Wish You Were Here

Cheryl - Jan. 2009

Baghdad Bulletin
15 August 2009
Issue 9

Hello again from sunny Mesopotamia! This issue will be primarily photos that I haven't been able to send for one reason or another. I do hope you enjoy them. I hope you are enjoying your August activities – some are preparing for yet another school year as parents, teachers, and students. It's hard to believe it's that time again already.

I want to mention that my mother recently got a computer and I'm very proud of her. She is starting outside her comfort zone but I know she will soon be enjoying her new mode of communication!

Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of getting to know some more Iraqis while I surveyed a new group of linguists. This time, when they finished filling out their survey, there was an opportunity for me to ask more questions about the work they did before the war and I got a myriad of answers - taxi driver, high school teachers, chemical engineer, barber, computer designer and on and on. Some will go back to family businesses, others have applied for the special Visa program, and another said that he wants to take his children to see the U.S. but he will be back home to Iraq. He said, "It's my responsibility to help my country." I told him he’s helping his country now and he should be proud. They thanked me for talking to them. I practiced my "hellos" and "good mornings" in Arabic.

It was wonderful to talk to them - all ages and levels of experience as linguists. Some have worked as long as 6 years with our forces. They are enabling our soldiers to communicate with Iraqi soldiers and police as well as senior leaders and decision-makers in communities and government. I admire them.

Big red fire engine! Each Camp has at least one complete with a team of fire fighters. I don't know what will happen to these beautiful trucks when we leave here. Are they staying here or going somewhere else?

Inside the palace at Camp Prosperity, there are clear examples of the poor construction used throughout Saddam's regime. This is something we would never see in our buildings in the U.S.

Here is another view - the lesser quality marble slid right off the walls. I've seen this happen in other locations as well.

Baghdad Hillbilly! - I was fortunate that an NCO told me about some old discarded furniture that was stored in the palace and would have otherwise been destroyed when a unit moved out. I'm glad we rescued it. For the first time, I finally have a chair that doesn't cause my back to ache...

These flowers took my breath away. I was on the second floor of an office building looking for a linguist manager and spotted this arrangement. It's rare to see fresh flowers. They were sent from an Iraqi three-star General to a unit that provides he and his Iraqi staff and soldiers linguist support and training. The occasion was our Fourth of July celebration!

This card was placed in the flowers.

On the way to meet the linguists at the building in the IZ that supports lots of U.S. General Officers, I snapped this photo of kittens. They were very skinny. I rarely see any animals at all. We are told NOT to touch any animals due to the likelihood of rabies. I thought of my good friend Peggy who could turn these little creatures into healthy, fat, and happy animals. She has rescued many others in Tennessee.

I went to register the Blue Beetle and stumbled on
this beautiful mini-garden.

This was my last visit to see the linguists working at the Baghdad Hospital. You may remember that this hospital is being turned over to the Iraqis. The U.S. military members will use a hospital that has been built near the airport.

I included this photo so you can see the actual color of the sky during a storm. The dust gets into everything and creates lots of sneezing....(!)

Here are my beloved wind chimes that John sent me.

The results of the last bad dust storm we had. I tried to write "HI!" in the windshield of the Blue Beetle!

This little place carries odds and ends, snacks,
and cleaning supplies.

This is the entrance to the NATO HQ building in Baghdad. The Iraqi National Defense University is here and there are several linguists translating from Arabic to English for the British, Danish, Lithuanian, Italian, Polish, and other nations stationed here.

I discovered a PAR 3 golf course (next to the parking area) on a recent site visit this week to the NATO HQ in Baghdad! Clubs and golf balls are available to rent for a small fee. A little green piece of plastic turf is used to tee off. Notice the famous Crossed Sabers in the background. NATO personnel are moving out of this location in a few weeks and the area will be turned back to the Iraqis. I'll have to play this course soon if at all... Oh to have the time!

Speaking of golf, this little cart at Victory Base was unique and made me think of golf when I saw it back in June!!

A typical scene of bottled water - there's no reason for a military member or civilian to be dehydrated. There is water in coolers and refrigerators everywhere!

This recent photo was taken in the Camp Prosperity Chapel with the two Chaplains I've had the pleasure to serve with and introduce to each other: Chaplain Brandt (left - a Presbyterian from Pennsylvania) was at Victory Base and Chaplain Fleishfresser (right - a Lutheran from Wisconsin) is at Prosperity. Chaplain Brandt is headed home to the States and wanted to visit the International Zone before he left Iraq. It was great seeing him again.

These photos hopefully give you a little more of my perspective. Since I included the NATO mission, I want to mention a discussion I had with a Danish officer and a retired Bulgarian Colonel last Sunday. The Dane mentioned this year is the 20th anniversary of when the Berlin Wall came down.

Our world looks so much different than it did then. To know that so many more people are able to live in freedom and have the ability to make choices they didn't have before is gratifying. So many who are no longer with us helped make that a reality. If only they could see the people working together that were former enemies.

The International Zone of Baghdad, Iraq is aptly named. So far, I've seen or talked to Iraqis, Danish, British, Fijians, Lithuanians, Swedes, Peruvians, Ugandans, a Bulgarian, Italians, Ukrainians, Polish, Australians, Indians, Kenyans, Samoans, Filipinos, Nepalese, Turkish, Estonians, Portuguese, Czechs, Hungarians, Dutch, Romanians, and Slovenians. Hmmmm. I'm going to talk to the Chaplain to explore having a musical program featuring songs from many nations. OH! Many of us will be here for Christmas! Could be fun....

There are many soldiers who deploy here and never have the opportunity to meet Iraqis. That's unfortunate. I'm grateful that my job allows me to interact with Iraqi soldiers and civilians and I have the choice to travel off the FOB (Forward Operating Base) where I live. Many Americans become "Fobbits" not necessarily by choice; for some, their jobs require it. But some would rather stay put their entire tour. They never meet the very people we are partnering with.

Well – I hope to return to Baghdad as a tourist some day. It will be great to see this capital city without the cement blast walls everywhere (they are starting to come down now), and without the checkpoints, and with safer neighborhoods. I want to attend a Christian church service here.

Having the keyboard music to play in the chapel has been so wonderful. I cannot describe the warmth and support it has provided me personally and spiritually. To be able to hear Bach and Handel and so many other friends in this house of worship is something I won't forget. A couple of people have told me that the service feels more like church to them and I'm so glad our little project has helped them. Thank you again to those of you who sent packages of music. One arrived after a particularly stressful day and it was just the perfect remedy. Unbelievable!

The sun went down about 6:30 pm tonight - the days are surprisingly short. The last full moon was spectacular. I wanted to write something called The Moon over Baghdad. I only have seven more full moons to go!

Warmly (110 degrees at 6pm),
Cheryl

Deployment Update