The best way to insult another soldier is to call them a REMF or POGE. Anyone in uniform not insulted by the term, quite frankly, isn't a soldier. Ironically the terms are meant to indicate just that "Your not a real soldier." It's a relative term.It is generally considered by those in combat arms that,and this is in all branches and militaries,those people that have the jobs "In the rear,with the gear" don't really deserve the respect of their fellow soldiers,marines and sailors.REMF is an acronym for Rear Echelons M----- F------,and the word POGE is not an acronym but somehow got known Army wide as basically the same thing.

The classic version of a REMF is the person that sits in an air-conditioned office answering phones and collecting medals. They will work a 9-to-5 job and have weekends off. The uniform is almost always starched and pressed for the possible VIP visit and almost never gets wet or dirty, simply because the POGE never leaves the wire or encounters physical adversity. For example, at LSA Anaconda the paymasters and postal clerks, who do a great job and are very important to troop morale, have posted hours of 9-5 and weekends off, this is a POGE position. We also have soldiers that stand in front of the mess hall and make sure everyone washes their hands and takes off their headgear, POGES.

But as I said earlier it's all relative. In the Navy the "real" sailors are on sea duty and are part of the fleet, after all how can one be a sailor on land? And Marines all consider themselves infantry but those that live the infantry life sure don't agree and see their share of POGE Marines.

Even the Army here in Iraq has its levels of POGEism. First, you have those that go door to door searching for insurgents and driving down the roads looking for contact. They might consider those back on the FOB REMF's, but not likely. Those of us on the FOBs will consider those on the LSA's POGES because of the relative comfort and abundance of simple luxuries nonexistent on the FOBs. They almost never leave the wire, either. Now those on the LSAs that do "leave the wire" to perform security patrols and insurgent raids will consider the others on the LSA POGEs. Those of us anywhere in Iraq consider all of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia POGE country. They all draw combat pay yet aren't within 100 miles of active insurgents. Those in Kuwait consider all those in the U.S. REMFs. Even in a line infantry unit we consider the headquarters section POGEs, even though they must exist for the line to exist.

Now the Air Force is a whole different animal. POGE is generally reserved for those in the military, and I think all three branches would consider the Air Force more the civil service. Over here they only serve four-month terms, that means triple the cost of Army and Marine units. If they don't stay in a certain level hotel on deployment they recife monetary compensation. It is exteremly rare one will ever see the Air Force personnel with a weapon to defend themselves. On Shamaconda they're usually in sunglasses and shorts let alone combat gear, but they still receive combat pay.

It's pretty much the military pecking order for the title or recognition as a "warrior." It's one of the things that will always be in all militaries. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, it just is. I can honestly say that I don't want any of my nephews or nieces to follow in my steps, but if they did, I wouldn't mind at all if they got a POGE job.

I will be honest and state that in my blogs there will definitely be resentment towards those I call REMFs and my reason is that it's a simple case of the respect I have for those that have throughout history shouldered the heaviest load in their countries' times of need. The combat arms. It's a two-way way street as far as I'm concerned, had not the REMFs taken advantage of their access to more than those in the field, I'm talking throughout history, then the resentment wouldn't be as strong. A good national example are these two units from Kentucky and Tennessee that refused to take part in their resupply convoys coming into Iraq. They were National Guard units and were expected to come into the fight in Kevlar cocoons and have the infantry escort them in. I'm sorry, but most of the vehicles I've been riding in have far less than what they had. This is the cause of such resentment. I don't believe one unit of combat arms has refused to do their duty, yet the REMFs want every bit of recognition they can get.

I know without the support personnel here we would fail, and I do believe most of them do an outstanding job. I just want to share a unique part of a soldiers life with the readers.

I saw something the other day that reminded me of the fierce positions taken by many on issues like "flag burning" and abortion. Only this is one only the U.S. Army feels so strongly about, in particular the infantry soldiers. It's called the CIB. Before I tell you what happened I must first explain the strength of the "Combat Infantryman's Badge."

The CIB was created in 1943 to boost morale in the infantry. At that time, four out if five deaths in the Army were infantry soldiers, It clearly was the infantry that was bearing the brunt of the war, but the infantry has always done so. Throughout history it has been the "foot soldier" that has shed the most blood and bore the heaviest burden in wars, whether it be the Roman legion, the Spartans at Thermopalye, the Minuteman of the revolution, the Doughboys of WW1, the grunt of Vietnam or the Marines at Lebanon.

It has also has been the infantryman that has been the butt of many a REMF sarcastic remark, joke or MOS avoidance. MOS is Military Occupational Skill indentifier, the infantry MOS is 11B, or 11 Bravo. Most people in the Army never, ever, want to be in the infantry. Most will say that the life of the grunt is no life at all. They sleep in the mud, work 18-hour days, lack any formal education, rarely bathe while in training, are constantly doing manual labor and are the first and last to die. That, after all, is the function of the infantry. The infantry has four basic things it does, seek out, close with, engage and destroy the enemy. Or as we in the ranks say, find 'em, fix 'em, fight 'em and finish 'em.

Many people, when enlisting in the Army, will make it a point to get into a field that has a civilian equivalent, such as X-ray tech, dental hygienist, mechanic, postal clerk, administrative clerk, cook or anything but the combat arm of the Army. These are usually the people that, as a rule, kill the enemy. Combat Arms also has artillery, tanks, scouts, military police and special operations, however only the Infantry can wear the CIB.

Currently there is a big push for noninfantry people to get either the CIB or a new badge called the CCB, Close Combat Badge. The rational is that since convoys are getting hit and many MOSs are being forced to do infantry duties, find and fight the enemy, they should be recognized as infantry soldiers. It seems that since the Army has done such a great job at not promoting the infantry as a profession, there just aren't enough of us to go around. So, other specialties are being ordered to fill the gap. I myself was pulled from my California unit and sent to the Hawaii National Gaurd because of my infantry skills and MOS idenifier. My personal opinion is BULL. If you want to be recognized as infantry, join us and live the life of the Infantryman. I can go on for hours on the subject, but will simply say the Army is losing sight of honor and playing politics, more on this in future entries, now to the point.

What began as the ING is now the IA. The big question on the whole world's mind is "Can this group defend their country against the forces that will surely come? And more importantly, do they have the heart and soul of the warrior?"

Our last block of instruction began four days ago with a three-mile march to the training site. We American soldiers were wearing all of our basic gear, about 40 pounds worth, and the IA had AK-47's and about 12-pound vests. We started falling behind right off the bat and had to start running to catch up. At that point, less then a half mile from the start point an IA soldier sat down. I asked him to get up and at least try to keep walking as fast as he could, he tried. He would soon have to be treated for heat exhaustion and ride in the "Meat wagon" or ambulance. One of the soldiers that fell out was sitting on the ground, and when I went to lift him up, his whole body felt like Jell-O. It seems that not many of the IA have much muscle and have a very difficult time with the heat and the activity of a soldier. I also noticed that dental care is nonexistent, all had very yellow rotted teeth, just an observation.

At the end of the march, those that made it were very proud of themselves, and that was most of them. We had noticed that none of them carried water with them, and this greatly contributed to the rather poor performance. As we tried to account for their poor showing, some of us simply said "Their quitters and just don't have any heart." Others took the position that "their farmers and uneducated and just don't understand the concept of physical conditioning and proper hydration." When the IA soldier is dropped for pushups, it is an accomplishment just to do 10, no upper body strengths. The average Joe here on the FOB can do 30 or 40 a pop, many can do between 80-100, and we rarely have soldiers go down for dehydration.

I believe a big reason is also the fact that so many of the local people draw water from the ponds and creeks, I think it's almost everyone. I learned from one of our Terps that it is part one of a long process to get water for personal use, cleaning, boiling and storing of water is all part of life here. For this reason, most people just don't see themselves drinking a lot of that precious fluid. The locals also prefer to work at night and really aren't used to heavy exertion in the heat of day. We've had a few days recently over 100.

We are stressing hydration and conditioning to them constantly, and I believe they understand how important it is. On the last day of training, we did not have a single heat injury, and all the soldiers were carrying water and drank at every halt in movement, as do we. On that first day our medic, Doc Karella, treated nine people. The point I want to make here is that they do want to learn and improve, and again will stress that good things take time and we ought not expect everything from them today. They are doing their best and the training provided is outstanding, we just have to work past the language thing.

I noticed one soldier had duct tape around his boots to hold them together and was concerned for his well being. I asked his sergeant if anything was being done about the situation and how long the condition existed. I was told that "Yes, something was being done about it," and the condition had only existed since that morning. I then told them if the situation cannot be corrected by tomorrow morning to come see me, and I would see if I could help. The next morning the soldier's boots had been replaced.

The purpose behind this effort was to reinforce to the IA the need for the leadership to take care of their soldiers and that the U.S. soldiers will be doing less and less each week and the IA more and more. I was quite pleased to see the sergeant had taken care of the soldier, In the old regime this would never had happened. Soldiers' families were forced to reimburse Sadaams government for all soldier expenses to include uniforms, boots, bullets and food.

Many of the soldiers came to Doc Karella for treatment of things like stomachache, athletes feet and sore knees. He was eager to help, and I had to remind him to always ask the soldiers if their leadership had been informed they had come to the Americans for help. This also goes to our efforts to empower the IA leadership and become self reliant.

We could all see steady improvement in the battle drills and various scenarios we put them through. All the U.S. soldiers were impressed. The point was made time and again that the heroes of Iraq will be the IA and the security of its people. The IA soldiers insisted on correcting any shortcomings immediatly, they all say in almost perfect english "Go again" upon completion of a task.

I cannot say what goes on in the rest of Iraq. But I can say this, if the rest of the IA is identical to those I spent the last four days with, we will all be home very soon. But ask any IA soldier, and they will not say it's up to them or the Americans, they will say it will only be so if God wills it so. And that is today's phrase. Ins Allah - if God wills it so.

I have been spending the better part of two weeks moving into the FOB and had hoped to get a least one day to rest up, but that's not the case. Ever since the last few days of February, we have not had a complete day to ourselves, and I suppose that's a good thing, since time is seeming to pass quickly.

The frustrating thing is that even though we seem so shorthanded, and barely able to perform our mission to prepare the IA. Other Army and Air Force personnel on LSA Anaconda seem to have nothing but time on their hands. I know they've all got duties to perform that are vital to the mission, it's just that it seems the focus is misdirected.

I mean, my gosh, they've got 50 basketball teams in a league and 30 softball teams. I don't think that was the case in WW2, and we work 18-hour days as the norm. There are even people that work eight hours and are off for 48, how wrong is that? I hope this doesn't sound too much like sour grapes, but it just seems so wrong. I also know that troop morale and support is important. It's vital. But a lot of that comes from attitude, whether or not an individual has focus. And as strange as this may sound, the people with the least seem to have the best attitudes. I've been on several FOBs visiting and now live on one, and these folks just seem better motivated.

I think it's important to mention that on the LSA a huge percentage of the personnel are not military, a lot of import workers and our friends from KBR (aka Halliburton), and they are a big reason for such a imbalance in "luxuries."

Example: It took us a full 10 days to get showers at our Bunker, and they still are mosquito infested and drain directly into our swamp. We have no hot water inside our bunker and use bottled water to brush our teeth because of health concerns over the water. Our broken down shower trailer has two poor sinks, and the showers don't even have soap dishes. Now seven miles away, there are olympic pools, inside and out, with showers for just rinsing off before entering the pool. Even though the women make up about 10 percent of the personnel here they have almost an equal number of shower trailers. And yet our first week and a half here we used bottled water and wooden pallets to bathe.

Part of the reason my entries have suffered is also lack of internet access, which is very difficult now. I will soon be making entries on the current IA training and their improvement, very well, the reason for such resentment towards people at places like Anaconda and Kuwait. We in the combat arms refer to those groups as "REMF's and POGES."

I will just finish up by saying our group has gotten smaller, but seems to perform better. Most of the people we released were those that had made a lot of negative comments about the people of Iraq and some very inflammatory statements about hurting others needlessly. We're all glad they're gone. We are getting stronger in our relationships with the IA, and the U.S. soldiers here at this FOB are a privilege to work with and are people to be proud of.

Today's phrase is - Tasha Rafnaa or honored to meet you

Children just outside North ECP at LSA Anaconda. Notice the girls with dolls and some of the children with bare feet.

I have been asked to furnish my address to those that would like to send humanitarian help to the children of Iraq. It just so happens many of those in my group are recieving care packages we will soon distribute to the local children. They need items such as shoes, clothing (American type logos are well recieved) crayons, colouring books, pencils and pens, simple toys, balls, dolls, cars, trucks, stuffed animals and so on. They are just children after all. Here's my address:

Sgt. Banales,Elias
29th BCT
HHC - Konahiki
APO-AE 09391

The brass wanted to stage a big event, but we wanted no part of it. We want to enjoy the moment for ourselves and for those that care to send gifts. I will soon have pictures posted and promise to post pictures of your gifts. I will not have permanent access to the internet until about May 20.

Our new home at FOB O'Ryan. Pfc. Harris at FOB O'Ryan. The white shack will be the shower point and water will run off into the pond.

We got the word quite unexpected that we would be going to FOB O'Ryan and leave the good life of the LSA behind. Life on a FOB is another world compared to the relative safety and abundance of creature comforts of the LSA. For the last six days, we have been loading and moving into our new home, a former ammunition bunker in the middle of a swamp. We no longer have indoor plumbing and, for the moment, no showers. We have been given two Porta-Johns and bottled water for hygiene. Our food is now tucked in in plastic containers and no mention of a "Bakers Square" type dessert display case. We get stale boxes of cookies now, and lots of them. Gone are the theatre with three movies a day, the two Olympic size pools, Burger king, Subway, Coffee Bean, 24-hour internet cafes and phones, the four entree dining facilities and root beer floats, the lighted streets and women. But we could always have it much worse and don't take what we do have for granted. The first group here didn't get anything close to what we now have, even on the FOB.

Our reason for leaving Anaconda made no sense whatsoever, but in the Army a lot of stuff fits in that catagory. Our mission of partnership with the IA suffered slightly simply because everything had to stop while we made the move. I can't say specifics but we just don't have the resources to do two things at once. The standard Army reason behind our move was to be closer to those we train. Sounds good, but I would ask, "Did it enhance the training at all?" The answer would be NO! I am reminded of the words of a Roman soldier that fit many situations. His name was Demetri Arbutius and here's what he said:

"We trained hard, and just as we began to form into teams, I learned we were to be reorganized, and what a wonderful method this can be for creating the illusion of progress, while in effect creating confusion, inefficiency and demoralization."

Although it only slightly demoralized us, it sure is a good example of what not to do. On the plus side, we lost some personnel back to Bagdad. Two of them being the guys that really got on my nerves with all the talk of children being potential killers. I'm glad they're gone and things seem less stressful. We won't be driving out the wire as much and seeing all the kids along the road but it's still a great feeling to see them wave and smile at us when we do.

Because things are so much more primitive on the FOB, my entries won't be as frequent, I've got to put on 60 pounds of gear and go a tactical two miles to e-mail, but soon we will have access within our bomb shelter. Like I said before, we've got it pretty good compared to the first group.

I'm scheduled to attend more IA training and will do my best to keep the readers informed on the Iraqi progress to independence and us leaving here. Of course, we'll never completely leave now, but we will relinquish complete responsibility to the IA and its citizens.

Bonales shooting an AK-47. The Chaplain and other shooters.

This morning, we would be going "outside the wire" to FOBs Mawtini and O'Riley. At Mawtini we would try to help the IA with their rifle marksmanship, and O'Riley to check out our soon-to-be-new residence, goodbye easy life on LSA Anaconda.

As we were prepping to leave, the chaplain came into our room, this was about 7 a.m. He had been out jogging and knew some of "his" men were nearby, so decided to pay a visit. We are from the 100th Battalion of the 442nd Infantry and have been assinged to the 29th HHC for training of the IA. My roomates are from American Samoa as is the chaplain, so we're "his." The chaplain from the 442nd is as kind and gentle a man as I've ever met, and carries himself with a sense of serenity that I expect from a man of God. When my Grandmother passed in January, while I was preparing to come here at Ft. Polk, La., he came to my aid and provided a great deal of comfort, so I was quite pleased to see him this morning. He chatted for awhile then asked us if we would join him in a prayer. We did. As the five of us stood in a circle with heads bowed, he asked the lord to provide us with wisdom, strength and courage. I felt at peace after his kind words and will be always be grateful to have such a man as my chaplain.

For the last three days, I've been inside the wire and time still goes by fairly quickly. One of the days I got up at about 5:30 a.m. and did some exercise then reported for duty at 7:30 a.m. Because my three roommates were tasked out, all three went outside the wire. I had the duty of cleaning the hallway and bathroom. This means scrubbing and washing two toilets and showers, the tile floor and so on. We are actually pretty lucky because 90 percent of the people on LSA Anaconda don't have indoor plumbing. Most have portable johns and shower/wash trailers a few hundred yards away, so you want to take care of your bathroom business fairly early.

I got the chance to go to the main entry point to pick up and escort a potential interpreter. While there, it was really something to see the hundreds of Iraqi men waiting to come on the base and work. It sure doesn't seem the insurgents are intimidating any of the people in the Balad area. As a matter of fact, there was also three tribal leaders there that wanted to start an Iraqi Army battalion. They told us they had hundreds of men ready to sign up and fight the insurgents, I kid you not! For some reason, they thought the Americans were responsible for the recruitment of Iraqi soldiers, we're not. We directed the chief to the local IA base and told them with that many soldiers they would have to talk to the Iraqi Defense Ministry. I should also say that I was surprised to see so many American women guarding and escorting Iraqi work parties, I'm either old-fashioned or a little sexist, but it just seemed odd to me.

I also noticed something a little odd on the way back to our building. I saw an American soldier sitting down with all his combat gear on with three Iraqi workers, between two storage conex's sharing lunch. It looked like they all enjoyed the moment and were really at ease with each other.

After lunch the other day, I got a bit of a scare. While talking to two other soldiers, we heard a loud explosion. We looked to where it came from and saw a large mushroom cloud and soon another explosion, this one much closer followed by another. I was about to run for the bomb shelter, when one of the guys quickly figured it was our guys doing a controlled detonation. The rounds were just to well placed to be enemy rounds.

We've also been told that my element may have to leave Anaconda and go to a FOB to be closer to the IA and action. Well, what can we do? We had our time at Shamaconda, time to join the real soldiers. The bad thing is there is really no practical reason to do so, but there usually isn't. If this happens, my entries will not be as frequent because where they want to send us, internet access is a bit more difficult.

Well that's all for now from Balad, Iraq, and the Holy Land.

Todays Arabia is -- Don't be afraid, La ta haff

Soldiers wanted to hold my hand. It was a little awkward.

I want to cover the second day of training with the Iraqi army, but first will cover some recent comments and give more info on "Watkins." Watkins was 42 years of age and was from Carlsbad, Calif., he was killed near Bagdad from an IED, and had just completed his first year here with a unit from Washington. He was two months into his second year when he was killed.

I was asked if there was anything we can do for the living conditions of the average Iraqi and her soldiers, we're doing it. I will simply say that the "Serenity prayer" is the best guidance for the average concerned person, and as a result, I and others seek out small victories. A bag of chips, a bottle of water, some food, giving the asking price for an item and our trips to the dump to bring back what we can. It is important to note that we are citizen soldiers and soldiering is first. We don't for a second loose sight of the danger here and simply do what we can. If the question is "what can I as an individual do?" I would say "live well and support the effort." I have asked my friends and family to send small care packages to me for the families and will soon, when proper to do so, distribute them to local families.

Another comment found me to have an "air of superiority" and I believe this was from someone over here. I am relating "my" situation and experience and do not speak for others here. What I've seen and the comments I've made are facts. If someone disagrees, then they disagree. I do not believe shooting and old man instead of a cow is warranted, (this did not happen, but was suggested) nor do I believe when we shoot at our own vehicles, which happened the first day we were here, is a sign of a disciplined gunner. The fact that one of our sergeants shot 30 rounds at the wrong person and completely missed the vehicle is a sign of something very wrong. In the absence of an interpretor, someone should make the effort to speak, or do we just kill them? The notion that interpreters are available 24/7 is absurd. Now, if I sound "superior" for finding fault with someone that jokes about running over 4-year-old little girls, then I suppose I am, enough said.

On the second day of training the Iraqi soldiers were being evaluated for how well they could set up a ECP (Entry Control Point) and then engage local insurgents in a small village.

Myself and Staff Sgt. Tilo walked with them to their staging area, and when their instructors from FOB O'Ryan gave the command, they quickly sprang into action. The soldiers set up the ECP properly and then moved down the road to find the hostiles. The Iraqi Army still seems to be very agressive when they move, and don't seem to be overly concerned with running into an ambush. When I asked one of the soldiers about this, they just said "If you shoot at us, we go to you and kill you." OK, I guess we'll have to work on some technique.

They had to move through some really bad swamp land, and did so. When they came up on something dangerous, an explosive device, the first group did as they were supposed to do. The second group needs a lot of help. When they encountered the "insurgents," they went into overdrive and did OK. One problem was when one of the bad guys came out with his hands up, the IA shot him. When the trainers asked for an explanation they were told "Well they're bad people, they hurt Americans so we killed them." That's another technique we will have to work on.

During the exercise it was decided I would be a bad American and taken into custody. I was treated well and with respect and found their search and custody technique satisfactory. An interesting thing to note is that as I was being searched, every time they found one of my pens or small flashlights they would point it at my face about three inches away and open it. I suppose the theory is if it's an explosive I would flinch our pull away, good technique.

After the exercise, we talked about home and family (without an interpreter being present!) and took a few pictures. I promise pictures of all will come soon. One of the Iraqi soldiers wanted to hold my hand for the picture, being secure in my manhood and just a bit homophobic, I had no problem with it. These people LOVE IT when we take pictures with them and are, or seem to be, proud of their American friends. It was a good two days, and I look forward to our next meeting. Later that night, I was assigned my Platoon. I will be with A company, 1st Platoon of the Iraqi 210th Infantry.

I will leave you with my favorite Arab phrase - Salam Alekum

Fellow Americans from Tennessee. Iraqi Armyu soldiers and Staff Sgt. Caver.

I recently was assigned duty of staying two days with the Iraqi Army and watching them train. We, myself and Staff Sgt. Tilo, left about 5:30 a.m. to join a convoy going out to resupply FOB O'Ryan. These supply runs are known to us soldiers as LOG packs. As we pulled out of LSA Anaconda, I noticed the children were already there waiting as the sun came up. We made it to O'Ryan without incident.

After a cup of coffee and eggs we met up with the Sergeants that would conduct the training for the next two days, we would observe and later sustain the training at our FOB Montini.

The incoming IA arrived late and this did not set well with the Americans that would be training them, after all, we are the ones that are known for "Hurry up and wait." As we watched them prepare for the day, I noticed all they brought with them were mattresses we had given them and some blankets from home. They clearly do not have the funding we do, and I hope that changes.

As they formed up into units one of their sergeants, Sgt. Sammi, was giving them a good butt chewing. I had our translator tell me the general context, and it was just your typical NCO keeping control of his men and telling them they were there to earn their pay. This was a good thing to see, it's like tough love. They also did some marching about for us and looked pretty good and sounded glad to be there. They had some pep to their step, and pride in their stride.

The IA was split into two groups, the leaders and the led, Sergeants and soldiers. I went with the group of Sergeants and Staff Sgt. Tilo went with the soldiers. The training for the sergeants was on the responsibilities of being a sergeant.

I thought the instructors gave great classes and stressed the need to put the welfare of your soldiers second only to the accomplishment of the mission. Now a good sergeant knows that if you prepare for the mission properly, then the soldiers are naturally taken care of, so the soldiers ARE always first anyway. The only concern I had was that a lot seemed to be getting lost in the translation, and it was. But to the credit of the guys from the midwest they figured this out and made the corrections. I must say these guys were a credit to the Army, displaying professional bearing, technical know-how and a genuine concern for the future of Iraq.

The Iraqi sergeants were courteous and showed an interest in learning what the Americans had to say and apply it to their Army. Again, I can't stress enough how the Army hasn't focused enough on our learning simple terms.

One of the things that was taught was what we call a SALUTE report. Each letter having a meaning. S-size, A-activity, L-location, U-uniform, T-time and E-equipment. The class was fantastic, the problem was the translation did not match the Iraqi word Salute letter for letter. But like I said, the instructors fixed the problem and went back to the old who, what, when, where and why format. This they understood. So in doing this the Americans accomplished the mission and took care of the troops.

I also had a chance to sit in on the battalion commander's briefing to the Iraqi leadership, just let me say it was inspiring. The basic message to the Iraqi leaders was: The old way of doing things is gone, the most powerful Army in the world is just a mob if not led by men of character. The old IA got beat quickly and badly because those in charge lacked character, they used their soldiers and did not put their well being first, this was wrong. The future of Iraq must be in the hands of the Iraqi Army, and it must have men of character this time. We all want to see our loved one's again, but will not leave until Iraq is ready to defend herself. Of all the factors that make for success on the battlefield, it is the spirit of the warrior and the heart of the lion that matter most.

That's pretty much the message and the attitude of those of us with the IA. I want to also take the time to remind all the readers that I speak only for myself and want to share "my" perspective and experience. Some may agree, some may disagree but it is my perspective.

U.S. soldiers flying the American flag in Iraq.

Last week I was at one of the local FOBs (Foward Operations Base) and while standing in front of my vehicle saw something I thought of as beautiful. I saw two lonely soldiers carry the American flag out to the pole and slowly hoist the colors. As I saw this, although I was alone, I came to the posisition of attention and rendered a salute. The two soldiers also saluted, then stared at the flag for about five minutes, and slowly lowered it. I saluted again and watched as the two folded the flag and carried it back in the building. I wondered what exactly just happened. I would find out over the course of the next few days.

A few days later while having dinner with some of the guys, a comment was made about a policy that forbids the flying of the American flag on military posts in Iraq. I was not aware of this policy, then I remembered the two soldiers from FOB O'Ryan and their taking down the flag after a few minutes. I told the guys about it, and some of us came to the conclusion that the flag is secretly hoisted and saluted out of respect and to avoid politics.

Yesterday, I returned to FOB O'Ryan and while waiting to go to the training area and link up with our Iraqi soldiers, I and Staff Sgt. Tilo, of American Samoa, noticed the same flag raising. Only this time, the soldiers raised five different Stars and Stripes, flag goes up, salute given, time passes, flag comes down, salute rendered and so on.

I had to find out the reason for this action. I asked some of the soldiers what was going on. As it turns out the flags are for various veterans groups and possibly caskets. The thing I like about it is the fact that we are 13,000 miles from home and could lie about the flags flying over Iraqi soil on a combat outpost, but out of RESPECT we, or those soldiers rather, refused to. I've heard it said that integrity is not what one does when people are watching, but what one does when they're alone. Those two soldiers have integrity. People often ask "why do you stay in the military?" It's the people and what they do when they're alone.

So please, next time you're at a public event and the flag is being honored, think of those two soldiers or the soldier that asked to have his/her casket drapped in the colors. It's called respect.

I want to thank those of you that take the time to better yourselves by finding out as much information as possible, and as a result, read my blog and the opinions of others. I've indicated several times how so much good will come from trying to understand before we seek to be understood.

I remember when I got my marching orders and said goodbye to many of my friends, I made it clear that I believe death is inevitable and will come when it is supposed too. What concerns me the most is the damage to one's soul. Will I lose my sense of humanity? I'm doing my best to keep things in perspective and maintain a moral sense of duty. I do this by being as open and honest with you as I can.

Now, do I believe we will pack up and leave any time soon? This is a good question. My answer to that is definitely NO! We are building here at Camp Shamaconda pretty fast and permanent. I don't know of many governments that invest this kind of long-term money and just walk away. Let's not be hypocrites, it is definitely a money thing and always will be. Having said that, I will also say that the IA is not ready to take over but do show promise. Our big problem as Americans is, that we wanted it yesterday, whatever "it" is, it never happens fast enough. Democracy will not flourish and hundreds of years of close-mindedness will not vanish in 36 to 72 months. I recall the demise of the Soviet Union and the chaos that followed, and so many doubts about democracy. Was it really that long ago? And can I say China? As I've learned to tell my Iraqi soldiers when they ask for something from me "Lahada" patience.

I also want to say that I am proud of the folks at home that have shown the world we can and do settle our differences with the vote. I don't plan on mentioning our renegade right and left wing judges that overrule the voters, they'll find that out sometime in the next few elections.

I want to thank my fellow NCO's (Non Commissioned Officers), or Sergeants, out at the FOBs, hang in there guys. If any of you folks talk to us vets in the future, try to find out if they were at an FOB or LSA. Those at the FOBs have definitely earned their pay. Those of us at the LSAs, well most of us anyway, worry about paintball courses, yoga classes and what's playing at the theater tonight. I may go "outside the wire" an awful lot, but those people live "outside the wire."

Today's term in Arabic is - Zein, Maku Myshkila - Ok, no problem

Iraqi boys eating what we were going to throw out. Iraqi boy trying to sell knives.

We stood at morning formation for the upcoming duty, when we were told about Watkins. Watkins, just like half the men in my group, had decided to stay for a second year of combat duty in Iraq. He came from the 81st BCT (Brigade Combat Team) out of Seattle, and has volunteered for duty with the 29th BCT, my current unit. Watkins has been Killed In Action. There are a few men I now serve with that actually knew him, I've been told he was "A great guy," I'm sure he was.

When I first heard the name, my memory raced to 1982 and the 82nd Airborne Division, one of my roommates was named Jim Watkins and he, too, was, and I hope still is, a great guy. I also remembered the crusty old Vietnam veterans, they had learned and passed on many lessons. One of those lessons was to always do your duty as best you can, but never, ever volunteer to get yourself killed. I and my fellow soldiers mourn his loss, but can't help but think "What if?" What if he would have just done his duty and gone home? I wonder myself, what if I accepted that duty in the palace and safety "inside the wire?" I also wonder if others thinking of doing one more year for some "Action" will remember Watkins.

Some of us discussed the news and most of us agreed it was fate. We soldiers tend to have a fatalist view of things, and use terms like "When your numbers up, your numbers up." The question now is when does one stop playing the game. Whatever dreams, hopes and plans Watkins had are gone forever, and all his family has now,are the memories. However, tomorrow is a new day and life "Outside the wire" goes on.

Our mission today took us to a good sized village about 25 clicks south of LSA Anaconda. After the usual last-minute changes and bouts of confusion we went "outside the wire" and headed south. I was ready with about 30 bags of chips, crackers and candy for the local rug-rats. I would also be manning a M249 automatic weapon and be responsible for flank security during our movement. The average soldier "ousted the wire" carries in the area of 60 pounds of equipment. The IBA (Individual Body Armor) alone weighs close to 30 pounds. When it gets to 130 degrees I will be hurtin' for certain.

As we drove down a back road, for secrecy and suprise, we passed through a lot of farmland and those that farmed it were present. Again,we passed many smiling children and locals. As we passed two men digging an irrigation drain I asked myself, "Is that what those other two men were doing late that night when one of my peers shot one to death for running?" We can see why they might prefer to work at night and wouldn't anyone be scared? I wasn't there, I can only share my thoughts, after all, the man was not armed.

We drove past grape vines and various orchards and all in all a lot of very green countryside. Here my thoughts were of the Garden of Eden and the days of Christ. And yes, I was watching my sector at all times, weapon at the ready! I even managed to toss out some candy and chips, the dust of the road masking my covert operation.

As we pulled into the local IA headquarters for a meeting with tribal elders, I was told by an officer to place my weapon at safe and remove the bullets from the chamber. This made sense to me since inside the compound I would be surrounded by coalition forces. If I fired my weapon here, I might kill one of our own. It didn't make sense to another sergeant -- the same sergeant that likes to make comments about running over children and one of the guys that volunteered to stay another year -- who blew a fuse. He started screaming about how we could get attacked at any moment and that I should have my finger close enough to just start firing. How bad do some of these guys want action? I am not one to take chances, and have common sense, I just can't help feeling frustrated with those that seem to want a resume of death. I believe I may soon have to have words with some of these glory hunters.

Within a few minutes, young boys began to gather around our heavily armed vehicles and began to try and work some deals. They were there to get anything they could and sell things they thought we might want. It was very interesting to see how well they spoke English, it seems all the boys are hoping to work on the "big American base" as interpreters and make a good living. One of the boys, Hussein, was only 10 years old and acted as the spokesman for the rest of the boys. Myself and the other gunner, Pfc. Nelson, gave out as many items as we could, water, candy, Gatorade, MREs and CDs. Nelson had the CDs and traded for some but gave away most. The boys all knew of American rap music and all the current artists. One of the boys said anything from America is good.

All of the boys were also trying to sell us things like cigarettes, knives, watches and DVDs. Hussein handed me a note to take to the General asking for permission to sell merchandise on the American base, this kid was really something else. Capitalism and free enterprise are on the go here to be sure. I wonder what most of my countrymen would think of 10-year-old boys in business selling cigarettes, DVDs, watches and wanting to open shops?

The obnoxious sergeant asked Hussein to go to the market and bring back some kabobs for us, which he and one other boy happily did. When I recieved my local lunch, I realized that it was what I've always called "Tripas," cow intestines. I don't think the other guys realized what they were eating, and I wasn't about to tell them. I had a few bites out of courtesy then let the boys have the rest. Nelson was about to throw away what he didn't want and I told him "that's not garbage to these boys, let them have it." When he did, they hungrily ate it all.

As I watched the boys eat for some reason I noticed their feet. The boys did not have shoes but slippers or shower shoes. I compared that to my home and the absolute necessity for hundred dollar fad shoes. I will try to see how many boys here have sneakers. As the boys hovered around our vehicles and tried to get as close as they could, the guys that asked to stay for another year, the volunteers, kept telling us to keep them away from the weapons. It makes sense to be aware of such things, it's just the manner in which these guys go about it. I don't like sounding so critical, but it is something that goes on here that really shouldn't. The amount of authority and control the average soldier here has should not be ignored, it can be a blessing or a curse, it all depends on the individual. Even though th United States has "officially" handed over the country to the people of Iraq, there is no doubt who is calling the shots here, the American military. And we should, I just think it can be done with a lot less arrogance on the part of a lot of soldiers.

On the way back, after leaving the tribal meeting, I again took in the scenes and let part of my memory drift back to my own childhood in Santa Barbara County and being able to find adventure in every field and vacant building, toys for me and my brothers were a luxury not a right.

One more thing on the boys. I purchased a knife worth maybe $20 for $17 and gave an Iraqi sergeant a $20 for ones and a five, so $20 for $20. They told me I had been suckered, and had by these hustlers. I was told that a $20 can be exchanged for more dinars than 20 in small bills, I told the obnoxious sergeant "So what, it does no harm to me, let the poor guy make a buck for his family." But all the sergeant could say was, "You new guys got a lot to learn about these people, you've been had." As far as the knife goes I want to encourage interaction not discourage it, now I've got about eight knives and will probably get rid of all of them.

That's all for now from Balad, Iraq. Some very important things to learn to say when confronted by so many young businessmen:

I don't need it - Ma Areed
I will try - Ah Howell
Maybe - Madree
Give me - Anteeny
we trade - In be dill

Our typical vehicle. Steel plages with large gaps and no cover from blasts. Near Balad, Iraq. Citizens of Tikrit, Iraq, going to a voter rally. Sgt. Medina of New York sitting with Iraqi Army Soldiers. At the tribal meeting.

Yesterday, after my last entry and as soon as I returned to the barracks, I was told to be ready to head north in the morning. I would be told exactly where at that time.

I must admit my anxiety level went up a good bit at that news, going outside the wire is a little nerve racking, considering that you may not come back the way you left. I don't want it to seem worse than it is, but that is a fact one must consider, and not knowing specifics just adds to the worry.

Right after learning my situation (by the way, we call that a "Warning Order"), I found a letter on my bunk from a good friend, one I had yet to hear from while in Iraq. I felt compelled to let her know I had received her letter. So I sat down and wrote because you never know what's going to happen "outside the wire."

It turns out that we would be going about a hundred clicks north to Tikrit, Saddam's Tikrit, right through the Sunni triangle.

First we had to stop by the Iraqi FOB (Forward Operations Base) and pick up a contingent of Iraqi soldiers. After doing so, we started to pass through a few villages that looked really third world. People back home just don't know how good they got it.

When we passed over the Tigris river, things became real Biblical. I half expected to see Jesus of Nazareth riding a donkey. There were sheep and cattle herders everywhere, and I could see women drawing water from creeks to prepare meals. Children also were everywhere, herding sheep and tending fields. The one thing I get great pleasure from is the kids waving to us and seeing their reaction as I wave back. I am so glad they don't seem to fear us soldiers.

I also saw many huts or house's that seemed to be made of mud or clay. I saw buildings that may well have been there when Jesus passed through. I could visualize the Garden of Eden near here, ok Mozul. The Mosques all seemed very well kept. The palm trees and field of reeds must have changed very little, if at all, from the times of the prophets. People still dress the same, or so it seems.

As we pulled in to Tikrit, one could clearly see that this was a place Saddam spent a lot of energy and money on. We passed through two great archways as we entered the town and came upon what we thought was a hostile crowd. I guess we expected it. Wouldn't you know, it was just democracy in action. The locals of Tikrit were just marching to remind each other to vote. We were greeted by Iraqi flags, thumbs up and "Bush, yes! U.S., yes!" I did take pictures, one hand on my machine gun the other on my digital camera.

Passing through several Iraqi checkpoints manned by soldiers and police, one had to respect the courage needed to stand out there in the open just being a target for cowards. The Iraqis have very little protection against attacks but show up for work every day.

The only problem I had was with a few things we as soldiers did. We have this defensive move that calls for the driver of the Humvee to quickly change lanes when going under an overpass. We don't want things dropped on top of us. The problem is we go so darn fast and these vehicles are so top heavy the only real thing we are doing is risking a rollover. If we turned hard enough to change lanes in 40 feet, going 60 miles an hour, we are surely going to flip and get more of us killed. This has been a major cause of death and injury here, not to mention the Army hasn't provided any such evasive training other then to mention action.

I also did not like being told by a superior not to throw candy or food to Iraqi children. I must explain that the children I fed were waiting outside our gate for us to stop, at the designated stopping place, and our weapons were safe and the 6-year-old boys were on the other side of two rows of deadly wired fence and a concrete barrier. So, the people here act like real heros and just don't see why we should take such a risk with our safety by feeding hungry kids. And the good thing is, two vehicles in front of us some other foolhardy Americans were tossing whole bags of food to the kids anyway! So pin that on your uniform hero!

Today's Arabic phrase is - Aylaa keyfek, calm down

Yesterday was fairly easy, I had spent the night at the Iraqi camp but because of an eye abrasion had to take it easy. I had a chance to speak with the Iraqi commanding officer but really stumbled with my use of the Arabic language. He was rather pleased at my efforts, and I liked that.

On the convoy back, or shall I say, combat patrol, we passed the usual Iraqi children and the driver of the Humvee made some pretty offensive comments that I won't repeat. It's very frustrating when one wants to tell someone to "Shut the hell up!" but I've got a long way to go and must not get into personality clashes, they're usually not productive.

I would like to let the readers know about life on an LSA (Logistical Support Area). It is very different than life on a FOB (Forward Operations Base}. Here at LSA Anaconda we have a movie theatre, Burger King, Subway, Pizza Hut and a soon-to-open Taco Bell. We have two olympic size swimming pools, a huge gym, 24-hour internet access, air conditioned rooms, bus service, pool tables and Playstation rooms, and a 24-hour department store or PX.

Our DFAC (dining facilities) offer things like cold cuts, salad bars, soups, chicken, steak, burgers, dogs, corn dogs, 7up, Dr. Pepper, Coke, root beer, Pepsi, tea, coffee, juices, ice cream, cake, pies, lobster, ribs, veal, pork chops and lasagna. You get the picture. Most of the people here, about 30,000, are safer here than in the states. I know it's safer here than on the streets of Oxnard on the weekend nights.

The Iraqi FOB where I spent the night had a gym, two hot meals a day and four internet terminals. They had no hot water and can get trucked into Anaconda once a week, but the U.S. troops there prefer it that way because of all the distractions at the LSAs.

Rumor control says we may be home in November. I do not believe the Army expected us to be doing so well at this point. Fact is, there are so many of us here we just keep bumping into each other. It's typical of the Army. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. In this case the "it" is soldiers. And by the way, on this LSA there are thousands of civilians making big bucks for things like pumping gas. Maybe I can get a job with Hallibuton when this is over.

Today's Arabic lesson is - Tah Al Hehna, Come here