bootsontheground 05/11/09
Fratricide in Iraq
Today's shocking story about a U.S. soldier in Iraq killing five of his comrades is the kind of headline news the media will whip into a merengue. But let me give you some context in which to understand what happened.
Iraq may still qualify as a combat zone, but camp Liberty does not. It is really a large U.S. base like Fort Bragg or Fort Benning, only in Iraq, actually the largest U.S. base outside our shores. It has movie theaters, shopping centers, fast food restaurants, sports arenas, chapels, sidewalk cafes and lots and lots of gymnasiums. With well over 20,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and government contractors in residence, as well as troops from a passel of coalition countries, this enormous base is really a small city. But the culture of this city is quite different from any in the US. First of all, everyone is armed. This, along with the courtesy inherent in military culture means that it's a very polite place. Crime is very, very low - due partly to the fact that there is no alcohol and housing and food are free. The photo at left is a gospel choir practicing one night on camp Victory the last time I was there.
There are no elderly people. No children. Everyone is, by and large, young, fit and athletic. And therein lies the rub. It's easy to get bored if you aren't careful. And boredom, to paraphrase a proverb, is the devil's playground.
Most of the people on Camp Liberty rarely leave the base. These are, for the most part, support personnell, what we used to call "Fobbits." Other than the occasional mortar round lobbed over the wall by pesky insurgents, life on Camp Liberty is probably safer than it is back at home.
But one thing makes service here much worse than service at a stateside base. It's that Iraq is so far from loved ones, weekend passes and all the other things that make life in the military tolerable. No matter how nice the accomodations, being away from family is very, very hard. So our men and women in uniform develop coping mechanisms - they work, on average, fifteen hours a day, for example. They work out religiously. They go to "Latin night" and "hip-hop night" at the MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) building. They watch hundreds of movies and play hours of X-box, Playstation, etcetera. They stand in line to use the internet so they can call home or chat with friends on facebook.
But sometimes, these distractions aren't enough to assuage the loneliness of separation, the long work hours, and the stress inherent in a harsh environment.
But as the media beats this story like a rented mule, keep in mind that over a million men and women have cycled through overseas deployments since 2001, and this is only the fifth such incident.
I don't know what demons this deranged soldier was dealing with. If I had to guess, I'd say it had something to do with a woman. Whatever it is, it's probably not worth the hand-wringing, calls for action and grandstanding that it will create.
Iraq may still qualify as a combat zone, but camp Liberty does not. It is really a large U.S. base like Fort Bragg or Fort Benning, only in Iraq, actually the largest U.S. base outside our shores. It has movie theaters, shopping centers, fast food restaurants, sports arenas, chapels, sidewalk cafes and lots and lots of gymnasiums. With well over 20,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and government contractors in residence, as well as troops from a passel of coalition countries, this enormous base is really a small city. But the culture of this city is quite different from any in the US. First of all, everyone is armed. This, along with the courtesy inherent in military culture means that it's a very polite place. Crime is very, very low - due partly to the fact that there is no alcohol and housing and food are free. The photo at left is a gospel choir practicing one night on camp Victory the last time I was there.There are no elderly people. No children. Everyone is, by and large, young, fit and athletic. And therein lies the rub. It's easy to get bored if you aren't careful. And boredom, to paraphrase a proverb, is the devil's playground.
Most of the people on Camp Liberty rarely leave the base. These are, for the most part, support personnell, what we used to call "Fobbits." Other than the occasional mortar round lobbed over the wall by pesky insurgents, life on Camp Liberty is probably safer than it is back at home.
But one thing makes service here much worse than service at a stateside base. It's that Iraq is so far from loved ones, weekend passes and all the other things that make life in the military tolerable. No matter how nice the accomodations, being away from family is very, very hard. So our men and women in uniform develop coping mechanisms - they work, on average, fifteen hours a day, for example. They work out religiously. They go to "Latin night" and "hip-hop night" at the MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) building. They watch hundreds of movies and play hours of X-box, Playstation, etcetera. They stand in line to use the internet so they can call home or chat with friends on facebook.
But sometimes, these distractions aren't enough to assuage the loneliness of separation, the long work hours, and the stress inherent in a harsh environment.
But as the media beats this story like a rented mule, keep in mind that over a million men and women have cycled through overseas deployments since 2001, and this is only the fifth such incident.
I don't know what demons this deranged soldier was dealing with. If I had to guess, I'd say it had something to do with a woman. Whatever it is, it's probably not worth the hand-wringing, calls for action and grandstanding that it will create.