"Things in Baghdad" from Jase

All,
Not really that much going on on my end here. I'm still working into my role here, and therefore, don't really do that much. Very different than being on the sub. If your new there, you should be at work longer than everyone else until you are able to stand your watch. Here, since after a certain time, everyone else is gone or too busy to teach you, you just wait till tomorrow. That fits my natural personality, just not the nuke one that has been beaten into me over the past 5 years. Also, all the meetings kill me. It makes it very hard to get things done because the person you need to contact is almost always in a meeting. Such is office work I guess. In my opinion, the most difficult thing about this conflict is "winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people." A rational person might wonder why this is so hard, being that we are one of the only countries that actually attempts to follow any sort of rules of armed conflict. And, aren't we the saviours of democracy and freedom? Who wouldn't want to be liberated from an evil dictator? Shouldn't they love us for ending the oppression and genocide? Well, this is why they don't. Here are a few of the rumors that the Iraqi people actually believe about us. US troops eat children, US troops use poison treated bullets, US troops sunglasses are x-ray capable so that we can see through women's clothing, US troops berets are dyed with human blood, and the US troops have a magic "cold pill" that keeps us cool walking around in our gear when it's 120 degrees outside. Laughable, but sadly they actually believe this. Wouldn't you side with Al Qaeda if you had those people to go up against? But, hope is here. For, in only one office, we have a Smart Colonel, and Wise Commander, and a LT with a lot of Wisdom. Take care all,
Jase