Between Iraq and a Hard Place

EVEN AFTER THE U.S. ELECTION, IRAQ MAY FOREVER REMAIN a battleground state. U.S. forces on Iraq's front lines fear little will change there in the near future.
     "Unfortunately I see this place as a constant battleground," says Russ Langland, Marine Corporal. "There are too many radical thinkers in the Islamic faith with too much easy access to Iraq. Christians or westerners make easy targets here. They [insurgents] want to protect their strict ways of life."
     Staff Sergeant Rick Taylor, stationed in the same province, also sees little promise but expresses optimism in the new government.
     "Twenty years from now there will probably be a prime minister in place, and the government will resemble something like Egypt's, I hope," Taylor said. The government will still be based on religion, but hopefully it will lean more toward democracy."
     Langland, stationed in Falluja, has doubts about Iraq's sovereignty.
     "Falluja might as well be its own country. Even when Saddam was in power, he could not control that city. They refused to be ruled or taxed by any nation. They have been a freestanding city for over 2,000 years. Falluja just refuses to conform. They have anti-aircraft guns and plenty of ammo for everything. In Falluja everyone hates you. When we roll into Falluja, we bring as much heat as we can. All of our trucks are loaded with as much ammo, grenades and rockets that we can find room for," Langland said. "Don't ever go there. Ever."
     An indication of the future may lie today in the hands that will eventually hold total responsibility for Iraq's security.
     "They [Iraqi security forces] have pretty low level training and ability," Taylor said. "They are not trustworthy because of everything they've been through. There is a big communications gap."
     Langland had a similar experience with the Iraqi security forces on the beginning.
     "We had a lot of problems with corruption at first, but now we have weeded a lot of the bad guys out. We do a lot of joint training and we have even done a few joint missions. They are not as tactically sound as us, but they do all right. They are friendly toward us and eager to learn for the most part," Langland said. "Soon they should be able to assume all responsibility for security over here."
     Nearly 10,000 Iraqi National Guardsman in the last six months have left service, many because they did a disservice to their country by not doing their job or not supporting the interim government. Iraqi security forces today only total around 45 percent of the desired number of trained Iraqis the U.S. hoped to have at this time.
     Progress made in the next month will determine the outcome of a self-governing Iraq, as the country holds elections in January. As for the progress made in the last year, U.S. forces say things have improved.
     Helen Gerhardt, National Guard Reservist, came across on her second day in Iraq "abandoned helmets, spent shells and Arabic training manuals for gas mask use. In one room I found twisted hooks hanging from the ceiling next to an electronic control board, and I shuddered at what my inner Hollywood pieced out of the scene."
     Though violence still haunts the land, Langland said "the most prominent improvements have taken place in the hospitals and schools. There are now full staffs of doctors and teachers at these institutions, They also have more equipment to work with than they did in February when we arrived. Also, more girls and women are attending school than ever before. Aside from that, the other improvements have been mostly with local governments. When we arrived, local governments were non-existent or in disarray. Now they are able to provide things for the communities like a police and fire department. Sanitation and garbage departments are now serving many areas. Getting these people to act for their own benefit has been a big improvement."
     Although the thoughts of the soldiers are a valuable insight, only time can tell the outcome of Iraq. But Langland knows, "this country [Iraq] is used to war. They have been fighting for hundreds of years off and on. It will take more than a little war to shake them up." If history truly repeats itself, America might end up fighting into the years to come.