seat in the Iraqi government. He envisions a Shi‘a-dominated government and many Iraqis respect his vision because they see in him a symbol of resistance to foreign occupation even though he is widely known to be a puppet for Iran in achieving political influence in the country.

Though the pact guarantees a definite withdrawal of U.S troops by the end of 2011, there are controversial stipulations alluding to American service members who commited serious crimes against Iraqis whilst off duty, that they be tried by Iraqi courts. I can already see stiff opposition coming from servicemembers, myself included, against this particular accord. Hell if it were one of my guys being faced with the possibility of being tried by an Iraqi court, i’d do whatever it would take to prevent that regardless of the nature of his crime. Yes, what he did was wrong but i’d rather he be tried by a military court martial under UCMJ than be subject to prosecution by Iraqis. Though the accord doesn’t state that the soldier on trial, if found guilty of his crimes, would spend time in an Iraqi prison, it’s the principle that matters. As an American, i steadfastly refuse to recognize any Iraqi that would try to pass judgement on me. Likewise to Afghanis. Fuck that shit! Why don’t they fly cockmaster Bush out here and see how much he would like being judged by a people that have always been an enemy to the red, white and blue. We’ve sacrificed enough in waging an illegitimate war, in a country that would rather rot under her own corruption and foul governance than take steps to significantly improving herself. The least our government could do is give these servicemembers the benefit of being tried by Americans.

I digress.

- Jay

October 19, 2008 | Filed Under Army, Iraq | Leave a Comment 

I see you

Silly insurgents! You should know better than to try to shadily record the movements of American convoys to and from the FOB. We are watching you watching us mofos. lol. These fuckers never learn. I guess they don’t realize that we can do a little counter surveillance of our own. And maybe a little car tailing… from the air. lol It’ll be soon time to send some more sorry wannabe jihadists to meet the mighty Allah. Sorry bro, but there’ll be no virgins waiting for you in my paradise. Just a whole lot of hurt and a shit ton of disgrace served compliments of the U.S infantry.

So i’m steadily running out of cowboy killas again. I’m down to my last carton of Reds as of yesternight. I certainly hope my next care package gets here soon cos I could definitely use with a much needed replenishment of my cigarette stock. I don’t think i smoke alot. I mean, i only smoke a half pack a day so that’s nothing compared to these other guys that smoke a whole pack on a four hour guard shift. But then again, unlike my Joes, i don’t spend 4 mindless hours on the guard tower or at a sniper’s nest with nothing better to do than scan the surrounding area for suspicious activity and puff on cancer sticks. I think if i was pulled off SOG duty and made to pull guard, maybe i too would be going through a pack or two a day. Fuck it. What do i care? I can still run a 12 minute, 2 mile pace pretty easy. Yes i do PT in the desert. It builds character.

It never ceases to amaze me just how much fun bored soldiers can get into especially out in the middle of the desert. I wish i could record some of the everyday conversations we have out here. The shit we talk about is enough to drop a whore down on her knees in… no not that position… but in prayer. lol. Any combat tested Grunt can atest to this. You get bored enough, you start thinking WAYYYY outside the box about the most random, retarded, gruesome, racial, sexual, disgusting thing that your mind can imagine. Group a bunch of similarly bored, like-minded, alcohol abstained, Grunts together and you get a reflection of a sinner’s hell on earth complete with hellfire-esque heat and no cable tv. If only you could hear our convo now. And to think we’re doing all this sober. lol

- Jay

October 16, 2008 | Filed Under Army, Iraq, Life | Leave a Comment 

A tragic case of friendly fire

The following is recently released frontline footage taken from the helmet cam of SFC. Jack Robison which shows what really happened Dec. 4 2006 in Ramadi, Iraq where 2 soldiers (PFC. Albert Nelson and PFC. Roger Suarez-Gonzalez) both with 2nd Platoon, D Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division were killed when they were fired upon by U.S tanks in a horrific case of friendly fire. The video shown (a 12 minute edited version) begins immediately before the shell’s impact. It records the explosion, the effort to help the wounded (in bloody detail) and long patches of conversation in which the soldiers present describe how they were shot at by an American tank. The incident was apparently covered up by the military citing that an enemy mortar attack had instead killed the 2 soldiers. More on the coverup here. Warning: Contains graphic violence and profanity.

It is very unfortunate that friendly fire is an inevitable consequence of warfare. RIP to all that have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of this nation.

-Jay

October 14, 2008 | Filed Under Army | Leave a Comment 

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