After the first batttle in Basrah

Time to remember the Iraqi Army soldiers who gave their lives - with tea, cigarettes and a sura or two.

I wish anyone who thinks the IA isn't serious, or gives a damn about this fight could have seen the look on the incoming 14th DIV CDR's face. I will not EVER forget it.

Re: Baqubah

Spent some of my spare time this past week reading and rereading Mike Yon's book, and writing and rewriting a review thereof. Hopefully you'll see that in finished form somewhere soon. In the meantime, here's a brief bit that was excised somewhere along the way. The "graveyards" I mention are near Baqubah, the city in which Mike's book begins. I'm struck by the difference between Mike's Baqubah of a few months ago and the one described in the previous post.

"If you're not there now, you're not current" was a statement I heard regarding Iraq at the conference. In a room full of people who had been there, no argument was offered.

I'd guess Mike was still writing his book up until the day before it went to press a few weeks ago. It's current. I spoke with him earlier this week. "Congratulations on the book. I saw you made the top 50 at Amazon." I told him. My news was old news. "We were in the top ten before they sold out." Mike replied. That's certainly good news and bad news - but if you're a reader here and hadn't already ordered your copy then you have no one to blame but yourself. There are more on the way.

And there may be an upside to that shortfall - the Amazon price is quite low now, perhaps reflecting the brief delay you'll experience in getting a copy. A good time to order one for a friend or Congressman, says I.

From the Front

Via the Dawn Patrol:

I'm not the only one feeling the boredom, on one of our patrols we paid 4 donkey cart drivers to race, the stipulation, one soldier on the back of each donkey cart. My donkey lost, it tried to kick it's driver.

So is this what we've been waiting for in Iraq? Or is this silence just the prelude to more attacks and violence? In Baqouba I can say that I think this peace will last, at least while my unit is here.

The Ice Age

I don't own a snow shovel...or one of those car window scraper thingies. I never needed either, if there ever was some snow it melted by noon...I just called in to the job late...no one around here has snow tires (or has a clue how to drive in snow)...so best to stay home until it melts.

It's April 18th ..it is snowing. I want to thank Al "Global Warming" Gore for preparing me for the coming Ice Age.

BTW AL.....People "In The Know" discovered the internet in the early '80s. Just because your personal assistant didn't explain it to you until well into the '90's doesn't mean you discovered it. There are hookers in Tennesee Al...its the worlds oldest profession...while you may not have personnaly discovered them yet...you didn't invent them.