COLUMN: At least I’m still standing

Hello family and friends,

Today I was the rear gunner on a convoy from Ba’qubah to Balad. I love standing high in the back of a Humvee with the wind whipping freely around my body – no dirty windshield or blind spots to block the view. I feel like I’m on parade as I wave and shout “Salam” (peace and hello) to all the people we pass. Most smile and wave back. I had a first sergeant who said, “At least if they’re waving they won’t be shooting at us.” The guys on the team call me “Keeley – the Smiling Killer” because they think it’s funny that I have one hand cradled on a machine gun and the other raised in greeting with a big smile below the dorky goggles on my face. I hope there is always a lot of use for the hand waving and never any use for the hand on the gun.

It used to be that only boys would come by the gate. But with some candy dangled in enticing encouragement and the familiarity time brings there are now cute girls who frequent the gate. Some are little 3 and 4 years old who stare at us strange Americans in wide-eyed wonder, others are 12 and 13 and gaining teenage confidence. There is also a crowd of school-goers that stops by from time to time to practice some newly learned tidbits of English. They say that British English is much easier than American English because the British pronounce the sounds while Americans slur the sounds and use much more slang like “Hey, wassup, dude?”

We have started to pack away non-essential items in anticipation of going home. That’s an encouraging sign – the light at the end of the tunnel. Of course we still haven’t heard a really firm date, but there are ramblings and rumors (the Army is wonderful about keeping a person in suspense). The closer the time gets to our “365 days Boots-on-Ground” the more anxious I am to leave. I think most of us old-timers are tired (numb and drained are the better words) and ready to leave the daily drama of Iraq – where each day brings roadside dangers, scenes of poverty and filth, and stories full of lies and truths. Hopefully I’ll be home in time for March Madness college basketball.

God Speed,

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.