It's been a while since we've heard from David, a U.S. soldier we know in Iraq. Here is his latest. We are glad he is alright. cd the ride over on the bird, well its an expierence that is too surreal, after being bombarded as an American with all types of War movies and images, most notably Vietnam movies where the countryside of Nam is swept across by a helicopter and town villagers and field animals scurry about at the sound and fury of the helicopter, this is what rang in my head as I flew over Iraq, right now it is coming to the end of the rainy season in Iraq and most of the country is green pastures, as the birds fly low , just above power wire height it is strange to see the locals tending sheep, the woman in thier black garb that covers most of thier body, look like moving black shadows on the ground, the kids are giddy and jump at the sight, but we fly so fast and low before anyone even know we approach we are already gone. It was around 6 stops to the final destination and I wish I could say it was peaceful but we surely got shot at or were in range of fire as the bird shot off flares and pitched and weaved in the air in avoidance, by the time the bird has made its sudden roll and veer to evade fire do you realize that they were shooting at you. Most of the riders on the black hawk turn into jovial kids at the ride, its a mixture of eager antcipation at the begining of a rollercoaster and dread and unease at being encased in such a thunderous contraption, its is strange lifting off, it feels like someone is shoving you upward and the nature of flight is so much different than that of an airplane. the helicopter works on a different law of gravity and lift than the airplane and you don't think much of it on the ground but in the air it becomes apparent its a different type of flight. I was quesy for half the time i was in the air and the other half dumbstruck by the lay of the land. I had never seen Baghdad like that and I saw each street corner of my fears, I have been laboring over maps, doing route assesments for teams, reading of roadside bombs that litter highways, even though I have never driven on some of these streets, they came alive from landmarks and bridges that dot the maps we mark at headquarters, now I was flying over these same roads where the terror happens, sometimes, even in Iraq in a secluded HQ building it is easy to forget you are at war. but honestly its for the best, because if everyday you dug yourself into the bloodshed and happenings of war you would go crazy, I know it happened to me in the beging. but flying over baghdad brings it all back home. seeing destroyed vehicles toppled on thier back on the side of roads, seeing blasted out holes in fields next to military bases where mortars were misaimed, seeing tangled wrecked buildings that are constant reminders of this country being invaded and conquered and still occupied and still not being able to heal itself. all this you feel as you sweep over the city, running fast over rooftops, sweeping with strong wind the flags even the poorest of residents fly high over thier houses, its shows allegiance to a certain sect and clan. these flags let people know who you represent. it is flying over a war zone, as simple as that, watching a city collapse on itself, maybe my quesyness was less the ride and knowing the possibility someone would want to take aim with a shoulder fired rocket and take us down. I can't believe the pilots who fly out everyday, sure it was peaceful in the begining, but now the insurgents are feeling lucky about taking down helicopters, and now it seems everyone is taking pot shots at our birds, why not, before we even know they are firing we are gone and they are gone, to take down a bird is might praise for allah it seems, no matter wether you are shiia or sunni. The other small bother is you never know where the hell you are, for first timers everything is new, and place you land you see for the first time, so I had no idea wether I was at my location or not, luckily there were others that had the same destination. the person I work with admitted he had fell ill on the ride over and puked in his hat. i felt a little better about my volitionto keep my innards inside me. we landed and were greeted and took a short ride to the compound.
Letter from Iraq #16
Letter from Iraq #16
Letter from Iraq #16
It's been a while since we've heard from David, a U.S. soldier we know in Iraq. Here is his latest. We are glad he is alright. cd the ride over on the bird, well its an expierence that is too surreal, after being bombarded as an American with all types of War movies and images, most notably Vietnam movies where the countryside of Nam is swept across by a helicopter and town villagers and field animals scurry about at the sound and fury of the helicopter, this is what rang in my head as I flew over Iraq, right now it is coming to the end of the rainy season in Iraq and most of the country is green pastures, as the birds fly low , just above power wire height it is strange to see the locals tending sheep, the woman in thier black garb that covers most of thier body, look like moving black shadows on the ground, the kids are giddy and jump at the sight, but we fly so fast and low before anyone even know we approach we are already gone. It was around 6 stops to the final destination and I wish I could say it was peaceful but we surely got shot at or were in range of fire as the bird shot off flares and pitched and weaved in the air in avoidance, by the time the bird has made its sudden roll and veer to evade fire do you realize that they were shooting at you. Most of the riders on the black hawk turn into jovial kids at the ride, its a mixture of eager antcipation at the begining of a rollercoaster and dread and unease at being encased in such a thunderous contraption, its is strange lifting off, it feels like someone is shoving you upward and the nature of flight is so much different than that of an airplane. the helicopter works on a different law of gravity and lift than the airplane and you don't think much of it on the ground but in the air it becomes apparent its a different type of flight. I was quesy for half the time i was in the air and the other half dumbstruck by the lay of the land. I had never seen Baghdad like that and I saw each street corner of my fears, I have been laboring over maps, doing route assesments for teams, reading of roadside bombs that litter highways, even though I have never driven on some of these streets, they came alive from landmarks and bridges that dot the maps we mark at headquarters, now I was flying over these same roads where the terror happens, sometimes, even in Iraq in a secluded HQ building it is easy to forget you are at war. but honestly its for the best, because if everyday you dug yourself into the bloodshed and happenings of war you would go crazy, I know it happened to me in the beging. but flying over baghdad brings it all back home. seeing destroyed vehicles toppled on thier back on the side of roads, seeing blasted out holes in fields next to military bases where mortars were misaimed, seeing tangled wrecked buildings that are constant reminders of this country being invaded and conquered and still occupied and still not being able to heal itself. all this you feel as you sweep over the city, running fast over rooftops, sweeping with strong wind the flags even the poorest of residents fly high over thier houses, its shows allegiance to a certain sect and clan. these flags let people know who you represent. it is flying over a war zone, as simple as that, watching a city collapse on itself, maybe my quesyness was less the ride and knowing the possibility someone would want to take aim with a shoulder fired rocket and take us down. I can't believe the pilots who fly out everyday, sure it was peaceful in the begining, but now the insurgents are feeling lucky about taking down helicopters, and now it seems everyone is taking pot shots at our birds, why not, before we even know they are firing we are gone and they are gone, to take down a bird is might praise for allah it seems, no matter wether you are shiia or sunni. The other small bother is you never know where the hell you are, for first timers everything is new, and place you land you see for the first time, so I had no idea wether I was at my location or not, luckily there were others that had the same destination. the person I work with admitted he had fell ill on the ride over and puked in his hat. i felt a little better about my volitionto keep my innards inside me. we landed and were greeted and took a short ride to the compound.