COLUMN: Suffering prevails over tranquility
Hello family and friends,
I’m not sure which memories of Iraq I’ll frequent when I return home and have time to reflect upon my adventure. There’s two images that are in front of me daily while I’m here. The first is the small children running to the roadside anytime they hear the deep diesel purr of the Humvees I ride in. The children stream out of alleys and gates and shops, their tiny legs pumping in a turning whirlwind of motion. They come wide-eyed, cheering and waving with thumb up or victory fingers extended. Less often they come with upheld palm motioning to open mouth, asking for a handout of food or water, saying, “Hey mister, give me …” I’m surprised every time I roll out the gate that the newness of America’s presence in Iraq hasn’t worn off on the children, with adults we receive an occasional wave, an icy stare or are ignored. As long as Iraq’s future continues to embrace us with open arms there is hope for a better day.
The second image is of garbage everywhere – in the streets, in the vacant lots, along roadsides. There seems to be little or no garbage disposal organization or mentality. The sickening, sweet smell of garbage lying to rot in the hot sun is overwhelming in some neighborhoods. What’s more are the poverty-stricken families who stay alive by searching through the rubbish piles, scouring the heaps for anything of value. I pray that with time and education better sanitation practices will prevail.
I was able to take a needed break from the overwhelming pressures of work and play in the palaces and hotels of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), the interim government. First, I traveled with a convoy to Baghdad for an afternoon spent at the palace where Paul Bremmer lives. The palace, formerly belonging to Saddam Hussein, is in the heart of Baghdad and immaculate – marble rooms, chandeliers, gardens, expensive furniture. I ate at a dining hall filled with the bureaucrats and rebuilders from many nations. The afternoon was spent lounging by a large pool.
A few days later I traveled north as a hired gun (security) to Irbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. A few hours I spent among tightly-packed and well-stocked alley markets. I bought binoculars, sandals and Iraqi chocolate. Most of my stay, though, was at a hotel on a mountain top a few miles outside of the city. It was heaven to spend two nights in a soft twin bed where I could stretch out and lay my head on a real pillow. The view of the mountains was spectacular.
The work continues and the days pass into weeks and months. The noble seeds of freedom take infant root and must be well cared for. Angry weeds of opposition grow rapidly and oft times press upon the precious plant. But the freedom sworn by America and the Coalition in Iraq today will rise from small sapling to mighty oak. We must not lose heart, but persevere and be victorious.
God Bless,
Chris
Christopher Keeley is a graduate student at USU and was working as a staff assistant in Extension Conference Services when he was called to active duty. He is from Hyrum, Utah, and is a member of the Utah National Guard specializing in counterintelligence and is a Korean linguist.