All those who really want context in which the War in Iraq should be placed need to read Waging Peace by Rob Schultheis. First you should know that Rob is an aid worker and human rights investigator in addition to being a reporter and an author. And though he's critical of the Big Army, the CPA and various and sundry REMFs, he's all for the guys in uniform on the front lines. And he's most especially for the Civil Affairs troops. Troops who he considers to be the guys who if anyone can win the war, they can.
His first experience with CA was in Bamiyan, Afghanistan with the six member Chiclet-5 of the 489th CA Battalion. He made this observation:
They were underfunded, overworked, and they had to keep a constant eye out for snipers, mines and ambushes: the Taliban had put a $5,000 bounty per man on their heads. But they were still outperforming all of the UN agencies, NGOs, and aid programs in the valley put together. All you had to do was ask the locals; almost everyone I talked to expressed scorn for the overpaid, overbureaucratic civilian aid workers and praised the job the Chiclets were doing.[pg. 6]
The book though is primarily about the time he spent with CAT-A 13 of the 425th Civil Affairs Battalion who were working an little area in Baghdad known as al-Khadimiyah. Since the teams are so small, and he didn't want to be a burden, he carried his own weapon, a 9mm handgun and would "borrow" an M-16 if the shit hit the fan and he was needed to help defend the team. But getting in the shit was not CAT-A 13's primary mission, they only engage the enemy defensively
"Remember, if we're threatened, always use the graduated response - shout, shove, show and shoot." Sergeant Paul continues, "If someone makes a threatening move, first shout at him. If that doesn't work, shove him. If he keeps on coming, show your weapon, and point it at him. If he doesn't stop then, go ahead and shoot him, and aim to kill..." [pg xxv]
Their primary mission is to win the hearts and minds. Find out what people in the AO need and try to make it happen. The CA folks are trained in everything from Civil Administration to fixing generators. Spending time with these five men and two women through this book is a lesson in how and why things have been able to steadily improve in Iraq.
Two more excerpts that I just have to share. The first is about the difference between how the war is being reported especially with regards to the work the CA teams are doing.
When I turn on the news, the war is barely mentioned: there will be a whole raft of reports on celebrity trials, the tribulations of Scott Peterson, Kobe, Michael Jackson and company, and exaltations of the latest box office hit or reality TV shooting star: and only then they might show tens seconds of a burning Humvee, with a casual reference to "two Americans soldiers killed and three wounded." [pg 139]
...Why isn't their story being shown on the air? Why don't the American people get to see Major Clark walking out alone into a hostile crowd to find out what is wrong, or Sergeant Venters distributing fish to his Iraqi workers? It drives me crazy, frustrates and alienates me, makes me so angry I could shoot somebody, if I could figure out who. [pg 141]
And then this about Iraqi forces
If there's a problem with the INGs, it's that they are almost too serious about their job. Both of them are in the back of the second Humvee, and as we weave through the traffic they point their weapons at any drivers who don't get out of the way fast enough, cursing in Arabic and shouting bloodcurdling threats. Any Iraqi who talks back gets a raise middle finger from Zien, and an AK-47 pointed right at him to drive the point home. Major Clark has to counsel the two INGs to be more polite to their countrymen: "We want you to help us make friends here, not start a new war." He grins.
Over the next weeks we get used to working alongside the Iraqis, and I can't help but notice the positive reaction they get from the civilian population. Kids point and cheer, motorists honk and give the thumbs-up: you can tell Iraqis, at least in our predominantly Shi'a neighborhoods, are excited and proud to see their countrymen patrolling the streets. If we are ever going to succeed here, this is a vital part of it. [pg 159]
This is an important book to those who want the full story of what is going on in Iraq. Often, Rob points out how the bureaucracy can't get out of its own way, but what makes out armed forces so great is not the Organizations themselves, its the men and women who get out in the street and accomplish the mission despite all the roadblocks, both foreign and domestic.
This is a story about brave, smart and compassionate soldiers and soldiering.
Quite the opposite of Senator Kerry's portrayal.
