Hello everyone,
Sorry to do a group e-mail, but access has been very limited so
I have to reach as many people as possible when I can get
online. I'm also not going to use spell check because if you
stay on too long the system will kick you out, so forgive the
typos.
AS some of you know I've been appointed to a special team whos
main function is to create, facillite and provide guidance and
oversight for the elections of the new interim governments
throughout the provinces of(location removed by JJ) Iraq. I have been in Northern
Iraq in the city of Kirkuk for the past 10 days and will be here
through May 27th when the first elections are complete and the
new mayor and provincial government is sworn in.(she is no longer in this location-JJ) We've been
super busy, putting in long days and nights. We work out of the
former government building and every day something crazy or
unexpected happens. I ahve also become the unofficial
representative/hero for all middle school girls in the city.
Last week the headmistress for a Kurdish girls school locked the
doors to the school and refused to open it until Saddam's Ba'ath
party returns to power. The students came to the government
building asking for help from the Army to open their school.
The Brigade Commander, a few MPs and myself and the other
PAO jumped in vehicles to go open the school. The Colonel is
already a local hero for all of the great work his troops have
done up here, but when I got out of the vehicle the girls went
crazy, cheering, waving home made American flags and literally a
couple hundred girls surrounded me to touch me and shake my hand
and ask my what my name was. We forced the gates open, politely
fired the old headmistress and appointed a new one. I came up
on stage to take pictures of the colonel signing a letter
appointing the new headmisteress and again the place went nuts.
By now there were over 500 Iraqi's from the neighborhood
cheering and yelling. I told the Colonel I would go outside so
at least the cheering girls would follow so he could finish his
work. When we got outside I signed autographs for over an our
and must have been kissed on the cheeks by all of the girls and
their mom's 300 times.
Needless to say word of us opening the school spread and we've
opened two more since with the same scenario happening. When
the students aren't in school they come by the 100's to stand
outside the government building yelling and cheering until I
come out and meet them and sign autographs. Needles to say my
fellow team mates and soldiers give me a bunch of grief and have
started calling me Major "B", short for Brittany Spears because
of my new and growing fan club.
On a more serious note, I organized the General's first
press conference yesterday for his first offical message as the
defacto govenor of NE Iraq and the announcement of the upcomming
elections. it just so happened that we had the first really
violent protest/para militry action since we've been here. Ten
minutes before the conference was to start gunfire erupted right
out side the government building. US and Iraqi security forces
immediately got into defensive posture and the demonstrators
went crazy outside, more gunfire from some AK 47s and Arabs and
Kurds shooting at each other and tossing a few grenades around
followed. It was pretty tense for a few minutes while it looked
like the protesters might be stupid enough to surge the barriers
and then we would have to shoot them. Fortunately they
dispersed and the situation calmed. We started the Press
conference and right in the middle of the CG's speech, more gun
fire and another grenade went off outside the audi
torium. No soldiers were hurt, but some civilians were. When
we were leaving the building last night, the Arabs and Kurds had
another shoot out in the parking lot of the government builing.
Hundreds of rounds were going back and forth but only one guy
was shot that I saw. These guys are really bad shots. They
just point their guns in the general direction, close their eyes
and pull the trigger. Stray bullets are the biggest danger but
I'm pretty good at finding cover quickly.
It will be interesting to see what happens over the next week
as the the elections are taking place.
Other than the random fire fights that erupt things are
going alright. Our living conditions are very austere (no
running water or toilets) but they did get some latrines dug and
a building with a water supply and male and female showers. The
water was cold but it sure felt good to take a shower this
morning. Rumor is we might even have electicity and a fan for
our room tonight... They also started serving one hot meal
(field rations) at night and they got a shipment of ice in so we
should be treated to cold water and Pepsi at dinner. I'd rather
have an ice cold beer, but that will have to wait a few months.
Still no mail for our team up here. I hoping that when I get
back to the division HQ at the end of the month some of my
packages and letters will be waiting for me.
I hope everyone is doing well, thanks for all of the support,
thoughts and prayers, they mean a lot.
Time to get back to work,
Keep in touch,
Joss

A good reminder that peacekeeping, although not so lethal, are no picnic at all.


The kurd/arab conflicts will probably be one of the hardest nuts to crack.

<font face="COMIC Sans MS" size="3" color="#7c9bc4">
I think the Kurd/Arab thing is is only slightly better that the "palistinian"/jewish thing. </font>

Thank you, JJ, that was well worth the read. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

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Yes definatley a worth while read, thanks for sharing it with us JJ.
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<font color=lime>Probly the best post I have seen in a long time. Thank you very much JJ. [img]graemlins/awesomework.gif[/img] </font>

Or the Russian/Chechnyan

Have recieved a follow up from my sis, will get it up when i can..I will also pass along your comments as well, it really does make a difference to everyone out there, so if YOU know someone stationed overseas, take that moment to send a letter of whatever kind to them that will make whatever sort of day they are having a lot better. j

<font color='white'> Thanks for posting J.J. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] </font>