x0847Marine As yes: "2/10 rule". "Princess for a Year". Bet all the porta-potties still have the same old yarn on them near each deployment end: "Hey Army Chicks, How's it feel to be going home and being ugly again?!" Soldiers can be so cruel.
My BN had at least 1 female (somewhat below 2/10 rule) prostituting herself in-country.....when she got pregnant, she turned in a list of over 20 potential fathers. But, hey, they put a bunch of soldiers in a trailer park, what did they expect?
It's really funny in general, and I bet the Iraqis on post got a kick out of it. Female soldiers with male harems following 3 paces behind. Females for some contractors making a lot of extra money on the side. The internet has many examples of military females in country and girlfriends/wives back home posting or sending home made porn back and forth, and it becoming spread among the general population (actually, that happened with a female LT in my BN too....).
The most attractive females I saw over there came from a Southern California Marine Reserve Unit on it's way to Fallujha.... we crossed paths in Victory (South), Kuwuit in late 2003, early 2004. They were present in large numbers too. It was surreal.
Spent much of my time out of Liberty (Victory) from LSA West. Forget the pad number, but it was closest to the DFAC (on the same side of the road). Had a half dozen palm trees transplanted in front of the BN HQ (prima donnas, "Palm Tree Battalion"). We occupied before KBR was done. No power, no DFAC, no water. First to occupy LSA West. We took over for the 1457th EN from Utah. Also spent 3 months up in Taji, Camp Cook (at Camp Tomahawk) on convoy escort duty for EODT. Much preferred duties, mission, and living at Taji than Victory (Liberty).
Odd to hear Stryker is hot these days. LogBase Seitz was always taking hits when I was there. Guess it makes sense, since sniper activity is on the rise, and IIRC, there are some areas that can overlook Stryker.
VWE, the "What Ever Soldier Should Know" is a pretty good start. There's a lot more of course, but that was far better presented than the indoctrination briefs we ever got at Ft. McCoy, Wolf, or Victory South back in early 2004. Hope they do a better job these days.
DREDIOCK, can only speak from my experience, but what is seen in western news has never accurately depicted the reality on the ground. And as VWE stated, it is very hard for people to understand the scale of the operation unless they've seen it in person (flying above Baghdad, Taji, and BIAP on a couple occasions was an eye opener for me, who was generally doing convoy escorts).
You can get some glimpses of the life inside the wire (a smaller glimpse of outside) from specials such as "The War Tapes"(and the 172nd NH NG going back!). "Off To War" (and the 39th ARK NG going back for a sequel!)....guess having negative comments in your film documentary makes for a short dwell time and return to combat sooner for Guard/Reserve...... "Gunner Palace" and such. (The 172nd and 39th were in Taji about the same time I was there, so watching their documentaries bring up a lot of memories).
For what's happening now? Look to many sources: Army Times not too bad a source. Specials from reporters in Country. The Baghdad Blogger and other online presence in the Internet can give you a glimpse of what life is like outside the wire in general terms.
Up to date accounts though? That's tough. Most PMC have been disarmed (unless under DoD or DoS contract in Iraq), awaiting for new carry permits from the Ministry of the Interior (same one's directing some death squads), and last I checked, they have given NO carry permits out. Those PMC's were the one's guarding reporters, some private contractors, and NPO's in Iraq. So actually, we are in a worse position to get news from Iraq now than in the past, in many cases.
You have to view everything through a filter though. Separate the wheat from the chaff. If you are looking for a clear cut, honest, accurate view, you will go wanting.
A lot of good does get done by forces in country, but a lot of harm comes from it too. Building a school for children doesn't mean much if insurgents come by two weeks later, drag the teachers out into the courtyard, and execute them in front of the students. Frustrated, tired soldiers operating in a vastly different culture under hostile conditions has led to many clashes with the local population. It seems that 50 good deeds can be undone by 1 mis-step in Iraq.
Even with the surge, I don't think they'll have enough bodies to get the security that is needed to give Iraq time to stand up. Not in a short time period anyway. Took America 13 years to pull it together after the Revolution, and America was not nearly as fractious as Iraq.
