I am tired today. Every chance to sleep or rest is taken, even when going from place to place in the army tanks, I find myself drifting into sleep. I am wearing nearly 70 lbs (32kg) of equipment and the temperature fluctuates daily between 110F (43C) and 120F (49C). Believe it or not, one does get used to all of this, and it happens rather quickly. But a night of lost sleep, a virus or extra exposure to the sun can throw you off for several days. I can see the fatigue in many of the soldiers, both in the American and Iraqi armies.
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Baghdad feels very different this year. I won't say that things are better here, as I do not believe I am in a position to make such judgments. If I could spend a month or two living in a local neighborhood after my embed, I would be happy to speak with a stronger voice. For now, I can only document and speak about what I have access to. Since the cease-fire the streets are relatively quiet and the military missions are routine. It feels more like the dirt has been swept under the rug, than actually cleaned.
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It feels un-natural for me to be in a semi-relaxed state on the streets of Sadr City. Our convoy gets stuck in traffic jams and stops for various reasons including picking up Falafel sandwiches. The soldiers smile, laugh, and walk the streets calmly.
A year ago, none of this would have happened. Not once was I in a vehicle that stopped on the streets. The soldiers were under orders to continue moving regardless of the circumstances. There were orders that if a child ran into the street chasing a ball, they were to run them down. Insurgents were using children to run out in front of convoys, stopping them and allowing rocket attacks.
For the moment, in Sadr City, things are very different.
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We stop off at a nearby Iraqi Army base as they are unloading weapons that have been confiscated during that days raids. There were rifles, rockets, IED’s and the notorious and deadly EFP’s, or Explosively Formed Projectiles. It is a good reminder to me that despite appearances, this is still very much a place where life is cheap.
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This is the reality people. In some countries people life`s amazing, but in Iraq things are different.
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