An Iraqi Motorhead
Been at a bit of a loss for words lately. Things have been interesting, weather’s cooling down, and it’s seeming more like October in NY. There’s been some activity in the city, helicopters crashing and people getting killed, but for the most part it was nothing more than muffled noises in the distance for me. Out of concern for operational security and to abide by the instructions given to me regarding opsec, I haven’t mentioned current/local events. Fortunately, someone else has taken care of all the security breaches for me. I’m here, I’ve been here, and here, as well as some other places. Baghdad, for 3 hours. Got the obligatory picture of me in front of Saddam Int’l Airport, then took off.
There are stories I’d like to share here, but it just wouldn’t be a good idea. I’d like to write more about the Iraqi contractor who built my new Contractor Liason Office, but not till later. I can say I should take back any bad thing I said about Iraqi construction, because this contractor and his crew were rather impressive. I managed to finally start understanding Arabic pronunciations, and even know some phrases now. “Muhandis Mikiniki” - mechanical engineer. So now I can quickly explain to Iraqis that despite what they may think from my butchered speech and heavy reliance on a phrasebook, I do, in fact, have some degree of education.
The contractor and I got into a discussion when I was reading on of the car magazines my dad had sent as I sat near the jobsite. Turns out he’s his own mechanic as well, with a preference for large BMW’s and Chevy trucks. With pictures, my phrasebook, and his limited English we worked our way through a good conversation on cars. I pulled out a 4x4 mag I had brought with me, and he went through it in amazement. I guess 44” mud tires aren’t too common here.
Aside from motorhead talk, I also had the beginnings of a political discussion with this guy. His broken English and my broken Arabic made for pretty slow conversation, but I did manage to gather that his main problem has been rampant crime in Mosul. “Ali Baba” - the phrase for thief, or criminal in general. He also made me realize the degree to which organized crime can develop when assisted by Arab concepts of kinship and extended family. It goes beyond relatives and becomes tribal - his description of the current local government was “chief ali-babas”. He went even farther on Ahmed Chalabi, who he called “big ali-baba”.
The other amusing thing was how we managed to communicate the concept of “socialism”. My Iraqi friend pantomimed removing my notepad, pens, leatherman etc, from my pockets and throwing them around on the ground. I wouldn’t say he was pro-american, though. I can’t blame him. I don’t really like the army either. We talked a good deal about differences between Iraq and the US, and my key point is “Army is not America”. The last thing I wanted him to think was that the Army’s way of doing business was how the rest of American companies worked. Besides, if he gets too comfortable working these Army contracts, he’s never going to be competitive in the real world. Easiest way to explain the situation with broken English: “Army Strong! But Army Dumb”. It’s quite true, and easily pantomimed.