Friday, June 16, 2006
Update
Well, we’ve settled into a bit of a routine around here. [Changed after this was proven untrue]
There’s been a noticeable effect in the nearby villages. On the drive back from today’s patrol, several of the Marines from the MTT commented that they had never seen so many people outside. Kids were playing soccer in the fields and families were gathering outside of their houses. It’s very rewarding to see that the people around here feel secure enough to come out and do these sorts of things. People are also friendlier when patrols come by. Hopefully this will be a lasting condition.
We made a run to the airbase on Al Taqaddum the other day, and it was the first time in almost a month I had seen luxuries like a portapotty. It’s almost mind-blowing to see the difference between the life they live there and our life at the COP. A full-bird colonel actually decided to interrupt his run and flag us down for driving over the posted speed limit. I’m not sure why the staff sergeant that was driving didn’t just tell him the speedometer was broken, but I was too stunned to speak up. All I could think of was “Are you kidding me?” Maybe if the colonel would like to switch places with the staff sergeant for a few days and experience some of the things that the Marines from the MTT have been through, he would have a different perspective on the importance of speed limits. And if pigs had wings…
¶ Friday, June 16, 2006 
Well, we’ve settled into a bit of a routine around here. [Changed after this was proven untrue]
There’s been a noticeable effect in the nearby villages. On the drive back from today’s patrol, several of the Marines from the MTT commented that they had never seen so many people outside. Kids were playing soccer in the fields and families were gathering outside of their houses. It’s very rewarding to see that the people around here feel secure enough to come out and do these sorts of things. People are also friendlier when patrols come by. Hopefully this will be a lasting condition.
We made a run to the airbase on Al Taqaddum the other day, and it was the first time in almost a month I had seen luxuries like a portapotty. It’s almost mind-blowing to see the difference between the life they live there and our life at the COP. A full-bird colonel actually decided to interrupt his run and flag us down for driving over the posted speed limit. I’m not sure why the staff sergeant that was driving didn’t just tell him the speedometer was broken, but I was too stunned to speak up. All I could think of was “Are you kidding me?” Maybe if the colonel would like to switch places with the staff sergeant for a few days and experience some of the things that the Marines from the MTT have been through, he would have a different perspective on the importance of speed limits. And if pigs had wings…
¶ Friday, June 16, 2006
