Things Fall Apart

The very second you leave the driveway, everything that is not immediately recognizable is dangerous. Is that a trash bag? An empty box? Or is it a command-detonated bomb. [ ... ] Never let any other car get close to you—EVER. Check them out closely. Is it another grocery-bound traveler? Or a car bomb. Maybe they have a machine gun sticking out the back. If they get too close, wave a flag at them, shoot a flare at them, honk the horn and blink your lights. If they don't move, or keep driving at you, you kill them. Period. Because if none of that works, they are certainly going to try to kill you. That is what it's like here.

In September, as sectarian killings continued to mount, thousands of troops were sent to Baghdad in one more failed attempt to quell the violence. Among them were the members of the 172nd Stryker Brigade, whose tours were abruptly extended.

Army Sgt. Kraig Foyteck
Sept. 10, Baghdad

... Today we had a big meeting and they pretty much said the only reason we are here is to show the terrorist what we can do. [That way] the terror-ist doesn't want to fight us. Blah blah... Then he said he doesn't know when we will go home but we will not get extended a second time. Apparently everything is a secret, so they aren't telling us much.

Mundell
Sept. 14, Fallujah

Audrey once asked me what the attitude of the troops is over here, about the war, about the President and so on. I have to say, it's pretty darn cynical. You can't see what we see every day (like today, dead kids [killed by an IED]) and not get a little cynical about it all. High-minded political phrases sound pretty hollow out here. Our standard joke is "we are doing (whatever it is) as our part in the global war on anti-terrorism." This isn't to say that any of us doubt that we are doing the right thing—we don't. It's just that things look a lot different down here at the point of "W"'s spear. The ones at home rattling the loudest saber aren't here helping load dead kids into an ambulance. WE are. And that just sucks, I gotta tell you.

Taylor
Sept. 19, Baghdad (journal entry)

Found out a few days ago we'll be pulling out of Baghdad about a month from now. It's pretty good news and also bad news at the same time. We'll all be glad to get out of here. I can't wait to get home to you and your mom. [ ... ] But we all hate to leave an unfinished job. This place isn't ready to stand on its own yet.