EMotions of an American in Iraq (Chapter 3) Stories

Foreign Soldiers1

I wanted to write a little about the fine foreign Soldiers that I have the great privilege to work with. I thought a few short stories would be a nice change of pace. One of the things that bothers me about the words of certain politicians is the total disrespect given to Foreign Soldiers and there dedication to the war in Iraq. 2

I work for the multinational division here in Iraq and work with Mongolians, El Salvadorians, Polish, Latvians, Lithuanians, Armenians, and Slovakians. At other locations I have worked with British, Australians, Turkish, United Arab Emirates, Egyptians, Germans (Afghanistan only), French (Afghanistan only), Fijians, Koreans, Japanese, Ukrainians, Columbians, Chek Republicians, Italians, Iraq’s and several others counties.3

People from all over the world serving far from home and standing with America. These Soldiers are hard working men and even women, serving in a war that they believe in. They have lost Soldiers just like the Americans. There country doesn’t have huge militaries like America but these countries stand with us. I have seen sorrow from the lost of a friend. I have seen jubilations when they rotate back to their country. I have seen courage in the face of battle and have heard about even more heroic stories. These are the stories I feel will never be told. I believe these stories are true but I can’t verify them.4

Fijians5

I was at the medic station one day putting in a telephone when a bunch of trucks pulled in moving very fast. The Fijians, that provide escort to truck convoys in northern Iraq, were driving in the trucks. The Fijians do not have doors on their vehicles. I saw them carrying their comrade in the medic station. About an hour latter I see them getting ready to leave. The man that had been shot was getting back into the truck getting ready to go back out on patrol. I asked the doctor if he was ok and he told me. Well he got hit six times with small arms fire. Nothing critical was hit. He’ll be ok in a few weeks. I told the Doctor he just went back to work. 6

I was talking to a friend of mine a few days later that was a Fijian. He told me the soldier went back to work because he would loss pay if he was not working. Loss of pay would mean he couldn’t send as much money home to his family. 7

I’m not sure about you but if I get shoot; I expect to be paid while I’m on bed rest. I don’t have the courage or will power to go to work after being shot. I salute these brave men. 8

On a lighter note I’ll tell you that these same brave men made me tear up one night singing Christmas carols for us all. Remember these are big guys they are all over six feet tall and big bodies. Their voices were magical. At that moment I would not have wanted to be any where else in the whole world. The sound and music that they sang was absolutely wonderful. I wasn’t the only one with tears coming down their face. It was a moment in time, I will remember forever.9

Convoy10

Driving down the highway11

Looking left and right12

A vehicle pulls out13

The guns swing to fight14

They jump forward, pop the clutch15

We fire warning shots16

It’s just another day17

On the streets here in Iraq18

We drive around like snakes19

First one side then the other20

Avoiding all the obstacles21

In hopes to move a little further22

This is the life that Soldiers live23

Each and every day24

They bring peace and freedom25

To these Iraqi streets26

El Salvadorian27

This stories starts like any other day with Soldiers and commando’s getting ready to go off base and patrol their Area of Responsibility (AOR). Today the El Salvadorian contingent is preparing for a raid on suspected insurgents. The El Salvadorans are battle harden Soldiers that have been doing urban warfare for many years in there home country fighting drug lords and gangs. 28

Like America, El Salvador has Special Forces. One day the El Salvadorians are on patrol. They surround the insurgents in a family living area preparing to set up mortars to attack a base. Soon a fire fight breaks out; picture a war zone and that is where you are, bullets flying in every direction. This battle rages for more then and hour, men fighting from behind trees, buildings and Hum Vees, lying in the dust taking the fight to the enemy. 29

The El Salvadorians eventually become short on ammunition and retreat. The commander quickly does a body count and finds that they are missing one soldier. He orders he’s Soldiers to put on there bayonets and they return to the battle. They retrieve there soldier and retreat back to the base.30

They get more ammunition and go back to finish the fight. In one day they capture or kill over fifty insurgents and walk away with the lives of all their Soldiers. They suffer only two minor wound. No helicopter rides on this day by the medical evacuation unit here in Iraq. 31

On a different day the El Salvadorians are on patrol when an Iraqi taxi pulls into the middle of the convoy. Ratt a tatt tatt the guns go off killing the driver of the taxi. What touched me most about this story is, after it happen, after everything they inspected the vehicle and found nothing. The El Salvadorians where genuinely upset that they had killed an innocent man. They found no pleasure it doing it. These are Soldiers that were doing there job. The sadness I saw on the faces of these Soldiers was true and touching.32

Mongolians33

On one of the bases that I was station and several months before I arrived, the base was attacked. The Mongolians are responsible for the guarding of this camp. On this day early in the campaign this base was attacked by a small truck that exploded leaving a big whole in our fence. Behind the smaller truck was a large eighteen wheeler full of explosives. Many believe that they were trying to get on base and explode the truck at the Chow hall, which would have killed hundreds of Soldiers and Marines and left a crater that would be remembered for a long time. 34

The insurgents hit at lunch time and the Mongolians Soldiers quickly set up a defense line. One very young Mongolian soldier is the first to arrive at the hole that was now in the fence. He starts to fire at the truck driver of the second truck killing him before he has a chance to blow up the second larger truck. 35

Now this alone, might seem very courageous but I haven’t told you about the ten other insurgents that were firing on the soldier. The one single Mongolian soldier fighting ten armed gun men walks away, saves the base and kills or wounds the ten armed gunmen and the drivers in the truck. No coalition Soldiers or civilians are killed. 36

So when people ask me if I sleep easy at night I say “yes I do, I have the Mongolian army protecting me.” I do feel safe here. I have talked to many Iraqi’s who have told me that the Iraqi people respect and fear the Ghangis Chan Soldiers. I sleep very well at night knowing they are here.37

The East Block Countries38

I have ridden in several Polish convoys and I know first hand how they conduct business off base. They move fast and shoot first and ask question later. This is a problem for the insurgents because they use pace to vary there approach to different obstacles. They are quick with the guns and fire a warning shoot and soon there after fire fifty caliber weapons into the Vehicle motor stopping the vehicle died in its track. 39

Because the Polish Army is so quick to fire almost all Iraqi’s pull over when they see the first vehicle coming. The Polish protect the Romanian and Slovakian engineers when they are off base repairing a road or bridge. On one such day there were attacked by a group of over forty insurgents. The Romanian telling me the story said the battle was over in less than ten minutes.40

Unknown to the Insurgents the Polish were backed up by a squadron of Latvians and Lithuanians. Not one Coalition soldier was lost that day and twenty insurgents were killed and twenty were wounded and captured.41

Not one patrol has ever been attacked while protecting an engineering Battalion since that day. I wonder why. I find it kind of strange that as I write this I lay in bed and listen to gun fire outside my room and I’m not afraid because I have some of the meanest son of a guns in the world protecting me. The gate not fifty feet from where I write this is guarded by the El Salvadorian and Polish and the fence line is guarded by the Mongolians. And if things get to far out of hand whoever they are firing at will find several squads of Lithuanians, El Salvadorans, United States Special Forces, Polish and Latvians coming from behind them to end the battle. It is nice to be protected by these great men and women. And if by some chance I am hurt by a stay bullet or worst I have doctors from six countries here to help me out.42

So Americans the next time you hear a politician or writer say that America is here alone remember there are others form many countries here fighting along side your sons and daughters. Soldiers of many nations fight and are putting themselves on the line everyday to work along side Americans and these foreign Soldiers are dedicated to winning this war. 43

The American Soldiers and Marines are the greatest to every grace the world. But our friend and there are many that I have not mentioned are supporting us.44

Nepal45

I was stuck in Baghdad for a few days once with a group of guys from Nepal. They were in a convoy that had been hit by small arms fire. Even with the up armed vehicles several bullets managed to go through and hit several of the security patrol which was British civilians and several drivers from Nepal.46

Four people were hit and I am still amazed that all but one was walking around in the tent. One British civilian security guard was hit in the head and was right there not four hours latter telling me about the experience. He had ten to twenty stitches in his head and was walking around like nothing happen. The wound was bad enough to cause the right side of his face to be bruised and swollen but it didn’t seem to bother him. He was telling me that they were leaving the next day and he would be going back out to face death again. 47

Another person a driver from Nepal was hit in the foot and was trying to figure out how to drive with a bullet in his foot. He wasn’t going home because he would loss to much money. He was trying to find out if he had insurance that would cover him losing a few days of work. 48

Another driver was shot in the calf and was limping around the tent be was going back to work again. None of these men will receive Purple hearts or even get a day off. They came to do a job and facing death on a daily basis which is part of that job. The guys from Nepal make less money then many of the Soldiers and Marines. The security guards make more. These are men who have courage. I recently heard a good explanation of what courage was on the TV series Sliders. Courage is doing something that you are afraid of doing. When you fear something and do it anyway you show courage. 49

The last person that was shot that day was hit in the rear end. He did live but he will have to wear a bag for the rest of his life. If he can figure out a way to keep driving he will. These men serve in a needed job and deserve our respect. Convoys must move and supplies must be delivered. This time they were lucky lets hope that their luck holds. 50

I don’t tell stories of the great sacrifice Americans are making here in these stories. Those stories are told every day by news papers across America. That does not mean that I feel less for American because that is far from the truth. I just wanted to honor the Soldiers of a few other countries because there stories are rarely heard. 51