By John Hawley
Special to The Enterprise
“…I was picked up from the Sheraton at 6:30 am and taken to the Kuwait RTI (Research Triangle Institute) office where we met four other RTI employees and were briefed on the trip to Iraq. We were given a cell phone and a gym bag with a first aid kit, flashlight, an all purpose type Swiss army tool, a Kevlar vest and helmet.
The convoy of three Suburban-type vehicles transported us to the border where we were checked out of Kuwait and transferred to three other SUVs with different drivers and security detail for the drive to Basra. The border is the infamous berm of sand and dirt that had been built up between the two countries and then was breached when the US invaded Iraq. Like all of Kuwait and the southern areas of Iraq, this area is basically dessert. There is scrub brush and blowing sand as far as you can see.
We donned our vests for the trip to Basra. They are heavy and hot but not so bad in an air conditioned vehicle. We are advised to wear our vests whenever we travel throughout the country in rural areas.
The trip through the country to Basra reminded me somewhat of Afghanistan or Pakistan. A little better off, but not much. There are small dusty villages with mud brick houses, attempts at farming, chickens and goats, and lots of dirty barefoot children running around. Most of the vehicles that clog the roads are old and run down, like most of the country. They try to continue to make things work with what they have.
Our convoys are quite a spectacle to the local population. We are stared at by most everyone. There are very few non-military vehicles and personnel in the country. Much of the attention is also due to the way that the security drivers plough through traffic. They drive fast and bumper to bumper weaving and forcing their way through the highway and local traffic. I realize that they do this for security reasons but I assume it is very offensive to the local population. We are working on toning down the driving style up here in Nasiriyah to try and be secure while blending in more….”
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“Basra is very run down. Almost everything appears to be broke or in need of repair. There is running sewage and garbage heaped up around town and the people also appear to be run down. The Basra region has taken the brunt of the horrors over the past 20+ years and shows it. First there was the Iraq-Iran war in the 1980s where most of the fighting and destruction took place in the Basra region. The first Gulf War then devastated the region further. After the first Gulf War, the Shi’is in the south revolted and then were brutally put down by Saddam’s regime with thousands being killed. Then the region had to live through ten years of U.N. sanctions with no ability to rebuild or improve their conditions. As I go further north, the conditions of the infrastructure and people improve….”
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“When I arrived in Basra, I met with the Executive Officer (XO) in charge of security, logistics, and compounds and the temporary Regional Manager in charge of program operations and was informed that I would be the Team Leader for Nasiriyah…”
“We left by three SUV convoy at noon the next day for Nasiriyah and other points north. Nasiriyah is the City where the Jessica Lynch convoy took the wrong turn and got into a traffic accident. She was treated and held in one of the local hospitals. There are two key bridges in town that cross the Euphrates so the Marines worked hard to hold this territory to secure supply lines going north. Because of that, Nasiriyah experienced a lot of fighting during the recent conflict. There are several very demolished structures around the City from bombardment. Many were security, Baath Party, or governorate installations.
Our operation currently consists of me, two water and sewer specialists, and an Executive Officer (XO) like they have in Basra. I am working with the XO to set-up operations and facilities here in Nasiriyah…”
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“The XO… is easy to get along with and I believe we will be able to work well together once I begin to figure out the situation. The XO is an ex-British special forces guy who has had some very interesting experiences. He is a jack-of-all-trades who works with whatever is available to get things done. A real wheeler-dealer in, I think, a positive way. He is at the same time warm and friendly but can also be incredibly in charge and decisive in security situations. I think he will be invaluable.
He at one time or another was special forces in the Falklands war, was Princess Diana’s bodyguard, rescued a kidnapped child in South America, trucked in emergency relief supplies for orphanages by himself into Sarajevo when no one else would go in, took out a partners appendix and amputated another’s leg when he worked in Africa, diffused a tribal gun battle in eastern Iraq last month, set up his own financial management firm, etc. He has a great basic financial management software package that we are setting up to account for all projects, finances, staff, etc. We will develop the system so it can be passed on to those who will come after us…
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“…Although we are getting news of various security attacks and problems throughout the country and certainly in the Baghdad area, this particular area is currently very good. There is a reasonable mixture of religions and tribes who appear to accept each other and the CPA has apparently done a good job of working with the right local leadership. The only problems have been local demonstrations against a rumored corrupt local department director who has not paid some of his people and the CPA jobs program that cannot currently provide as many jobs as the local unemployed Iraqis would like. These problems have been diffused by local Iraqi contacts working with CPA or the local police forces. There is a municipal police department and two tribal police departments operating in Nasiriyah who strangely seem to be able to work out their areas and responsibilities amicably.
The many local Iraqi people that I have met in the past week have been very warm and friendly. I do not feel animosity on the street, mostly curiosity. I think this area was heavily burdened by the former regime and they are grateful for a new opportunity to start over. There is corruption built into the system which will take time to change but I thoroughly am enjoying the local people so far. They are much more warm and inviting than in the United States.”
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