Jim Spiri in Iraq

So, that gives me time to reflect on many things, and in the interest of those of you reading and following the blog, I owe it to you to keep you informed.

What happened close by here less than two days ago, has made international headlines. A few hours before it happened, I was conversing with MG Mixon as he said the enemy will attack more, as progress pushes forward.

A few hours later, and about 25-miles from where I am at the moment, one of the most horrific events of this war was carried out on the Yazidi people near an area called Sinjar. I have been chomping at the bit to get there, but I cannot get there, yet. I know for sure the photos coming out of there would have been an historical archive. I am quite frustrated that I am not there, and it is so close. So close, yet so far away.

In years past, during my time photographing the war in El Salvador in the 1980's, it was much easier to move around. Oh, it was grueling on the body riding the crammed painted up school buses, but it was easy to move around that country. It is not that easy here in Iraq. It is the one thing that I miss from the past about the things I do now. The matter of waiting is not one person's fault, it is just the way it is in this war in Iraq, at least for Westerners. I have read accounts by others who are able to move about more freely, but I have not met them.

When a person has too much time on his hands, he begins to think about things. Today, I've been reading a book that has absolutely captivated me to the uttermost. So much so, that I feel like doing something Oprah does. Suggest a book to read.

"Imperial Life in the Emerald City".

It is about the bubble life in the Green Zone, from 2003, until about now. It is a must read for anyone interested in what we are doing here, mistakes that have been made, and a bit of an insight into life in this land of Iraq.

This book was given to me by one of the military here. He figured I would have some time to read and that it would show me some things that are directly related to the situations I have found myself in across this country. For those of you that have been following what I am doing, you will see that I say many things about my time here in this country dating back to when I first arrived in Iraq in January 2004. This book tells much about the intricacies of how it all went down from a perspective that would be in line with comments I've made about "whose running the show" from time to time.

Since March of this year, I have been mingling among a fair bit of our troops. Most all of the ones I've met, and there have been thousands, have all been to Iraq on two or more tours of duty. I have learned that there are many people that have lots of time invested in this country and perhaps their patience is wearing thin. I was struck the other day by Col.
Twitty's remarks about how he had three years invested here in Iraq, and he is somewhat annoyed at the lack of progress by the Iraqi government. As I write this entry, General Petreaus is about to give his assessment on the situation that is due soon to the President.
What I have begun to realize today is my exercise in waiting, is something that many above me have been doing for several years now here in Iraq.

The tragic suicide bombing that happened on the Yazidi people two days ago, has caught my immediate attention. The night I learned of it is the night my flight was canceled. There was an immediate need for medivacs and assets were used accordingly. When I came in that night, I checked on the internet and had seen that a CH47 helicopter had crashed, and that one of the persons killed was from New Mexico. I was immediately terrified, for my son is from New Mexico, and he flies that same type aircraft, and he is currently deployed here. I had to wait for information. The computers were very slow that night, and would not work fast. I had to wait, and wait and wait. Eventually, I learned that he was ok, but other families would be grieving. They will wait to heal.

I put a photo up recently that shows a young Iraqi boy with the word "quick" on his shirt. Others behind him were waiting. If those of you that are reading this missed that photo, please go back and see it. It tells a lot. The American public has never been patient, but the type of waiting I am doing and speaking about seems all together different that than what John Q. Public speaks about. When I was waiting the other night, well into the early hours for information about my son, I thought about so many things I had written and photographed. How would I feel if the news had been different? I cannot answer that question at the moment. But every single moment I am in this country, I think about all the parents and family members that have had to answer that question and I pray for much grace for them.

While I continue to wait, I will finish my book.

There will be times ahead that I will have to hurry and I will look back on the times of waiting. My wife and family continue to wait for me to finish, as do all the family members of those who are deployed around me. All reading this must wait for whatever
comes next.

I do not mind waiting these days. Sometimes no news is good news.

Jim Spiri
COP Heider
jimspiri@yahoo.com