July 31, 2007, FOB Diamondback, Mosul, Iraq, by Jim Spiri...Maj. Nicholson performs a pre-flight check on his OH-58 helicopter prior to daily mission. Major Nicholson is stationed out of Ft. Lewis, Washington and is a 1992 graduate of West Point. He is on his second tour of duty in Iraq. He is married and has four children.
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August 2007 Archives
August 1, 2007
"I met a Thug(s)..."
August 1, 2007, FOB Marez, Mosul-Iraq
The other day, while travelling on the highways of northern Iraq, I was impressed listening to the communication between air support above and our humvees below. In previous missions, I had witnessed OH-58 helicopters in close support while on foot patrols in and around the city of Mosul. I had determined at one point to go see these ones that fly these aircraft like killer bees at rooftop level. As the line goes in Butch Cassiday and the Sundance Kid, "who are those guys?", would be my goal this day.
Now before I go any further, I must explain the title of this entry, so as to keep the readers on the proper page. I had always been told not to hang around a bunch of "thugs", as a kid. Kids never listen to their parents, and I found that to be the case with my own children from time to time. The call sign of the group of OH-58 pilots I would interview this day just happened to be "THUG", so I thought it funny to title this entry as such. After spending the day interviewing these "thugs", I've come to the conclusion that my mother was wrong. Some "thugs" are pretty cool. These ones happen to be among the most professional aviators I've met in my life.
I
July 31, 2007, FOB Diamondback, Mosul, Iraq, by Jim
Spiri...CW3 Boise, peers through into the front seat of his OH-58 helicopter during pre-flight checks. Mr. Boise is originally from Montana, and is stationed stateside at Ft. Lewis, Washington. He is on his second tour of duty in Iraq as an OH-58 pilot. He has 19-years of duty in the US Army.
August 2, 2007
Successful raid
An OH-58 Kiowa helicopter flys at rooftop level in support of ground operations during a raid in north Mosul,Iraq in which approximately 15,000 lbs of amonium nitrate was found in a garage-warehouse. Two suspected insurgents were detained. Raid was conducted by Bravo Co, 2/7 Cav under the direction of Capt. Kendall and Lt. Dolny.
Jim's interviews:
http://media.philly.com/audio/Kendra_Evers.MP3 Lt. Kendra Evers, from Wenatchee, Washington
http://media.philly.com/audio/col_twitty.MP3 Col. Twitty
http://media.philly.com/audio/moreno.MP3 Sgt. Moreno of Deming, NM
Photo by Jim Spiri, August 2, 2007, north Mosul, Iraq..In this photo, two suspects are seen, blind-folded, and being escorted by PFC Gerdes, (front) and Martinez, (rear). Both soldiers are with 3rd platoon, bravo company, 2/7 1st Cav, from Ft. Bliss, in El Paso, TX.
Photo by Jim Spiri, August 2, 2007, north Mosul, Iraq..In this photo, bags of ammonium nitrate used for bomb making, are seen after having been found by soldiers of bravo Company, 2/7 1st Cav.
Photo by Jim Spiri, August 2, 2007, north Mosul, Iraq. Bradley breaks down door to warehouse.
Photo by Jim Spiri, August 2, 2007, north Mosul, Iraq. In this photo, US Army soldiers from bravo company, 2/7 1st Cav, from Ft. Bliss, in El Paso, TX, are seen during house clearing operations in Mosul.
Photo by Jim Spiri, August 2, 2007, north Mosul, Iraq. In this photo, US Army troops from Bravo Co., 2/7 1st Cav, from Ft. Bliss, TX are seen moving towards suspected insurgent hideouts in the streets of Mosul, Iraq.
Photo by Jim Spiri, August 2, 2007, north Mosul, Iraq. In this photo, Lt. Dolny, (front) is seen directing troops of 3rd platoon, bravo company, 2/7 1st Cav, in house to house searches for suspected insurgents in north Mosul, Iraq.
Photo by Jim Spiri, August 2, 2007, FOB Marez, Mosul-Iraq...Soldiers from 3rd platoon pray before going out on raid in Mosul.
"Raiding and Finding in north Mosul" by Jim Spiri
It's Thursday, August 2. It is another hot day and the sky is hazy. There seems to be no color outside. Maybe it is the hot, or the haze, or both, but it just looks "bla" outside. But it's another day in Iraq.
All kinds of media folks are wandering around today, so I've made myself "incognito" so to speak. But I had a plan and it seemed to pan out nicely.
Continue reading ""Raiding and Finding in north Mosul" by Jim Spiri" »
August 7, 2007
"A Neighbor of Mine"...by Jim Spiri
August 3, 2007
One of the things I wanted to accomplish on this journey was to find a soldier from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I currently reside, and spend one day following him. I had known that troops from Ft.
Bliss, in El Paso, TX, were in country, and I knew they were in Mosul. It took me some time to get here, but once here, I was not going to quit before finding a "neighbor" from Albuquerque. This blog entry includes one such soldier. His name is SSGT Adam Martinez. He is a typical example of my neighbors all throughout New Mexico. This story is for all of you who read this blog so you can somehow get a sense of how compelled I felt to write one for those back home, and at the same time give the rest of the world a feel of genuine southwestern hospitality, from the culture I grew up with and now live among.
Listen to Jim's interview with SSGT Adam Martinez
SSGT Adam Martinez questions a local truck driver during troop search of area.
"The Rest of the Story...(that I forgot..!)"
August 5, 2007
So many times I have been told, (mostly by my wife), "Jim, you always miss the forest through the trees!".
Recently, I posted an entry and photos about some OH-58 pilots. I received many emails complimenting that writing. I also received one email from SFC Bruce Glasco, of that same unit, who also spoke highly of the story, yet alerted me to the fact that I left out an extremely critical component to the story. I have found that "feedback" is a precious component to these blog entires which is why I have encouraged everyone to leave comments on the blog, whether positive or negative.
Upon reading SFC Glasco's email, I indeed realized that I had left out 90% of what keep the birds flying. I remember a song by Jerry Jeff Walker in which he indicates that a final stanza needed to be included.
Continue reading ""The Rest of the Story...(that I forgot..!)"" »
Jim interviews OH-58 maintenance crew
Justin Crowley http://media.philly.com/audio/crowley.MP3
Bruce Glasco http://media.philly.com/audio/glasco.MP3
SFC Bruce Glasco
'Thug' mechanics at work.
August 8, 2007
"Route Clearing"...by Jim Spiri
August 8, 2007 FOB Marez, Mosul-Iraq
After a couple days of staying on the FOB taking care of some coordination of arrangements, I found myself linking up with Echo Company, 2/7 Cav. The ones that clear routes. These are the folks that are perhaps most critical to American troops safety, as it is their job to go find IED's, before the IED's find them. Prior to departing on this mission, I thought to myself, "I wonder exactly what the recruiter tells the prospective enlistee when he signs him up for this job...?"
As I was getting into the vehicle, I spoke with a soldier named "Perez". We chatted for a while and come to find out, he graduated from the same school, the same year, as my youngest daughter Moriah. Perez is from Silver City, NM and we traded stories for a short while prior to departing on the mission to go find IED's. I thought it ironic that here I am in the middle of northern Iraq, going out on a mission with a young man that graduated from high school with my daughter. Small world, big war.
Listen to Jim speak with Maj. Carnahan
http://media.philly.com/audio/002_B_003_jim+spiri_2006_01_01.MP3">
Top Left: Spc. Pou, of Echo Co., 2/7 Cav, works insturments in the back of an RG31 vehicle. Pou is from California.
Top Right: Sgt. Perez, of Echo Company, 2/7 Cav, is seen during quick search of suspicious vehicles. Perez is from Silver City, New Mexico and was the driver of the vehicle today. He is stationed stateside at Ft. Bliss, in El Paso, TX.
Bottom: IED detonates during route clearing.
"Perspective"
August 8, 2007 Mosul, Iraq
In 1987, I took my camera to El Salvador. I decided at that point I would do black and white photography there. Come to find out, no one else was doing that at that time in that place. Therefore, that made me the "best black and white combat photographer" covering El Salvador. I began to think about that.
Years later, here I am in Iraq, carrying a camera and a digital voice recorder,and I am by no means the best digital photographer or reporter covering Iraq, however, I have come upon a realization that has caught my attention.
August 9, 2007
"Leading His Men"...by Jim Spiri
August 9, 2007 FOB Marez, Mosul-Iraq
Today I would find myself hooked up with a soldier from Hershey, Pennsylvania. Over the years I can honestly say that as far as the East Coast of the US goes, some of the best folks I've met come from Pennsylvania. I've criss-crossed that state many years ago as a hitchhiker and always had good experiences. I've worked with folks from there, and it happens to be that the newspaper in Philadelphia caught wind of what I'm doing and decided to assist me on getting the word out about my journey. One person in particular there loves the troops and pushed to get me noticed. So for all those in PA, this entry is for you.
His name is Lt. Col. Welsh.
August 10, 2007
Lt. Col. Welsh works the crowd.
Lt. Col. Welsh
The Syrian Border with Iraq
August 11, 2007
"All roads lead to Damascus..." so it's been said.
And I believe it was Paul, as the account goes in
Acts, that was on his way to Damascus when he had a
revelation, after the Lord got his attention.
At the moment, I am less than 300-meters from the
border with Syria. I'm pretty sure Damascus is in
Syria. All the roads, and routes, have led me to this
very point. And it is August, the middle of summer,
exactly what a travel agent would not recommend or
call the "high tourist" season. However, the members
of 1/9 Cav are here, along with others that I will
meet in the morning, and so it goes, they have to be
here, so I have come to see what "border control"
Iraqi style looks like. It should be interesting.
August 11, 2007
"Is this Juarez?"
August 11, 2007 COP Heider, border, Iraq-Syria...
In 1973, I married my wife Candace. She was 17, and I
was 18-years-old. It seemed to me a good idea to take
us on an "international" honeymoon trip.
So, we went to Juarez, Mexico. Truth of the matter is, it was an
hour's drive from where we lived and was the only
place at the time that would serve us drinks.
That experience has stayed with me for the past 34-years
and since then, I have crossed countless borders on
the planet. Each time I do, I recall my experience(s)
in Juarez. Today was another flashback.
August 15, 2007
August 11, 2007, COP Heider, border between Iraq and Syria...SFC Claybaugh, of 1/9 Cav, controls crowd at border crossing.
August 11, 2007, COP Heider, border between Iraq and Syria...Maj. Lawrence Basha, far left, is seen as crowd of people await processing for entry into Iraq. Maj. Basha is from Albuquerque, NM
August 11, 2007, COP Heider, border crossing between Iraq and Syria...A woman and her small baby is seen in the midst of a crowd of people awaiting entry into Iraq at border crossing between Iraq and Syria.
August 11, 2007, COP Heider, border between Iraq and Syria...US Border Patrol agent, Newman, is seen checking documents of males wanting to enter Iraq from Syria. This point of entry is a high traffic area and is the site of many foreign fighters entering Iraq.
August 11, 2007, COP Heider, border crossing point between Iraq and Syria...In this photo a large crowd of people are seen awaiting processing for entry into Iraq or Syria. As many as 30,000 people a week attempt to pass through this point of entry in summer months.
August 11, 2007, Syrian-Iraqi border point of entry near COP Heider. In this photo, the Syrian border with a picture of the Syrian president is seen in the distance.
August 12, 2007, border crossing Iraq-Syria...In this photo, an Iraqi woman is seen nearly exhausted, trying to fan herself to stay cool as she is brought forward in the line for entry at the border.
August 12, 2007, border Iraq-Syria In this photo, a small child screams in the middle of the crowd during rush to gain entry to line for document control. The heat of the day is over 115-degrees and the crowds are large, well over 3000 people at a time.
August 12, 2007, Iraq-Syria border
In this photo, a woman in the crowd waves her hand in anger trying to gain entrance while another woman in the top right stares directly into the camera.
August 12, 2007, Iraq-Syria border
In this photo, little girls drink cold Pepsi while their parents await entry at border crossing.
August 12 2007, Iraq-Syria border
This photo is representative of the future of Iraq.
On the little Iraqi boys shirt is the word "quick".
The lines behind him are moving slowly. Progress in his country is slow. He is the future. He will grow up quickly. The look in his eyes dictate that what ever happens, must happen "quick"
"The Sheik's Home"...by Jim Spiri
August 13, 2007 Rabia, Iraq
It's Monday at the border. The morning air had a hint of autumn in it. It was noticeably cooler when I awoke and stepped outside. The seasons are changing.
However, by afternoon it was extremely hot.
There would be a meeting with one Sheik Abdulla, head of the Al Shammari(sp?) tribe, a very large bloc of Sunni Arabs here in northern Iraq, and Col. Twitty, the Brigade Commander from Mosul. My goal was to attend. I would not push, but I would try with all my "skills" to get invited. I was in the right place.
It is the right time. And I knew it would be another experience that would be worth the effort.
Photo by Jim Spiri, August 13, 2007, COP Heider, Iraq
These are members of Charlie Troop, 1/9 Cav, that were my escorts to Sheik Abdullah's home.
August 13, 2007, at the home of Sheik Abdullah, near Rabia, Iraq...In this photo Col.
Twitty and Sheik Abdullah discuss issues facing Ninevah province, Iraq.
Photo by Jim Spiri, August 13, 2007, at the home of Sheik Abdullah, near Rabia, Iraq...In this photo, Col.Twitty, and Sheik Abdullah, (sitting) and his son standing, discuss issues facing Ninevah province in Iraq.
August 13, 2007, at the home of Sheik Abdullah near Rabia, Iraq...Lunch at the Sheik's home.
"The Lighter Side"...by Jim Spiri
August 14, 2007 COP Heider, Iraq-Syria border
Once in awhile, we all just have to take a step back and smile. Sure, there are reasons and situations to keep us from that, but, in such a crazy world, in order to avoid insanity, one just has to find a way to have a good time no matter what the circumstances.
This is a brief story about one such character. His name is Frank Salamone, from New York City, and he works for the Customs folks at JFK airport in New York. He has volunteered to come on his second assignment here at the border between Iraq and Syria.