In Focus: Dust Storms

Since the last week of June, we've had ten or eleven dust storms.  Some of these storms have been so bad, the dust so thick, that you couldn't see beyond 200 feet in front of you.  

Before I came to Iraq, during my stay in Kuwait, we had a sand storm.  The difference between a sand storm and a dust storm is you can feel the sand in a sand storm.  The dust in a dust storm you don't feel.  You can smell it and taste it and it grates on your teeth.  But you can't feel it. 

The dust is reddish orange in color and fine like talcum powder.   It seeps through crevices, finding its way into living quarters.  After 8 straight days of dust storms, my a/c filter was completely coated in dust.  I cleaned it the week before.

When Vice President Biden visited, he did an interview with George Stephanopoulos on the patio of Gen. Odierno's quarters.  By the time the interview was done, in less than ten minutes, our eyebrows, eyelashes and hair looked like someone dusted us with orange powdered sugar.

While waiting outside of Gen. Odierno's office the other day, I talked with the Iraqi Minister of Justice, who was also waiting.  We discussed the dust storms.  He has lived here all his life and does not recall dust storms like we've experienced in the past few weeks.  Many speculate that the 5 year drought Iraq has experienced is the main culprit behind the storms.

They say we can't bring dirt or rocks with us when we redeploy to the U.S.   Make no mistake about it, whether I want to or not, I will be bringing Iraqi dust with me to Virginia.

Out of the Cities

Probably the most important event to occur during my time here in Iraq has been and will be the pull-back of U.S. combat forces from Iraqi urban areas on 30 June. This day placed a marker in history of when the Iraqi people took over the security of their country.

It was a day of celebration for Iraqis as they took one giant leap in their maturity as a sovereign nation. It was also a day of pride for American troops as they beheld a transition that could not have been possible without their service and sacrifice.

Unfortunately, some Iraqis chose the day as an opportunity to lash out at America's "occupation" in Iraq. To a casual observer, this is an insult - a slap in the face - to the American forces here. However, it is one more condition that proves that the Iraqis are free to speak their minds, unlike under Saddam Hussein, and that they are fully engaging in the democratic process set up by the efforts of America's finest.

Let me explain - in January 2010 Iraqis will go to the polls and vote for their national representatives. America-bashing is playing to some constituencies in Iraq. It is actually a good sign that political leaders in Iraq are choosing to wield influence through a democratic process rather than through violence.

As for the violence, the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) are doing their jobs. They are being tested, but that was expected. But even with this testing, the level of violence being seen here is the lowest since 2003. Here's hoping and praying that the ISF, with the training, advice and assistance provided by American forces, will be able to continue to provide the conditions necessary for Iraq to progress to a stable and secure nation.

Catching up and going forward

It's been over a month since I've been able to update this blog. The reason for this was I filled in for General Odierno's Deputy Public Affairs Officer while he was home visiting his family for R & R. This meant I moved over to Camp Victory to work at the MNF-I headquarters. Unfortunately, there is no public (free) Internet access there. So my blogging was hampered due to the lack of connectivity.

I'm now back at the Embassy and will be here for about a week before moving back to Camp Victory permanently. The DPAO is redeploying and I will be taking over his duties permanently while also fulfilling my role as Legislative Advisor. Thus, over the next week I will make updates of what has transpired here for the past month. Once back at Camp Victory, I will resume my blogging via my Facebook page.