Putting My Money where my mouth is. My View of Iraq from the inside.

I don't what more I can say than the above posters have said other than thank you for your service and -- keep your head down and your rearend in one piece! Buddy of mine served two tours with a combat engineering outfit in Anbar whose job it was to find and eliminate IEDs. In his two tours they bagged about 600 of the nasties. Fortunately, he was driving a Buff as they ran over more than a few too. Last one was two arty rounds wired together. Blew the vehicle some feet off the ground knocking off the rear axle but no one was hurt beyond bruises and such.

Rob

Even though I'm on the other side, I mean not literally in Iraq, but my position is that there are Iraqis who see you as invading forces, and even though some will choose to fight and some will lay low to see where the chips my fall. I do hope that you don't have to kill people and that people don't kill you.

I will not get into the question of why you are there because you already are and this is pretty much a done deal, and this is a feel good post and I don't like to poison it with big issues. You say you are there to serve your country and I believe you believe your government when it says that. All I can say on that is I respect the fact that you are there in what you think is serving your country, even though I disagree with that point of view.

My question is this:

As a soldier, how do you hope to interact with people, whome you don't know and some of them look at you as an occupying force. For people that don't know you from the vine or know that you have family back home waiting for you, the distinction can be quite hard.

How do you present the image of human being, in other words, how do you get people past the uniform, the guns, and all the politics involved? I know you are there as a soldier that believes he is serving his country. But to the other side, that is not the same point of view, at least not for every Iraqi. I hope you have a plan for that.

Other than that, like I said, I do hope that you don't get shot at and that you don't shoot nobody. But it's a war situation, so lets hope it ends okay for everybody.

You may know me from the post about the teacher in Sudan, I be the muslim fundamentalist on the vine.

Rob-

Thanks you for your article. There is a real thirst for real information from soldiers on the ground. Don't worry about not having big headline news. What interests me is what the day-to-day is like for you all. Often the best way to tell a big story is to tell all the little ones.

While I disagree with this whole affair, I have always honored those who risk their lives for what they believe in. I have wondered what belief it is that would muster such bravery in me.

Keep telling the little stories.

Rob, the more we hear from you the more often we know for sure you are OK. Keep the stories coming!

We hear very little of this on the mainstream media, it seems only the bad news makes the headlines.

Thanks for this note Rob, appreciate your effort to let us know information from the frontlines,just keep on writing from time to time so we know all is well with you.....take care....

Great stuff Rob, thank you for your service! You're going on my watchlist immediately. I'm looking forward to reading more. Stay safe.

I can't promise anything ground breaking or worthy of many other writers here. But what I can promise you is the truth and what I observe on my missions and daily life here in Iraq. And lastly, I want to apologize for my lack of insight on the Iraqi side of the story, and if ever I get the chance I will do my best to get that side out .

Rob - looking good, man! Thanks always for sharing with us your first hand perspective as a soldier in Iraq and PLEASE you have absolutely nothing to apologize for.....I am humbled to be in your presence here in newsvine. One of my favorite conservative radio hosts - Mark Levin - the other night likened our ability to glean what is really going on in Iraq, vis a vis Iran, and in the world in general to living behind the Iron Curtain----the surge is working -slow but sure -your stories seem to confirm this....too bad there is not enough of this kind of coverage that you share with us on newsvine in the mainstream media. Thanks again. LISA

I am a 72 year old male, not what would be called new to world events. at the same time having no doubt about the good works of our children many of us parents have or have had in Iraq or nearby service centers.

Still it is not the good intentions of our children serving in Iraq that concerns me, it is more issues of importance such as supplimental military called contract, CIA para-military, and situations like Camp Freedom in Taszar, Hungry where beginning around year 1999 the US-gov began training of 'Free Iraqi Forces'.

Add to this an old friend of Rudy Guilliani called Bernard Kerik contracted by Homeland Security to train 'Iraq Police' (getting the nicknake Baghdad Terminator) most of the first group old Saddam people, and I begin wondering instead where the well trained and armed para-military "Pop-Ups" are coming from, allowed apparently free reign by the Pentagon generals, and easily suspect as Sectarian insurgency problem. Unless religious sectarian-revenge coupled with Iran/Al-Quada war is like a spigot that happens to stop miraculously when needed (surge).

So although I do appreciate very much your keeping us back home informed, at the same time my being familiar with our present gov, I worry about you children being used. You are correct that media news today is completely unreliable, doing my own research, I call it quite often outright lies.

So be careful over there, we sure could use you back home checking into Corp's that deliberately hire illegal aliens, one Congressman reporting a significant drop in US Fed investigation and Fed-Court fines that previously controlled this problem, unfortunately now that little is budgeted for this purpose, has illegal alien situation now out of control. Think of what 150,000 US servicemen looking thru Corp records could do to fight the legitimate war (on illegal aliens) here in America, the fines alone apparently would be enough to pay for this investigation, oil turned out to be a bust.

I have read one of your responses saying your motive for going back is to help the people, having misgivings about the previous Saddam regime. I won't go into detail of how we have been involved with Saddam since he was twenty years old, but the twist of this is a serious comparison of our present occupancy of Iraq. My guess is that very little communitive language and similar skills have been developed for this extensive task you've set yourself.

I have read reports of the insecurity of the Iraqi at this time, believing that after 6-years and over $1-trillion (mostly off book) expense of rebuilding, I am aware of the lack in almost everything needed that except corruption, and find their insecurity under these conditions well founded. I look very suspiciously at pressure being put upon the Iraqi-gov to pass a law that will effectively privatize Iraqi (oil) industry, from reports this is being fought strongly against passing.

Here is the one problem however I do not see being considered, the Iraq-gov wants occupancy-forces out, as do the Iraqi citizens, as do many peoples in surrounding nations/states, as do many of the citizens we call allies, and lastly as do the majority of American citizens.

After the Pentagon purge of qualified generals and leaders by the Cheney group, and qualified advise of those generals and leaders being rejected by the Cheney group, an attitude of the whole world but myself are out of step parallels to closely the PsyOPs of the Cheney-Cabal. This is what worries me about some young men being used as front for the Iraq occupancy. It is obvious enough that most believe the Iraq problem would be best resolved by the Iraqi and trusted supporters, not occupying forces.

Thanks for this atricle. My son is there. Things like this make me feel better but I am still totaly freaked out that my son is in a war zone. I don't think I sleep anymore and have been holding my breath, He hasen't even been there a month yet. I may not get any sleep or breathe unitl his "boots are on the ground".

CONGRATULATIONS!! Rob on a much deserved RAV. That's so exciting to hear! I hope it shows how much you are valued on Newsvine. Do keep the news and the spirits up. We're all rooting for you.

Just found this, very good article. I've been wary of the news here about Iraq, both good and bad, so it's good to hear from someone who's actually there. I'll definately be checking out more of your stuff.

Thank you for your service, you're certainly a braver soul than I.

Throughout time there have always been men who love war and battle just for the sake of it, warriors. This has nothing to do with the legitimacy of the wars they fight in. I don't think Rob Ballew is one of these men, he seems to be one of the rare solders who stays because the good he can do there. Although this is commendable, this still has nothing to do with the legitimacy of this war.