The focus on these novelties creates a starting point for the re-authoring conversations and leads to narrative change. (Sequeira & Alarcao, 2013)
Iraq Videos at end of story…
Setting:
Forward Operating Base Dogwood (FOB) Dogwood, situated between Fallujah and Karbala, was also referred to as Camp Dogwood. According to Wikipedia, the base was temporarily opened in late 2004 during Iraqi elections of January 2005 and remained open throughout 2005. The Task Force 150th Engineers, 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, of the Mississippi National Guard, occupied this base.
My convoy into FOB Dogwood will be forever etched into my mind. Anticipating the place, I would call home for the next year, left much curiosity. As the convoyed neared the FOB, you could not even tell there was anything there because the walls were merely mounds of desert dirt with wire on top of them. As you entered it appeared almost barren. There were a few old abandoned stone buildings with no floors or bathrooms.
24 June 2005
My Iraq Story
As a female soldier in the United States Army currently serving in Iraq, FOB Dogwood, during Operation Iraqi Freedom III—year 2005, I am sharing my participation in a battalion raid mission in a nearby village where we set out to capture insurgents. Although I am not keeping a daily journal and this was not my first raid or mission, I was compelled to document this particular experience after returning from the raid before going to bed. I realize that in the public eye, it is said that women do not serve on the front lines. However, I am here to dispel this myth.
The village we set out to raid was situated on a river, as many villages in Iraq are, and it was approximately an hour convey north of our FOB. This mission had a two-fold purpose; capture insurgents—the bad guys—and find caches—collections of weaponry. Intel implied possible mortar fire upcoming the next night, therefore this mission was meant to eliminate this threat. Furthermore, the intel implied the specific persons suspected were locals from this particular village. This mission was a proactive endeavor to prevent damage to FOB Dogwood.
The mission began at 1:30 am, when my alarm went off, and, subsequently, I crawled out of my rack sleepy eyed trying to wake-up. On only a few hours of sleep, it was time for action. I had prepared my weapon, gear, and bag the before going to sleep. As I was getting dressed, my excitement and anticipation continued to grow. I could only imagine what the next 10 to 12 hours would offer. I dressed in my uniform and gear, grabbed my weapon and bag, and headed toward my vehicle in the convoy.
I noticed what a pleasant night it was; the wind was blowing much cooler than usual. Considering temperatures during the summer in this area during the day were reaching 140 degrees Fahrenheit, while the night temperature was still somewhere in the 80s. The night temperature seemed cool compared to the extreme temperature experienced during the day.
Making a quick stop at the chow, dining, hall to pick up two bags of ice for the cooler in my vehicle, and some cereal and milk for me to eat before the convoy left, I then began my walk toward the convoy which was across the base. By the time I found my vehicle, a hummer, in the convoy line-up, I was exhausted from all the walking.
Dropping my things by the driver’s side back tire, I then began to chat with some of my battle buddies from the vehicle lined up ahead of mine. We were all so wired with a mixture of fear, anxiety, anticipation, and excitement. You see, insurgents recently caused the death of some fellow soldiers. This played on the minds of each and everyone of us, even causing revenge in the hears of some, which was apparent in the eyes, expressions, and statements of many soldiers participating.
After a quick rest, I grabbed my things from the ground near the front tire of my hummer and settled into the front passenger seat. This would be my station during the convoy to the village raid and back. My task was to command the radio, transportation communication (TC), during the convoy to and from the raid. The principal means of communications within a convoy is the radio, which allows rapid transmission of messages and orders between all elements of the convoy. My vehicle consisted of myself and the tactical humint team (THT).
At 3:00 AM, in succession, the convoy of vehicles—stretching from one fortified entry control point (ECP) to the other ECP on the opposite side of the base, we began our engines. Each vehicle had to complete a communications check with the radio at headquarters called Knight TOC before the convoy was ready to move out. A preventive maintenance checks and services (PMCSs) and preventive maintenance inspections (PCIs) was performed on each vehicle. These are done to preventinjury or loss of lives in battle due to vehicle failure due to improper PMCS. Once these task were complete, we were ready to move out. One by one, we exited ECP2. Once the entire convoy was on the paved road San Juan we picked up speed.
It would be an understatement to say it was nearly a dusty night. In addition to being dusty, it was also dark outside. The convoy was to travel in blackout mode, meaning that no headlights could be used. Instead, night vision goggles (NVG’s) were used, so the excessive dust made it even more difficult to adequately see. The convoy was traveling in blackout drive to ensure we could not be seen from a distance. Although we couldn’t be seen, military vehicles are quite loud and may be heard from a distance. However, there was still an advantage traveling in blackout mode.
After traveling San Juan for awhile, we then took a dirt road through the desert. There was anticipated fear of improvised explosive devices (IED’s) while traveling this dirt road, as these roads are usually setup to interrupt military convoy’s, aiming to kill or at least injure soldiers. It can happen at any given moment, in any given place. Knowing this, we were more alert to notice anything suspicious. The night’s darkness continued to be settled and floating all around us, although the desert itself was unsettled yet illuminated by the moon. The dirt road seemed to be a good distance across the desert. As we neared the village, a vehicle ahead of my vehicle got stuck in the soft freshly blown sand as it attempted to get up a hill.
In the distance, we took note of flares being shot over the village by insurgents to warn others to run and/or hide. Considering the noise of the convey vehicles and the air support, the insurgents were aware we were coming. The mission was initialized by air support flying overhead in order to cover the area as we arrived and surrounded the village. Certain elements of our convoy set up the outer and inner parameters of the village, then the line sections dispersed into the village for the cordon and search.
According to Wikipedia,
Cordon and search is a military tactic to cordon off an area and search the premises for weapons or insurgents.[1][2] It is one of the basic counter insurgency operations.[3] Two types of cordon and search operations are cordon and knock[4] and cordon and kick (or cordon and enter).
Prior to the mission, each section had been pre-assigned target houses to search or parameter to cover. Air support was invaluable, recovering men who tried to escape across the river. This allowed us on the ground time to get to and capture them.
As my vehicle entered the village, my team initially stayed on the inner edge of the village as another team initiated the cordon and search of homes. As my vehicle came to a stop, I stepped out weapon ready. Using my NVG’s, as we were still surrounded by darkness, I scanned the area to ensure there was no suspicious activity or anyone trying to escape. Prepared to respond to any threat, I continued to watch my comrades disperse throughout the village. I continued making mental notes as to the activity of each soldier and team. Approximately fifteen minutes into the raid, we loaded back into our vehicle and moved toward the center of the village. In the center of the village was an empty building where we sat up command. This was where we processed, questioned, and tested those arrested—which were all military age males. We tested suspects’ hands for evidence of handling explosive materials.
The cordon and search was exercised to gather and test military aged males for handling explosive materials along with finding and retaining all weapons, explosive materials, and caches. The men were arrested, handcuffed, and escorted to command in the center of the village. They were sat on the ground spread out in rows with their back to us and their head toward the ground. We used our interpreter to instruct them not to talk or look at anyone. The men who ran or hid were separated from the rest automatically due to not adhering to what was considered a routine search.
Locals were aware of expectations of cordon and searches, as we and coalition forces had conducted a cordon and search only three weeks prior. The men caught running and/or hiding were brought back to our base for further questioning before being transferred to a base with a jail. The other arrested men were only kept if they came up on the swipe test positive, which was given to find out if they had handled any type of explosive materials. Those who came up positive were taken as detainees. Questioners were filled out on each man after checking their identification cards (ID’s). A picture was taken of each man arrested to put with their file.
After participating in this process for a while, I decided to participate with a team from Bravo Company in conducting the cordon and searches. We were searching for all military-aged men, weapons, ammunition, IED materials, and caches; essentially, anything that revealed or created suspicion of insurgent activity. As SFC Odom, SSG Wallace, and I walked through the village, we passed a house on our left where soldiers had found a cache buried directly outside the house. The soldiers had dug it up. As we continued walking, we then passed animals to our right that were tied on short leashes. We stopped a moment to chat with another team, and while stopped I attempted to pet a donkey. I recall the animal looking terrified. As we began to walk again, there was a woman surrounded by children against a house. I smiled and waved as I walked past them. I was very pleased to receive smiles and waves back from them. I felt welcomed. Then we walked through a small field with such beautiful sunflowers that I could not help but to briefly stop and smell them.
As we approached a house sat upon a small hill there were two men sitting on the ground handcuffed. The women and children were sitting in a group separate and away from the house. The interpreter and I walked over to the circle of women and children sitting patiently to assure them the men would return to them by the end of the day as long as they passed processing. The women were actually very friendly and understanding. Specialist (SPC) Denmark and I were assigned to take the two handcuffed men back to command in the center of the village to be processed. I led the way with the two men following and SPC Denmark pulling up the rear. It was a very hot and slightly lengthy walk. As we approached command, I led the two men to the sitting area where all military-aged men in the village waited to be processed.
After sitting the two men with the others, I happened to notice an older man sitting against the wall slumped over moaning and panting. So, I grabbed a water from the ice chest along with a cup. After filling the cup with water, I assisted the man in drinking the water as his hands were handcuffed. As we headed back to our cordon and search team, we attempted to take a shortcut but kept hitting one brick wall or dead end after another. So, we finally decided to go back to the original trail. Once we reached it, our team had just completed the next house. I was instructed, at that point, to fall in behind Sargent First Class (SFC) Voccio, my small search element commander. Following close behind SFC Voccio we neared the front door to the next house to be searched, our interpreter yells in the open door for everyone to evacuate the house immediately. However, the women and children were already outside sitting on the ground in a small group. After two men exited the house we rushed in with weapons in ready-to-fire position. We had to clear each room in the house before we began searching through each room very thoroughly. When I say thoroughly, I do mean that every thing was emptied, beds turned over, searching for hidden materials or signs of insurgent activity. Of course, between no air conditioners being in any of these homes and all the gear and weight we were carrying the heat could become smothering, especially when you are intensely searching. By this point I had become drenched in sweat. I had never in my life felt heat like the heat of Iraq. At times it literally took everything I had to continue to move because I was engulfed in such intense heat.
This was the first house on this raid that I participated in cordon-and-searches. The main thing that stood out for me while searching this particular one was how hot it was.
The second to last house we searched was one I will never forget. As we approached the front door of the house, the interpreter yells in for everyone to come out. Then we started through the door with weapons ready, and when we came to the center of the house the head sergeant yells, "There’s a kid; there's a kid in here". As I ran to the small little boy, no more than 2 ½ years old, noticing the expression of fear on his little face and how he stood there so still in total shock. I slung my weapon on my back, carefully reaching down to pick him up. There was so much fear in his little eyes. I tried to put him as close to me as possible, but it was hard to do with the bulky gear on me. It was awkward trying to hold him in a comfortable position so he would feel safe, so I looked in his eyes and tried to comfort him the best I could. Walking toward the back door I tried to use the same voice I recalled using with my own daughter at that age. Knowing he would not understand my words, I hoped he would feel safe with the tone of my voice and my soft expression. As I exited through the back door with him, the women and children were all cuddled together on the ground against the wall. The little boy, upon seeing his mother, looked as if he wanted to cry. I took my hand and gently rubbed his cheek and said, "It’s okay sweetie; there's your mommy." Then I slowly lowered him down into his mother’s arms. The women and children looked at me with expressions of appreciation and smiled, even through the fear and anxiety they were experiencing. Once the little boy was safe in his mother’s arms, I went back into the house to finish searching. In this particle house, we did not find any incriminating evidence. The men however, were all taken to the center of the village where we had command set up so they could be processed, questioned, and tested.
As we were approaching the last house, a blast went off. Over the radio they stated that the support elements were fired upon from an open field. We had to finish this house before we would be able to move positions. I noticed again that the women and children were already outside in the proper positions as if they have been through this many times before. The only male there was a 14-year-old boy, and of course he was the one doing all the talking. The women are apparently not allowed to do any of the talking. I was utterly shocked to find a home computer in this house; this was the first house I had been in that had a computer. I guess I’ve seen so much poverty in this country that it came as a shock to see a computer, and a TV as well. Very few houses around this area, or in this country outside the big, inner cities, have such appliances. The electricity is unreliable, and there is no running water. They do not have traditional bathrooms. They have a small shower room; the floor is tile or concrete with a removable shower head, which probably doesn’t work considering they do not have running water as we do in the US instead they have some kind of well system. They urinate and defecate in these shower rooms. Some of the houses have outside port-a-lets, kind of like an outhouse, which doesn’t have a traditional toilet. It is flush with the floor, which is concrete. You have to put your feet on each side of it and squat above it. The actual bowl resembles the shape of our toilet bowl, though. They do not have any toilet paper. The houses are mostly bare, with only concrete floors. There is no kitchen, but some kind of kerosene, small like stove. Some houses have a stove made of bricks about three feet tall which is larger at the base and gets smaller toward the part they cook on, these are primarily outside and separated from the house. The majority of the homes do not have furniture. However, every once in awhile there is a house with dresser like cabinets that are as wide as the width of the room and are about 3 or 4 feet high. They usually have blankets; small pad like mattresses, and pillows stacked on top of them and reach all the way to the ceiling and all the way across. Most houses do not have beds. And even if a house has a bed, only the men are allowed to sleep in it. The women and children, except when the man wants sex from the “wife”, sleep on the floor. Of course most men here have more than one wife. There was only one house I went into that looked almost normal. It had a halfway pleasant living area, decent bedrooms, and even had a sink in the large hallway with a small wall mirror above it. Going through their personal stuff is hard sometimes, because it allows you to see a glimpse of who they are. All I could think about while searching through their personal stuff is “how does this or that reflect on who they are?” There were very few personal pictures, if any at all.
There are so many aspects of their lives that I do not understand. There are so many questions, in which I may never have an answer. Ultimately, by the nature of my spirit, all I can do is feel compassion and love for them, even for those who have shown nothing but hate, anger, and contempt for us. Being a soldier should not have to negate whom you are within, and I would hope that my purpose in a place and situation such as Operation Iraqi Freedom III is to shed light in a place of darkness. To love, inspire, and bring hope to people who have little or none. I hope that I am the positive impact on their lives. I, personally, have no desire to kill or hurt anyone. However, realistically I am aware where I am and what the odds are that I may be put in a position where I may have to hurt or kill another human to protect my comrades and/or self from danger. I will ultimately be a soldier, whatever that may entail.
I noticed how desensitized to the process these locals were. How very sad that any human become so familiar with the taunting’s of war. I see the difference in the way the people look at me versus my comrade men soldiers, not just the woman and children but men also. I try to show kindness, love and forgiveness, which is rare at times such as these. There is so much hostility, hate, and anger on both sides. I don’t want to be apart of those emotions. We must all learn the important lesson involved in the experience, and pay attention to the details of life. Everything happens for a purpose! We cannot allow the emotions involved with the experience to turn us into someone we cannot be proud of. Honestly, the question “What would Jesus do?” is the most appropriate question I’ve ever heard, if applied. This is much more difficult to follow than one might think. I can say one thing for sure; Jesus would not feel hate, anger, resentment, or feelings of revenge. He would feel most of all love, compassion, and understanding. This is a very reflective statement, so let’s reflect on it. Think about it every day until we can understand its depths. And when the time comes, we will be a better and a bigger person. Don’t let our emotions rule us! Always love your neighbor, which includes the “bad guys”.
Written June 24, 2005, same day as the raid.
With love,
Robbyn Raquel Wallace
