Jim Spiri in Iraq

One day, I was working on a Chevy Celebrity that I
had, changing out a fuse that had gone bad. I was
bent over under the dashboard trying to read the size
amp for the fuse that needed changing. All the
writing was blurred with white markings. I began to
cuss out General Motors for making blurry numbers on
tiny fuses. My son Jesse was with me and asked if he
could take a look. He got under there and read the
numbers perfectly. This was my first inclination that
my eyes were bad and his eyes were not. From that
point on, I realized that the younger ones were now
the leaders. It was a rude awakening to me for my
eyes had always been perfect. I was at that time in
my mid 40's. I now wear cheap Wal-Mart reading
glasses and try not to lose them or misplace them.
My long distance vision is good, but up close, is not.

In May of 2001, I was plunged into a life and death
battle with Tri-Care. I was told by an Air Force Col.
at the VA Hospital in Albuquerque, NM that there was
not enough money in the budget to care for my son,
Jesse, a newly commissioned 2nd Lt. in the USMC, who
had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. The Col. told
me that unless an act of Congress was enacted there
was nothing they could do to help my son. Fifty-six
days later, my son passed away. A little over two
years later, having stood my ground, I was invited to
the US Senate to witness a bill in Congress that I
pushed, changing the law in regards to newly
commissioned officers in the military and health care
coverage. It took an act of Congress. It was named
in honor of my son, Jesse.
The country was at war. It became politically correct
to cover military men when their health is in
jeopardy.

This wound has healed yet remains tender for the rest
of my life.

In 2004 I came to Iraq. I worked on the flight line
and assisted in the loading of medevac flights
carrying thousands of wounded soldiers, marines,
sailors and airmen to Germany, and eventually onto the
USA. I saw everything one can imagine. I also
witnessed medical care for thousands of non US
citizens who were in need of care. I also witnessed
medical care for thousands of enemy combatants. No
one was ever asked for insurance forms. While in
Balad, I remember one time needing some medical care
for myself for an issue that had arose. I was told, I
was not covered. There were no funds in the budget
for my particular situation.

It was ironic to say the least.

Prior to the invasion in March of 2003 into Iraq,
there were many situations stateside that had
requested funding for particular domestic programs.
The line was at that time, "not enough money" to
implement those programs. Somewhere along the way,
quite a bit of money was found to fund this war in
Iraq. I do not know where it came from.

Jumping forward to today, there are reports of how
things are taken care of here in Iraq. Two days ago,
there was a huge article all over the wires about
contracts in Anbar province. A job is bid, a local is
awarded the contract, and most of the money paid to
him is spent on "extortion payments" to insurgents so
as not to attack him as he performs his job. It can
be said, in these cases, if one connects the dots in a
particular order, that the US taxpayer is funding the
insurgents who in turn continue to attack US forces in
Iraq.

I find this ironic.

Currently, the situation in Iraq, is at the very
least, extremely complicated, as I have mentioned in
previous entries on this blog. There are many
factions, but the most that we hear about are the
Shia, the Sunni and the Kurds. There are many more
but these are three we hear about most often. We
liberated the Shia from Sunni domination only to be
severely hindered by Shia militias. The Sunnis were
left out early in the war for fear of past affiliation
and loyalty to Saddam Hussein and the Bathist party.
An insurgency was born. For the first couple of
years, military personnel on the ground fighting this
"insurgency" were not allowed to use such a word.
Eventually, it became clear to call it what it was,
long after the damage was done. The Kurds, who have a
defacto homeland called, "Kurdistan", have been
promised many things by the American government, and
have become the most loyal in this puzzle. However,
in talking with many Kurds, I have found that their
trust of the American policies regarding their future,
is questionable at best. One cannot talk about
Kurdistan without factoring in Turkey, who by the way,
refused the 4th ID passage during the initial push
into Iraq.

I find this ironic.

I have touched on the matter of the role that the
civilian contracting system plays in this war in Iraq.
I have been a part of it in the past. I can see a
need for SOME of it. But most of what I have seen has
been a huge and gross over indulgence and waste of
money funded by the US taxpayer unbeknownst to the
majority of the population stateside. It is a well
kept secret and one that has questionable links
directly connected to the offices of the Vice
President. I have seen in the past, with my own eyes,
among some civilian contractors, KBR being the chief
culprit, unscrupulous hiring practices based on which
fraternity one belonged to, and a complete padding of
the books in regards to over hiring of incompetent
help, here in the war zone. What I am speaking of is
well known by many, but acknowledged by few. Careers
are at stake.

I find this ironic.

All of this brings me to today and the experiences I
have been afforded the past four months. I decided a
long time ago, I would "hit the ground" with the
"boots", the "joes", the "grunts", and feel the
heartbeat of those whom we thrust front and center
into war. I knew my vision up close was blurry, and I
needed to see clearly, up close and personal. This is
exactly what I have done.

The "boot" on the ground knows all the things I know,
and much more. Yet he has no time to concern himself
with it. Lives are at stake. His own life as well.
A task is given, it is executed, and the results are
reported. Somewhere, it is collated into a graph on
somebody's desk half a world away, while the "boot"
prepares for the next day's mission. But the "boot"
gains another days experience and logs it into the
memory banks for sometime later on in life.

The "boot" hears blips on the news that sounds to him
like the contemporary lyric in a song, "Shall we stay
or shall we go?". Not knowing what the big picture
may or may not be, the "boot" goes into battle and
performs magnificently. At the same time he suffers
loss as deep or even deeper than my own experiences.
He cannot be phased. Tomorrow is another day. He even
re-enlists and receives bonuses that pale in
comparison to civilian contractors paychecks.

I find this ironic.

In my journey, I have met many, many good Iraqis. I
have also met some Iraqis that I know are playing both
ends against the middle, waiting to see what America's
next move is going to be. The hardest part for me on
this journey is trying to figure out what the big
picture is. I do not claim to know it, yet. I'm not
sure I ever will. But being here at this time in the
middle of so much political noise, I'm trying my
damndest to focus in not on where we've been but where
we are going.

I have not experienced a problem with leadership among
the "boots" on the ground. It is well intact.
However, I am aware that many of those in higher
places, back in Washington, civilians, who are calling
the shots, avoided the draft during the Viet Nam
years. This I find most ironic.

It is now easy for me to admit, that I do not see
clearly up close anymore. I shall continue to enlist
the aid of those younger than me who see clearer than
I do. I know where I want to go, but I am not so sure
I see the way on the map to get there, yet. It is a
bit blurry. However......

"I can see clearly now....with a little help from my
friends".

Jim Spiri
Mosul, Iraq
jimspiri@yahoo.com