Posted by Agent J on August 06, 2003 at 15:10:01:
08/05/03
Isaac Kindblade
I am a private first class in the Army's 671st Engineer Company out of
Portland. I just wanted to let you know a little bit of what we are up to,
maybe so that you can have another opinion of what's going on over here in
Iraq.
We have been in country since Feb. 14 and were a part of the Third Infantry
Division's march into Baghdad. In fact, as a result of some serious
miscommunications, we were the front line of the charge on two very distinct
occasions.
We haven't been a huge part of the war. We are bridge builders, and we were
here in the event that the Iraqis blew up the bridges on their retreat. They
didn't, so we didn't have to do much.
We were scheduled for 13 missions at the start of the war. We did three or
four bridge-related missions. We fill in where we are needed, whether it be
guarding enemy prisoners of war, operating traffic control points, patrols
on the Tigris River or guard duty of police stations. Our primary mission at
this point is transportation, because we happen to drive very large trucks.
A lot is being said about poor morale. That seems to be the case all over
the place. It's hot, we've been here for a long time, it's dangerous, we
haven't had any real down time in months and we don't know when we're going
home.
I think a big aspect has been the people here. When the war had just ended,
we were the liberators, and all the people loved us. Convoys were like one
long parade. Somewhere down the line, we became an occupation force in their
eyes. We don't feel like heroes anymore.
We are doing the best we can, trying to get this place back on its feet so
we can go home -- making friends with the locals and trying to enforce peace
and stability.
A lot is made of our military's might. Our Abrams tanks, our Apache
helicopters, computers, satellites, this and that. All that stuff is great,
but it's essentially useless in peacekeeping ops. It is up to the soldiers
on the ground armed with M-16s and a precious few words of Arabic.
The task is daunting, and the conditions are frightening. We can't help but
think of "Black Hawk Down" when we're in Baghdad surrounded by swarms of
people. Soldiers are being attacked, injured and killed every day. The rules
of engagement are crippling. We are outnumbered. We are exhausted. We are in
over our heads.
The president says, "Bring 'em on." The generals say we don't need more
troops. Well, they're not over here.
It would take a group of supermen to do what's been asked of us. Maybe
people back home think we are. Hell, maybe we are. I'm 20, and I can't help
but think that serving in a war is a rite of passage, earning my generation
a place in the history books.
I'm honored to be over here, and I realize that this is the experience of a
lifetime. All the same, we are ready to come home. Pfc. Isaac Kindblade of
Cornelius enlisted in the Army at age 17 before his graduation from Valley
Catholic High School in Beaverton.