COLUMN: Letter from Iraq

Hello family and friends,

The CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) has just completed a dining facility at our little compound, complete with cooks and servers from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and the Philippines. That means we now get three hot meals a day, instead of one hot meal that was trucked in (making it more warm than hot). Showers, flushing toilets, climate control machines, three meals a day – life is getting too comfortable around here so it must mean that I’ll move somewhere else soon. Now we just need some exercise equipment to work off the stationary lifestyle.

My team went on a foot patrol through the market. The streets were muddy and strewn with garbage. Most people waved and smiled in response to our wave and smile, though some refused to greet the Americans, and one boy said the Americans are “no good.” Some of the gate boys guided us around and told us not to go down dangerous allies or sections of the market. Apparently there is a bounty on the heads of soldiers: $3,000 for a male and $5,000 for a female. I think that’s urban rumor, but we remain watchful. Like the Pied Piper to whom all the boys flocked when hearing his melody, we sure collected a crowd wherever we went.

Happy New Year! I don’t think there is anything special planned here – no dance or fireworks. My new year will begin when I touch down on American soil and greet loved ones long missed.

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 and is a member of the Utah National Guard specializing in counterintelligence and is a Korean linguist.