Iraqi Veteran's/Memorial Day
Wow:
Iraqi had their "Sovereignty Day" on the first day of Jan 2009. We gave them back the Palace "Republican Palace" (and there are a couple more names I'm sure). We also gave them control of all the outlying security checkpoints 'around' the Green Zone AKA the International Zone (IZ).
Iraqi 'snap' checkpoints are popping up all over the place at night.
Soooo...Riddle me this Batman:
Why put out a checkpoint where: 1. Your GUYS don't speak ENGLISH.
2. Your guys don't READ English (Reallllly tough to read a badge that's printed in ENGLISH).
3. Your guys have no Chemlights (helpful after dark [4:30 PM] to SEE where your guys are standing (How about reflective vests).
4 No barrier material: Traffic cones, barbed wire, couple of VEHICLES maybe.
And on the other side of the coin:
What do we do? (No 'briefing', no Info, NO 5 'W's).
So common sense (former military guy brainstorm) Try THIS:
Approach checkpoint SLOWLY... (really don't want to SURPRISE any Iraqi soldier standing on the side of the road at NIGHT with no: flashlight, chemlight, reflective vest, warning triangle...)etc.
So far we have seen (on our way back to our compound) Iraqi checkpoints consisting of:
A military vehicle backed up to a curb, with two guys inside the vehicle smoking with the overhead light on. (O.K. So we'll give them the fact that it was reallly COLD out that night).
Next night, a little farther down the road (from the previous evening's 'watchpoint', NOT CHECK point), an Iraqi soldier with a little Petzl headlamp using it as a flashlight. He indicated us to 'stop' by pointing with the flashlight down to a place on the road.
We stopped, we dropped our lights, thurned on OUR overhead light and showed him our badges.
"American?" he inquired.
"Yes, we are." He put the flashlight beam on the windshield of the car and then indicated which direction we should depart.
Another night, we come down the main road and there are two Iraqi Army vehicles parked facing into the center of the lane. Any vehicle coming down the street would have to stop and then weave in between the two vehicles into order to continue down the road.
Another soldier walks up to our vehicle and gestures to us to stop, we turn on the interior light and show our badges (we are VERY well trained at this, because we are IN the IZ).
He comes to the window and checks our badges and yells up to the next vehicle "AMERIKIs".
They pack up the two vehicles the Iraqi guy keeps us right where we are until the second vehicles pulls across in front of us, he waves at us and jumps in the back of HIS vehicle and the two vehicles roar off into the night.
"O.K. THAT was weird." The driver looks at me and says.
"No, it's not Weird, it's just DIFFERENT. We ARE in Iraq." I respond.
"So what the hell was that?"
Maybe there was a certain time they had to do this, then they were done...
Maybe it was dinner time and they just up and left.
MAYBE they had a certain QUOTA of Amer-ikis to check out and we were like "No. 15", so they could go HOME for the night.
Or Maybe... they were just got cold and bored and decided to pack it in.
"It's Not WEIRD, it's IRAQ...."
SO f'in TRUE around here.
Till next time:
"What the HELL was THAT?"
I dunno, might have been a 'Time-Release' CheckPoint.... lol
More soon....
Maybe about the Big Parade....
RJ Sends
Commuting around the IZ in an UpArmored 'Burban.
Iraqi had their "Sovereignty Day" on the first day of Jan 2009. We gave them back the Palace "Republican Palace" (and there are a couple more names I'm sure). We also gave them control of all the outlying security checkpoints 'around' the Green Zone AKA the International Zone (IZ).
Iraqi 'snap' checkpoints are popping up all over the place at night.
Soooo...Riddle me this Batman:
Why put out a checkpoint where: 1. Your GUYS don't speak ENGLISH.
2. Your guys don't READ English (Reallllly tough to read a badge that's printed in ENGLISH).
3. Your guys have no Chemlights (helpful after dark [4:30 PM] to SEE where your guys are standing (How about reflective vests).
4 No barrier material: Traffic cones, barbed wire, couple of VEHICLES maybe.
And on the other side of the coin:
What do we do? (No 'briefing', no Info, NO 5 'W's).
So common sense (former military guy brainstorm) Try THIS:
Approach checkpoint SLOWLY... (really don't want to SURPRISE any Iraqi soldier standing on the side of the road at NIGHT with no: flashlight, chemlight, reflective vest, warning triangle...)etc.
So far we have seen (on our way back to our compound) Iraqi checkpoints consisting of:
A military vehicle backed up to a curb, with two guys inside the vehicle smoking with the overhead light on. (O.K. So we'll give them the fact that it was reallly COLD out that night).
Next night, a little farther down the road (from the previous evening's 'watchpoint', NOT CHECK point), an Iraqi soldier with a little Petzl headlamp using it as a flashlight. He indicated us to 'stop' by pointing with the flashlight down to a place on the road.
We stopped, we dropped our lights, thurned on OUR overhead light and showed him our badges.
"American?" he inquired.
"Yes, we are." He put the flashlight beam on the windshield of the car and then indicated which direction we should depart.
Another night, we come down the main road and there are two Iraqi Army vehicles parked facing into the center of the lane. Any vehicle coming down the street would have to stop and then weave in between the two vehicles into order to continue down the road.
Another soldier walks up to our vehicle and gestures to us to stop, we turn on the interior light and show our badges (we are VERY well trained at this, because we are IN the IZ).
He comes to the window and checks our badges and yells up to the next vehicle "AMERIKIs".
They pack up the two vehicles the Iraqi guy keeps us right where we are until the second vehicles pulls across in front of us, he waves at us and jumps in the back of HIS vehicle and the two vehicles roar off into the night.
"O.K. THAT was weird." The driver looks at me and says.
"No, it's not Weird, it's just DIFFERENT. We ARE in Iraq." I respond.
"So what the hell was that?"
Maybe there was a certain time they had to do this, then they were done...
Maybe it was dinner time and they just up and left.
MAYBE they had a certain QUOTA of Amer-ikis to check out and we were like "No. 15", so they could go HOME for the night.
Or Maybe... they were just got cold and bored and decided to pack it in.
"It's Not WEIRD, it's IRAQ...."
SO f'in TRUE around here.
Till next time:
"What the HELL was THAT?"
I dunno, might have been a 'Time-Release' CheckPoint.... lol
More soon....
Maybe about the Big Parade....
RJ Sends
Commuting around the IZ in an UpArmored 'Burban.