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.
I was told recently by those who keep stats on who is in country doing whatever, in regards to media, and come to find out, there are about 100 or so "media" types in country, covering this war, currently. Most of them come and stay for about a week to ten days.
Very, very few stay any longer than that. Not counting the big networks and large media outlets, there are very few journalists, reporters, photographers, etc, in Iraq, doing what I am doing. A rough estimate would be for sure less than two dozen, probably much less.
Now, given the fact that Iraq is on the front pages of the entire world press, and given the population of the world, somewhere around 7-BILLION people, I got to thinking and doing some math. And then I began to wonder, who is reading what I'm putting out there?
If only a hundred people on the planet, are covering the war in Iraq, and of those, really, most of them are controlled by about five or six gigantic media conglomerations, then what does all that really mean?
I might be wrong, but, just by doing simple math, how is it that six gigantic organizations, that have less than a hundred people in Iraq, most of them in one place, can dictate to the entire world population of 7-Billion people what is going on over here...?
How could 100-people working for six giant news organizations, really have it spot on for the rest of the 7-billion people? I just don't see it happening from where I sit. So, that brings me to what it is that I am actually doing and for whom...
From my vantage point, I'm busting in on the "big boys" turf, and I'm doing it with very minimal resources, and, I think it is working. Maybe I'm wrong, but, then again, maybe I'm not. Who knows?
Odds are, out of 7-Billion people on the earth, and at least 25% of them have access to the internet, there is the strong possibility a potential 2-billion people might be taking a look at one little guys perspective on the very big event on the planet called the war in Iraq, if they stumble upon this blog. This by no means makes me an "expert", but it does give me a small insight into a few things, especially since I've now been in this "area", since January of 2004.
Where I am currently, I come across some of the most interesting people from all walks of life. Not only are the Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen catching my attention, but there are loads of civilian contractors as well as a whole bunch of other government organizations as well as NGO's over here.
Sometimes I wonder, "Who's minding the store back home..?"
I keep coming across interesting stories in publications such as "Stars and Stripes" talking about the missing 200,000 weapons and the missing $282 million dollars stolen from the bank in Baghdad, in US currency, and other little blurbs here and there that get a write up, but never a follow-up. The other day, I was sitting at the table where chow is served and I noticed a few people who were wearing really nice suits and ties, and terribly ugly dirty shoes. They were young, probably 30-somethingish, and I was told they work for State Department. I was startled by their appearance simply because I was really dirty, sweaty, and just back from a mission and wondered how they stay "clean". And there are countless other ironies that come across my plate from day to day that just make me think about things.
Who are these people that have such jobs that make decisions affecting whole provinces in Iraq and spend tax payer dollars stateside, that wear suits in chow halls and dirty shoes...? Do they know the heartbeat of Iraq? I hope so.
The fact is, I've been to many places in Iraq now, and for the most part, extended lenghts of time. Most of it, I've seen from the ground level. But a fair bit of it, I've seen from the air as well. I have stayed in locals homes, eaten their food, been to their schools, been to their hospitals, seen them suffer, and have watched them dream of a better way of life.
For the most part, I heard many things about Iraq.
Then, I decided I would see for myself. This is the difference between what I am doing and what the "media" types are doing. It is why I choose to use the word historian as opposed to reporter/photographer.
Earlier I asked in this entry, "Who is reading what I'm putting out there?" I know the people that I write about are reading it, because I see them after it comes out, usually. But I also know there are many others that are reading it as well. I have some more places to see and people to meet and will be mounting up and moving on in the near future, again. I will leave behind more "we were young" soldiers in my wake.
The list is growing.
There is this desire in my being to go deeper into the heart and soul of Iraq, as I have in the past. Here in the north, I sense such an atmosphere that predicates each step I take, that there is so much more to this complex place. Who can know it all? Not just one man, that is for sure. But not 100 other journalists controlled by five or six giant conglomerations either. By "walkin' about Iraq" at this time and recording for history, what I experience, I'm beginning to realize that it supercedes all the efforts of the gigantic media machine that is currently spoon feeding billions of people what the advertisers want the population of the planet to eat and think.
I am not totally sure where I fit into the whole scheme of things concerning Iraq. But I know this.
When someone asks me what it was like in El Salvador twenty years ago, I realize they inquire because they were not there. I was. I used to ask a lot of people about Viet Nam in the early 70's, because I had not been there and they had.
Being here in Iraq at this time, witnessing the unveiling of history before my very eyes, is a weight of responsibility that I feel upon my shoulders all of a sudden. The question was, "For Whom"? am I doing this journey for. The answer is, EVERYONE.
I look forward to everyone writing a comment and dropping me an email.
Jim Spiri
Mosul, Iraq
jimspiri@yahoo.com
Comments (10)
I think that "historian" is a very fitting word regarding your work in Iraq. I would put you right along side some of my other favorite historians: Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn. I am hoping that you put out a book about Iraq because your book about El Salvador made a huge impact on me when I was younger, not just because you wrote it, but because few people were/are aware of what was transpiring in El Salvador and America's involvement over there. I like having a historical account of what it was like in Central America and I love being able to have an almost daily account of what is currently taking place in Iraq. Keep up the great work! I miss you, Dad. Be safe!
Love,
Moriah
Posted by Moriah | August 8, 2007 7:37 PM
Posted on August 8, 2007 19:37
Jim, you asked the question, "Who is reading what I am putting out there?" Well, it is all of us who yearn to know what our sons/ daughters, husbands/wives, brothers and sisters, are doing over there. You are telling their stories and putting us at peace knowing that what they are doing is for a purpose and that their sacrifices are not in vain. You are bringing our loved ones closer to us even though we are thousands of miles apart and for that I thank you.
MarineSister
Posted by MarineSister | August 9, 2007 7:40 AM
Posted on August 9, 2007 07:40
Hey Jim it's me, "the rest of America." Well not exactly, but a member of that large North Eastern demographic, a Liberal gal from Maine. Just four years ago, while pursuing an Environmental Science degree from a university in Cambridge, Massachusettes, I joined hundreds of thousands of others to march against this very same war in Washington D.C. And while I continue to disagree with increased military spending (to control access to the fuel that powers our oil-based economy) that drains funds from critical social, educational, medical and environmental needs in our very own country... I support our troops. It wasn't until I was given a first-hand perspective of the war was I able to realize it really doesn't matter why we're at war, it simply matters that we are. Politics suddenly become neither here nor there and what's left is these men (and women) you write about. These very real people -not the cogs of the "evil war machine," but rather ordinary people performing difficult jobs in a hostile environment,and working together like their live's depend on it, because it does. And why? Because they have to? No. Every single one of those men and women are there because they chose to be. Did I say ordinary people before? I meant to say extraordinary. Before experiencing this war first-hand, I had never known such selfless and goodhearted people existed. People with such honor, duty, respect, courage and I could go on.
Maybe Jim Spiri's coverage of the war isn't in the mainstream, and every story in the mainsteam covering the war in Iraq seems to be increasingly more disaproving or scandalous; America knows better. I hope you're reading this in Iraq (and all you deployed in Afghanistan and elsewhere): all of America knows of your sacrifice and America loves you. I love and respect you all. I'm sorry you don't get to hear it enough from the rest of America. I thank each and everyone of you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.
sarra.ghiassi@gmail.com
Posted by sarra | August 9, 2007 10:38 AM
Posted on August 9, 2007 10:38
Jim,
Who is reading what you put out there? Well, I can tell you a very large and grateful family from New Jersey and many more Marine Moms/Dads, husbands/wives, brothers/sisters and girlfriends are keeping track of your travels.
You have given us a connection to our loved ones. A sense of comfort knowing that you are there with them and the positive news and great photos you provide. You have touched many lives, more then you know.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Keep up the good work and be safe.
Semper Fi
Marine Mom
Posted by Proud Marine Mom | August 9, 2007 11:54 AM
Posted on August 9, 2007 11:54
Jim,
What's happening? I always enjoy reading your work. You speak what soldiers are thinking, and I always enjoy your company on our missions, and never feel as though I better watch what I say or do.
That is because you are NOT media. Media are those guys who rarely go out with us, and when they do, I feel like like I'm in the principal's office.
Media are the guys that control the general American public views and opinions by showing them all the negative aspects of....everything!
Media are those guys who tell the enemy that they are doing a good job, keep it up.
Media is that thing Ho Chi Minh used as his primary weapon in Vietnam. (terrorists too???)
Media are the guys who claim they want to let the world know the truth, but rarely deliver. To truely know something, you have to get a first person perspective as well as an outside view.
I guess what I'm trying to say that I'd like to see a little more patriotism from the media, and maybe I would have a little more respect for them. I am a bit of a nationalist, I know. It was the way I was raised. The major media networks show and tell America what they are thinking and believe. But all I want is for America to be back on America's side again. Is that too much to ask for?
Jim, I honestly think if they did just that, you would be out of a job.
SGT De Carlo
Posted by SGT De Carlo | August 9, 2007 1:14 PM
Posted on August 9, 2007 13:14
Jim, what I most appreciate about what you write is that it has a more positive approach than what we read in our local newspapers every day. It makes us realize that our service people are doing many, many good things over there, and I only wish that the average American was aware of this. Thanks for being there and giving us the benefit of your close-up experiences. Nancy
Posted by Nancy Handlin | August 10, 2007 9:04 AM
Posted on August 10, 2007 09:04
Jim, I believe that you do not have any agenda on what you are doing and it shows in every story. You are describing what a great bunch of kids are doing under horrendous circumstances. That 'military precision' is not an oxymoron, but a way to complete a mission with the fewest casualties possible. Your power of observation is remarkable and you just tell what you have seen and felt. You don't try to editorialize or get into politics. I am an ex-Marine and did one tour in Vietnam. I can not identify with the dedication of these servicemen and women to have completed two, three, or four tours in this environment. Jim, no one but you are providing the details of day to day life in a conmbat zone: the preparation that goes into a mission, the execution of the mission, and the de-brief after the fact. I know that the wives and families appreciate that aspect very much as it gives them an idea of what their loved ones are going through after you have painted that picture. Better than being scared by the big 'unknown'. A big attaboy from those of us who are following your travels with interest and enjoying every word. Semper Fi, Jim
Posted by Jim Boyle | August 10, 2007 2:12 PM
Posted on August 10, 2007 14:12
Jim,
You're right--you have an historian's heart and perspective. It's no surprise that the professional journalists rarely make it out of the green zone hotel lobby. They're into 30-second sound bites, upwardly mobile careers, self-preservation, and the next lucrative assignment.
You can find most of them, in any hotspot in the world, comfortably established in the hotel bar, sharing stories with each other, so that they all have just enough of the same information to file their 30-second stories and get back home, quickly.
I'm glad you have the soul of a poet. And I'm glad your family loves each other enough to want to be together in country. That's a good thing!
Posted by Annamaria Profit | August 10, 2007 9:00 PM
Posted on August 10, 2007 21:00
Jim,
Who is reading you? Those who want to know and feel what it is REALLY like for our guys doing what they do best. Guys in white shirts in Iraq!!! They are calling all the shots from their offices in Washington, but with only dirty shoes they don't have a clue!! Too bad - maybe they should be reading Jim Spiri and learn a little.
Thanks for doing what you do best!!
Posted by 2/6 Marine Mom | August 11, 2007 10:35 AM
Posted on August 11, 2007 10:35
dear Jim,
well frst off i would like to say that i enjoyed your article and that i have your daughter melaine ,or Mrs.Blackwell for my eng III class, i like what you are doing your are showing the world that Iraq is not going as well as it should be, and you are not sugar coating it, i hate things being sugar coated and that is what the Media does best they tell you a ration of crap and lies. my dad Kevin A Erickson (RIP 1969-2007), waz a marine in desert sheild and desert storm , he served with our good o'le Devil dogs OORAH, in the war before us and he would love to read what is going on and to hear the actaul news even if it is bad, he would even watch the internaitional news. to get the full sroy. i do like the idea of your out look as a historian, thank you i enjoyed reading this good bye and God bless you
Spencer Erickson OK
Posted by spencer A erickson | August 17, 2007 10:11 AM
Posted on August 17, 2007 10:11