Live Fire with Chuck Holton

I wrote this article two weeks ago while I was in South Baghdad. Because it went out on a weekend, it didn’t get posted either on CBNNews.com or the Baghdad Prayer Patrol. So I decided to publish it here instead.

Arab Jabour, Iraq

12 miles south of Baghdad

They call it simply “building 1006.” It’s a simple, mud-brick compound with two houses and a couple of outbuildings. But like most of the homes in this area, it’s been abandoned by its owners – driven out by Al Qaeda over a year earlier. A few cans of food are still in the cupboards, and a cheap plastic photograph of the sydney opera house adorns the wall of the living room next to a drawing of the Kaa’ba in Mecca. In the hall, another photo is hung in a wooden frame – The New York skyline, including the twin towers. Looking at them, I wonder if the iraqis who lived on this small farm hung the print before or after 9/11, and if they were ever struck by the irony of that photo in the years since.

The wide waterway in front of this house has been dubbed “Chevy canal” by the U.S. military. Part of the strategy that General Petraeus put in place to secure baghdad was to stop the flow of explosives into the city. Intelligence showed that the road along this canal was a major avenue for AQ operatives, who were building Vehicle Borne IED’s (VBIED’s) in these villages around Arab Jabour and then driving them into Baghdad to kill and maim.

In 2005, America was struggling to get its head around how to combat these terrorists. Our troops were sequestered on large Forward Operating Bases around the country, from which patrols were sent daily to try and hunt down the enemy. But commuting to work in Iraq is a very dangerous proposition – as evidenced by the casualty figures: 65% of combat deaths here have been due to IED’s. Another problem was holding ground. The insurgents couldn’t win a direct fight with our forces, but they didn’t have to. When we rolled into a neighborhood, they would dress up like women and leave the area, (I’ve seen videos of this shot from UAV’s) only to return once our guys went back to the FOB.

The new strategy is to get away from the big base concept and have our troops living on smaller, more distributed patrol bases located in troubled neighborhoods. Our continued presence has made all the difference.

Building 1006 won’t be manned by U.S. forces, however. It’s part of the next phase of U.S. strategy: checkpoints and bases manned solely by Iraqis. And giving them ownership seems to be working…after U.S . troops took over this area a couple days ago, the concerned citizens came in to help build the checkpoint where they’d be living. I watched as 3rd ID soldiers and Iraqis formed a human chain to offload sandbags from a truck – it was a perfect picture of how Americans are handing Iraq back to its citizens.

My big question was whether or not these men would really take ownership or if they’d only stay as long as the Americans were footing the bill and doing the fighting. After all, I’d watched some of these ‘concerned citizens’ show up and report that an AQI member was hiding out in a house nearby. The American soldiers then asked, “Well, there are twenty of you…and only one of him. Why don’t you go get him and bring him in?” The Iraqis seemed hesitant. Finally, I cornered one of them and asked him point blank: “Why aren’t you willing to go after these guys yourselves?”

To the iraqi, the answer was simple: “We feel like we need to ask permission first.” Also, the U.S. does not supply weapons or ammunition to these men – they have to buy it themselves. Many of them can only afford a few precious rounds of ammo. Their attitude seems to be, why fight when our American “big brothers” are here to do it?

Changing this attitude is a fresh challenge for our forces. The Iraqis see our soldiers as supermen…and in a lot of ways, they are. Our vast wealth, space-age technology and armor-clad soldiers seem mind-bogglingly advanced to these sandal-clad farmers sons. Why wouldn’t they want us to take care of business when we’re obviously so good at it?

The question remains whether or not these “concerned local citizens” will stand up for themselves once we leave. But one thing I witnessed makes me think they will.

After building 1006 was secured and lookout bunkers had been constructed on the roof, a young man showed up with a large Iraqi flag on a pole. The rest of the men got very excited discussing how and where it should be flown over their new outpost. In the end, a young man rolled the flag up, took off his shoes, and gripping the flag in his teeth, shinnied up a disused light pole to secure the flag atop it, to the cheers of the Americans and Iraqis alike.

After seeing that, I decided that these men were ready, at least in spirit, to defend their neighborhood, and their country, with or without our help. How long it will take to bring this idea to fruition is another question entirely.

The night before I left Iraq, I had the privilege of attending a mass reenlistment ceremony at the Al Faw palace here in Baghdad. Some 267 soldiers raised their right hands and pledged anew to “support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, so help me God.” This is the kind of news that major media outlets won’t tell you about – the fact that U.S. troops in the combat zone are reenlisting at an astounding rate. And it’s not that they aren’t getting the story – at the same reenlistment ceremony there were reporters from CNN, the LA Times, and several other outlets. But as I keep mentioning – they seemed intent on finding something negative. One reporter commented before the ceremony, “It’s obvious most of them are only doing this for the big cash bonus.”

Really? The average reenlistment bonus being given that night was, according to 3^rd ID commander Major General Rick Lynch, about $30,000. That’s typically doled out over a five-year enlistment period, which comes to $6,000 per year. Since most of the men and women re-upping that night were non-commissioned officers, that puts their annual salary at an average of $36,000 a year. These are, by and large, incredibly hard working, talented and educated people. Couple that with the discipline, responsibility and “can-do” attitude the army instills and it would be hard to argue that any one of them couldn’t earn more in the civilian world than they do in the military. Not to mention that any civilian job probably wouldn’t require them to spend years away from their loved ones, facing the daily prospect of violent death by bullets, IED’s or indirect fire—no small benefit.

So why do they do it, then? I asked them that over and over for an hour before they stood and repeated after the secretary of the Army, General William Casey, and swore their allegiance once again to give their lives, if necessary, in the defense of our country. From the dozen or so soldiers that I interviewed, the most common answer was simply, “because I love it.” Others spoke of a sense how the army has changed them – helped them become better people. One sergeant from New Hampshire said “The leaders I’ve had during my service have changed my life, and I feel I owe them a debt of gratitude.”

Still others spoke of the sense of accomplishment they get from their work, and the sense that they get to own a piece of history by taking part in building a stable democracy in Iraq. One husband and wife I interviewed were reenlisting together – they have no children and so far have been able to be stationed together. And since there’s not much to spend money on in Iraq, they are saving plenty with which to jump start their lives going forward.

I’ve always said that if you want to know if this war is worth the cost, just ask the people who are paying the price with their lives. And by the looks of things the other night at the Al Faw palace in Baghdad, I got the sense that this war is not only worth it, but with people of this caliber on our side, we can’t lose.

Here in Iraq, the closer it gets to Christmas, the more intensely the separation from family is felt.  And while nothing can replace the joy of being with family over the holidays, the soldier’s I’m embedded with south of Baghdad are doing their best to celebrate the season.  Christmas trees large and small are springing up in every headquarters and barracks, doors are adorned with wrapping paper and stockings, and Christmas carols are being played in the chow hall.

The things that really bring smiles to these men and women, however, are the cards and packages that are arriving from home.  Care packages large and small are piling up in the mail rooms–and arriving via armored vehicle at remote patrol bases–on a daily basis.  It’s really fun seeing what a morale boost these packages bring…many of them sent by caring individuals and church groups, addressed to “American Soldier.” 

The cards sent by schoolchildren are always a big hit – mostly because they’re so darned cute.  They get posted everywhere - above soldier’s bunks and next to top-secret maps in the command post. The troops love to point out their favorites.  One card hanging outside the commander’s office on FOB Kalsu proclaimed, “Dear Armed Forces Person, we hope you do good 4 us.”  Then on the inside of the card, next to a drawing of a butterfly, is one of those wonderfully random thoughts that only kids can make funny.  “I love chicken.”

On another base, taped to a door in one of Saddam’s former mansions – now used to house American troops, is this absolutely hilarious card which you simply have to read to believe. At Patrol Base Murray, a pile of packages arrived from the First Baptist Church of Naples, Florida.  Each was filled with goodies like candy and socks–and a packet of devotional materials.  I was excited to see the soldiers perusing the pamphlets while they munched on the snacks from the care packages.  These kinds of things really raise morale, especially for those soldiers who aren’t fortunate enough to recieve much mail from family.

Anyway, all that to say that by sending your blessings and well-wishes to the troops, you can have a very positive impact on morale.  So while praying is still the best thing you can do to lend a hand from home, putting some love in a box and sending it over can help, too. 

From a practical standpoint, the soldiers I’m with say things like baby wipes and candy aren’t high on their list of needs anymore.  Actually, books and magazines are some of the hottest items – it seems like there’s never enough to read here.  Let me add a shameless plug here for the Brotherhood of Ranger Authors - books like “A More Elite Soldier” and Jeff Strueker’s The Road to Unafraid, are a big hit over here…the stash of military devotional books that I was able to bring on this trip was gone in no time. 

One other thing you could send is not actually for the troops – but you can send it TO the troops for the people they protect.  That’s simple cold medicine, vitamins and such.  We take for granted that if our kids get sick we can run down to the store for some over-the-counter medication.  But here, that’s impossible.  With winter here like it is in the states, colds and flu are problems…but without an easy remedy.  If you send these kinds of medications to the soldiers, they can pass them along to the iraqis when they go out on patrol.  (By the way, that’s where most of the candy and junk food you send goes as well.)

So on behalf of the soldiers here in south Baghdad, thanks, and Merry Christmas.

Where would you be if you entered a church service and everyone in attendance (with the possible exception of yourself) was armed with an automatic rifle?  The first sunday of deer hunting season in West Virginia?  Good guess, but no.

Going to worship heavily armed in Baghdad, however, is just how church is done over here.  In Iraq, M-4 rifles are like big keychains – everyone has one.  After a while you don’t even notice anymore that you are surrounded by assault rifles. 

Tonight I sat in on one of these gun show-cum-praise services, as the gospel group here at camp Victory gave their christmas musical.  It was awesome.  Even those of us who are genetically gospel-challenged had a great time.

I heard a chaplain the other day make a great point about spending Christmas in Iraq.  He said that in a way it’s a blessing, because we get to leave behind all the cultural baggage  that comes with the holiday – the interminable shopping, the budget-busting gift list, obligatory parties at the office, and all the other things that can sometimes make the season, well, not so merry.

Tonight’s service reminded me that Christmas isn’t about all those things – the gifts, the get togethers, the decorations, are all just fluff, and if we’re not careful, we can miss the REAL gift that gives CHRISTmas it’s name.  In other words, it’s not about the presents, it’s about His presence.  And for lots of believers serving in Iraq, that’s pretty much all they have to celebrate.  And the group tonight made it abundantly clear–this will be one of the most memorable and meaningful Christmases of their lives. 

The gospel choir sang this message in an impressive way, and I was fortunate enough to capture the audio.  It’s called Your Presence is All I Need, and you can right-click the link and save the .mp3 file for your listening pleasure.  Trust me, you’ll love it.

Patrol Base Murray
South of Baghdad (photo by Maya Alleruzzo/AP)
 
While the progress in iraq is finally making headlines, the mainstream media still seems intent on finding the cloud in the silver lining.  The networks tell you more than you ever cared to know about waterboarding, and the major newspapers continue to print anything that explodes.  It’s no wonder the American people are sick of hearing it. 
 
But the 3rd ID soldiers I’m living with see something else – something that assures them that what they’re doing is worthwhile.  Something that makes them confident they are winning.
 
If you’ve been reading my recent posts, you know about the progress that is being made here in Arab Jabour, just south of Baghdad–businesses are opening and today I got to see hundreds of knapsack-toting children leaving their school – all waving happily at our convoy as we passed.   
 
But not everyone is happy about this progress.  And I’m not only talking about the liberals in congress.  Yesterday, someone south of here launched two mortar rounds toward an area where U.S. troops were standing guard.  The rounds missed, but unfortunately, one landed between two houses where some children were playing.  I spoke with one Army officer who was there.
 
“Within minutes, we started seeing locals coming toward our position,” he said.  “Among them were two small girls who had been injured by shrapnel from the blast.  We couldn’t find their parents, but after several minutes of searching, we found an uncle, and the three of them were brought in to our patrol base so the girls could be treated.”
 
I was there on Patrol Base Murray when the girls arrived.  They were rushed into the medic’s tent, and a very able PA there assessed their wounds while the command post called for a medevac.  Within minutes, two black hawk helicopters emblazoned with the red cross symbol landed at the compound and spirited the girls and their uncle to the Combat Army Surgical Hospital in the Green Zone.
 
The five year old had shrapnel removed from her head and neck.  The three-year-old’s injuries were more serious – a perforated liver.  This afternoon we were informed that both should make a full recovery.
 
That little girl wouldn’t be alive today without the consummate medical attention she received, for free, from the United States.  Even though we weren’t the cause of her injuries, the kind of compassion she and her sister experienced from U.S. forces will pay big dividends for our cause.  It’s likely her entire village understands that our side is the side of peace and security, and that Al Qaeda and the extremists have nothing to offer but destruction.  How many American lives this might save will never be quantifiable, but it’s undoubtably one of our most powerful weapons in this war.   The cowards are being shown for who they are.  Their every cruelty brings more recruits to our door.  It is only a matter of time before this war is won.
 
And it won’t be won by bombs, bullets or armor, though those will be necessary to allow our greatest weapon to flourish.  Love will win this war.  One little girl at a time.

The declining violence in Baghdad is the good news from Iraq these days.  I saw a chart last night that maps out the decline – and it’s powerful.  I’m working on getting a copy of it that isn’t classified.

But as I said before, there’s more fighting to be done.  Cracking down in the Capital city had the same effect as stepping on a jelly donught–all the mess went oozing out to the suburbs.

Enter the 3rd Infantry Division, whose job it is to mop up the remnants of AQI south of baghdad.  Today I stood on a rooftop that represented the limit of their advance in this effort, for the time being.  Twelve miles from the city as the crow flies, this recently abandoned house looks out on scrubby, unkempt fields and a network of canals.  On the other side of the waterway is still AQ country, and the soldiers who took this tiny compound via air assault operation only 24 hours ago don’t go outside without kevlar and body armor, ammunition locked and loaded in their weapons.  They worked frantically through the day, assisted by dozens of recently-converted “Concerned Citizens” who proudly displayed their bright orange vests along with aging but well-oiled AK-47’s.  The objective – fortify the house and surrounding area before AQI could attack.

More to follow.

The other night on FOB Kalsu, I had the opportunity to ride along with the Psychological Operations guys on a  night mission to drop leaflets over some trouble spots south of Baghdad.  Check out the short video below.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIuFh7zQv-I]

The two Black Hawk helicopters thundered along at almost 200 miles per hour fifty feet above dusty palm groves and fertile irrigated fields.   We were ten miles south of the center of Baghdad, heading for an outlying suburb called Jurf a’ Sukhr. 
 
I gazed out the plexiglass window of the helicopter, watching homes and farms flash past, each one as different from the farm that I call home as my language is from theirs.   Yet there was a strange similarity at the same time.  Women were tending their gardens while their children played nearby.   Young men sat on their haunches watching herds of sheep and goats graze among stubbly fields.  Cultivated fields formed perfect grids of green and tan, and trucks could be seen loaded down with white sacks of grain, headed to market.  
 
Despite the differences – the women clad in black burquas, the homes made of dried mud brick and the absolute pancake-flatness of the terrain – it all seemed so, well, normal.  And that is what struck me.  From two hundred feet in the air, this didn’t look like a nation at war.   It looked like people working hard to bring in the harvest before the worst of winter sets in.
  Read more

I’ve been cranking out interviews and even a live appearance on CBN from Forward Operating Base Kalsu south of Baghdad for the last two days.  We’re seeing amazing progress, and getting to take part in some really cool missions. 

If this blog is a little quiet, it’s only because my writing is being featured on CBNnews.com and on the Baghdad Prayer Patrol websites.  So check there if you don’t see anything here.

I’ll be in touch when I can.  For now, know that we’re all safe and lovin’ what we’re doing.