Paratus Protection

After spending nearly 4 years here in Iraq, I have seen and experienced more than my share of the evils of war. I have also witnessed a depth of human caring rarely expressed back home. I have had the misfortune of standing ankle deep in blood and human debris. I’ve sat with some of the poorest people, ravaged by war and a generation of despotism, only to have them respond to me in a kind and generous way. The “layers” of Iraq are so varied and so deep that anyone who claims to be an expert is simply not looking past the bombs and 30 second news bites.

That is the impetus behind this blog. Because I’ve spent less than a total of four months back home since I came to Iraq in 2003, I lost touch with what people viewing the war through the eyes of the American media felt was truly news. When I recently returned home and watched the “experts” discussing Iraq, I felt like the people were being cheated in some way. The brave soldiers fighting and dying here are being cheated. The local Iraqi’s risking their lives working along side them deserve more. The courage of the children has never been told. The private security contractors who are here risking their lives to make that small stretch of road, or convoy, or compound a little safer one more day are silent heroes. All of these people are here living in Iraq for reasons that most would find archaic in our aloof world.

I believe that news consumers back home should be presented with a picture of what is happening here that could validate the spirit of the freedom-loving heart, regardless of the flag you march under.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a war here. People are suffering and dying. In truth, you may not have seen the worst of it. I have to continue to live a surreal existence between being “out there” every day, balancing what I see with what we all hope for – a better day. I do not live with the military. In fact I have not lived on a military base since early 2004. So what you will get from me is a snapshot of what I experience. Some “news” from a regular person who lives an irregular life in Iraq. Nothing more…nothing less.

I was given these little fellows by an arms dealer. When I say “arms dealer,” I mean little more than a farmer with the courage to collect weapons stashed around various homes, and then venture onto the roads trying to sell them. In doing so he runs the risk of being caught with a trunk full of weapons at a checkpoint or by American soldiers. If he was caught, at minimum it would lead to detention by the Coalition Forces (CF) or it could mean prison if caught by the Iraqi Central Government (ICG). So I can assume that selling these weapons brings in much-needed extra cash.

With an RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) wrapped in a dirty burlap sack placed in his trunk, I’m sure he used one of the thousands of dirt roads that cross the country. And he probably used an additional step to throw off any prying eyes: he had his two small children with him in his car while en route here.

There are quasi-legal weapons markets around because owning rifles is not illegal. It’s not so much about owning a rifle, it is really a matter of how many a person owns and why. Self defense is an acceptable reason. But weapons like hand guns and sniper rifles are not permitted for obvious reasons. I have visited the weapons’ markets and they amount to little more than men with homemade bullets (always thrown away by me when I find them) and your standard fare of Russian, Iraqi and Romanian rifles and ammunition. The Iraqi ammunition is cheap and of low quality, however the Russian stuff can be bought in bulk, still in the manufacturer’s container. Those come with 770 high-quality bullets for less than $300. (This is a huge price increase over just 8 months ago.)

When I say I was “given” these rockets, I literally mean that they were given to me as a “gift.” No charge! Just for buying a couple of rifles from him. It makes me wonder…. If the man is willing to risk so much to put these things in his car and try to sell them, then how plentiful and cheap are the RPG’s in Iraq? This guy is poor and yet he felt he could just give away a complete and high quality anti-tank weapon system??
If you look at the rocket closely you will see that all the nomenclature is written in Farsi.

That’s right, these are more than likely made in Iran. Even though I have had these in my possession for approximately four months now, coupled with the recent rattle in the mainstream press regarding Iranian weapons found in Iraq, I thought I should show them to you. Truth is RPG’s, sniper rifles and the horrific shaped charge road-side bombs (technically called EFP), coupled with Iranian know-how, have been increasingly present on the killing fields of Iraq.

Essentially EFPs are comprised of molten metal that is blasted out at more than twice the speed of sound, usually into motor vehicles. The result is terrifying: severe burns, blunt-force trauma, blast damage to organs, and massive penetration to both armor and humans alike. Not only is the technology that produces these things well beyond the other types of bombs, but the way they are triggered is more sophisticated, too (I will refrain from commenting on that for now).

As for how they are getting here? Well I can’t imagine they are falling from the sky. There is no rail system. And the border to Iran is sometimes only an hour or so from hotspots (Karbala being only about 190 kilometers from the Iranian border.) Simple deduction helps form an educated guess.