21 Feb

There are some Iraqi soldiers who are squared away, honest, dedicated, and hard working individuals; and then there are others who are just the opposite. It is these "opposites" that I have cause to write about today. After one week in the new barracks the 1500 Iraqi soldiers have caused over $2300 in damage to the facilities. Most of the damage is to the showers and sinks but some of the damage was done to several of the fixtures within the living quarters. These rooms are probably some of the nicest rooms they have seen in a long time and will see for at least the next 90 days. And although they did not strip the rooms of all the amenities, there were numerous rooms in which we found items that were removed or changed for no apparent reason. But the highlight of the day was at night when each Iraqi was to get a new set of uniforms and boots before they departed our area tomorrow morning.

In short - it was a mob scene. The Iraqi Officers were nowhere to be found so the soldiers just pushed and shoved their way to the front door hoping get in so they may get some new stuff before it was all gone. The above picture is the front door where the issuing of new items began. If you look closely you can see the Iraqi soldiers pushed-up against the doors and window. I can sit back and chuckle at this situation because for once I was not involve in operations. With was a British Coalition operations and although there were some US personnel involved, me and my team were just observers for this activity. I was not about to get involved. So I took my picture and headed home for the evening. I found out the next day that the evolution ended about 3 o'clock in the morning.
Speaking of heading home...its time for some rest. Have a good night