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A soldier's life

Jun-15-2004 » Filed Under: Iraq News

I missed this article when it was originally published. It was written by a major serving with the 81st BCT (WA National Guard) in Iraq. We'll try and post any articles we find regarding the 81st.

[Link to Full Article]
By Damon Hunt, Special to The Times

WITH THE 81ST BRIGADE, Iraq — At Logistical Support Area (LSA) Anaconda, north of Baghdad, the work never stops. Every day here is like two or three days back home. The main reason is that we run 24 hours a day.

It's always more exciting to read about the violence in Iraq than it is to read about the exploits of the ordinary, hard-working soldier. Although the 81st Brigade Combat Team, with which I'm serving as a major, may not be in the spotlight, we are accomplishing our assigned mission.

On this Memorial Day weekend, it is important to give Washington state readers a firsthand account of things because media accounts can skew perceptions of the war. It's easy to focus on the "big Army" and forget that the soldiers on the ground are men and women from your own neighborhood. [...]

Daily life here is what it is. Things just continue going on. It's not as if you can leave the office and pick up where you left off the night before. I'm certain none of us will ever take a weekend for granted again.

Time off is a hot commodity here. We all want days off, but there's not much to do. We lift weights, go to movies, write letters or read books. The movies aren't too bad. The theater is actually a pretty good place to go.

But even during recreation, there is no forgetting that we're in a combat zone. We're reminded of that fact every time an insurgent or anti-coalition member fires mortars or rockets into the compound.

The camp's alarm system sounds the warning siren and soldiers move to a bunker or one of the reinforced buildings. Sometimes the mortar rounds and rockets impact close to living areas and work areas. Periodically, people are wounded or killed.

We live in a dangerous place, so each soldier always carries his or her weapon with plenty of ammunition. Soldiers are trained to be very aware of their surroundings and prepared to perform their job at a moment's notice. It's difficult to predict when or where the mortars or rockets will impact. The best defense is to be ready for the attacks, always.

Read the rest.


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