Posters cover Iraq's blast walls

BAGHDAD, Iraq — If any single image can capture Iraq's precarious position, suspended between dictatorship and democracy, it's the campaign posters that are pasted on towering concrete blast walls throughout Baghdad and in the provinces, reflecting the country's brutal past and its hopes for a different future.

A week before voters go to the polls to fill several hundred council seats in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces, more than 14,400 candidates are jostling to make their pitches in an election that many Iraqis hope will distribute power more equitably. On campaign signs wallpapered throughout most of the country, office seekers are pledging to create jobs, stamp out violence and build a "modern" Iraq.

"The number of posters is extreme," said Mazin Fouad, 34, the owner of a bodega-style shop in central Baghdad. "You can see them here, there, everywhere."

The election Jan. 31 comes as Iraq struggles to take another step from dictatorship to something resembling democracy. U.S. officials hope the provincial vote can be touted as free and fair, though Iraqis consider government figures corrupt and self-serving.

Iraq has held elections in recent years, but they weren't like these.

There were legislative elections in 2005, two years after U.S. troops invaded the country and toppled Saddam Hussein, but voters could choose only from "closed lists" of political parties instead of voting for individual candidates. Sunni Muslim Arabs boycotted the vote, which
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left them feeling marginalized.

This time, voters will be able pick parties and tick off numbers that correlate with the candidates of their choices. U.S.-backed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki isn't seeking office because the election is for provincial seats, but his face is on posters promising construction and — this may sound familiar — change.

Iraqi politics still has its risks, though. In mid-December, Atwani said, gunmen fired at State of Law party members as they put up posters on the eastern edge of Baghdad. Nobody was wounded.

While Iraqis joke that the blast walls offer more space for campaign posters, improving security is a popular pitch.

"Sectarianism is a crime against honor," reads one poster for a Sunni candidate with the Movement of the Sons of Two Rivers, a reference to the Tigris and Euphrates, which have nourished the land since prehistory. The signs, pasted in succession like an Andy Warhol print, appeared in a mixed-sect neighborhood in central Baghdad.

So far, election-related violence hasn't been as bad as many had feared. Only two candidates have been killed: a Shiite Muslim from al-Maliki's party in the southern province of Babil and a Sunni candidate in Mosul, a northern city where Arab-Kurdish tensions still run high.

There have been other campaign problems, however.

At a recent news conference in the Green Zone, the heavily fortified 5.6-square-mile government compound in the heart of Baghdad, officials said they'd documented 180 campaign violations by 69 parties and candidates, ranging from premature campaigning to putting up posters in undesignated areas. Election officials said they issued fines.

Then there's the mudslinging.

Al Sharqiya, an Iraqi satellite-television channel that's critical of the Shiite-led government, played on fears of sectarian violence, referring to posters on Palestine Street of certain candidates as a party of killers. The fliers that blanket the walls there belong to The Independent Free Men movement, which has been endorsed by leaders in the movement led by militant Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

As fast as posters are put up, opponents rip them down.

Given the almost daily roadside bombs, it makes sense that the campaign trail treads lightly on the streets and uses television to get into Iraqis' living rooms, assuming that voters have their own generators.

"When there is electricity, we sometimes watch the ads," said Haider Naji, 29, a magazine editor. "The candidates have spent a lot on these ads."

Religious symbols are banned from posters, but the ads still sport recognizable faces, imagery and slogans. With the unemployment rate as high as 60 percent, many ads employ a populist bent.

"With you, with you" is the slogan of the Shiite-affiliated Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. It's a reference to siding with the masses, the implication being that rival parties do not.

On a sleek-looking Web site for the Iraqi Accord Front, a major Sunni bloc in parliament, a singer solicits support from his listeners.

"The eyes of people sleep and we keep vigilant," he sings above a snappy beat and a party name chorus. "With you, injustice will not befall us."

The reach of the political parties is evident in other ways, too.

A suit-wearing security officer affiliated with the Badr Organization, the Iranian-backed armed wing of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, scolded reporters Thursday for interviewing motorists about their views on candidates' campaign efforts. The neighborhood, he said, was "presidential" and therefore off-limits to the news media. After 10 minutes of back-and-forth and a threatened cell phone call to his superior, the officer relented.

Many Iraqis say they're wary of elections, believing they do little but allow politicians to deepen their pockets. Often in the same breath, however, they say that they want not just improved security, but also basic services such as electricity.

"We want more services, not just sidewalks," said Ahmed Abbas al-Alaq, 29, a linguist.

As for the campaigning, voters say the ubiquitous ads are hard to ignore. They also wonder whether the money spent on them could be better used.

"If they spent this money on orphans or widows, we would be better off," said Fouad, the shop owner. "Wouldn't it be more useful to take care of these families in need?"

By TRENTON DANIEL
McClatchy Newspapers

Meal with a sheik seals friendship

Reporter's Notebook By Travis J. Tritten, Stars and Stripes

Sheik Jassim Zeydon Khalef al-Dulaymi, background, hosts soldiers while an assistant carries a tray of chai tea on Dec. 29 in Taji, Iraq. Purchase reprint
Travis J. Tritten / S&S
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brandon Tipton, of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, pilots a Chinook helicopter during a nighttime mission around Baghdad. Purchase reprint

TAJI, Iraq — The sheik’s reception room was the size of a banquet hall. Colorful rugs covered the floor and the ceiling was hung with ornate golden chandeliers. The walls were lined with stuffed couches and tables decorated with glass elephants.

Sheik Jassim Zeydon Khalef al-Dulaymi, dressed in the traditional Arab dishdashah robe and shumagg head scarf, greeted some of the U.S. soldiers with a kiss on each cheek. He is an important man in Taji, north of Baghdad, and everything about him says so.

Meeting with sheiks is still a key job for soldiers on the front lines in Iraq. On this day in early January, the sheik had prepared a special treat for members of the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division — a lunchtime meal of broiled fish.

Many soldiers relish the lunches of Iraqi delicacies, even though it often means days of digestive distress.

“We don’t consider you occupiers, we consider you friends, especially since the new security agreement was signed,” said the sheik, a reserved man with intense eyes, before servants brought out a large tray of food.

The giant fish had been split down the center, topped with onions and tomatoes and broiled until the top turned brown and crunchy. It had been caught in the ancient Euphrates River, he said.

Eating in typical Iraqi fashion, the soldiers dipped their fingers into the soft oily meat and piled the fish onto pita bread.

The sheik pointed out what is considered the tastiest part of the fish, an area of dark salty meat near the brain.

“We are now partners,” he told the soldiers.

Last Mission

Greetings Wardawgs Blog readers, This is PFC Nelson writing this morning.Today is the last day that the 3rd platoon of 58th CEC goes on a mission. I am happy like everyone else is about that fact. Most of us have been out here for 15 long months and now we can finally say that we have completed our deployment. Now all that there is left to do is prepare to fly to Kuwait and then eventually make our way to California. I am confident that our replacements will do a good job in our place and i hope and pray that like us, they will not have any serious casualties.
Here are some cool new pictures from our platoon! :

CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO SEE THE FULL SIZE!

Tents and More Tents

Currently there are 4 more days untill the 58th returns to Ft. Irwin! We are all very excited and relieved that we will soon be back home and reunited with our family and friends. Right now we are living in tents in very close quarters. I personally don't like the tent experience, but i'll suck it up untill i can get back to normal living arrangements, in Kuwait hopefully we'll be put into larger more accommodating tents with more room for us to move around in. Untill then i will continue to count down the days untill we leave this country and the Middle East in general.

PFC Nelson

Hello Wardawgs families

UNCLASSIFIED

Hello Wardawgs families,

Tomorrow is going to be a special day in United States history. Barrack
Obama will be our 44th President. And for the first time in a very long
time, Arizona Cardinals is attending the Super Bowl.

For us, 58th CEC will be heading home back to Fort Irwin really soon as
well. It is indeed a really good feeling to be reconnected with the
loved ones after so long being away in a foreign land. I personally am
thanking you for being there through the tough times, through the hard
times within the last 15 months.

My time as part of 3rd Platoon, 58th CEC is winding down, and I have
enjoyed every single moment of it, but it is also a time to let go and a
time to move on.
I also would like to say thanks to you for giving me a chance to be part
of the Wardawgs.

We are doing well and dandy. We are actually doing really well.
Everybody is a bit burned out and anxious, but they are all excited to
be going home real soon. No doubt about that. And I'm sure that you
can't wait either, but the time will come.

You have a wonderful day and God blesses!

Alternative PT

Here are the latest examples of how some people in 3rd platoon make PT fun!

Awards and Accolades

Yesterday the 58th CEC received awards for our time here in Iraq. Myself like many others were awarded the Army Commendation Medal and also given a Certificate. I am proud of myself and my fellow soldiers in this unit. We have been told many times by high ranking people in our chain of command just how well the 58th has performed while being in Iraq. The number of IEDs we've found has helped protect many innocent people in this country. And the LT.Col said that he was proud to have worked with us. Like any unit we have our issues, but altogether i would say that when it comes to doing our job we are some of the best!

-PFC Nelson

Good afternoon Wardawgs family,

This will probably the last FRG newsletter before we are all heading back to our beloved Fort Irwin, California. Everything has actually gone smoothly with very little set back. On Christmas day, the platoon conducted Secret Santa and some Soldiers went over to my room and asked me either to help them wrap the gift or asked for a wrapping paper to wrap the presents themselves. Some Soldiers even told me that they did not remember the last time that they wrapped the present. Everybody was quite happy about the event and I actually got the chance to see the Soldiers with refreshing smiles in their faces. Once the Secret Santa Operation was completed, we all went to the Dining Facility as a platoon and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Lunch. I also posted the Christmas pictures on the blog site (www.wardawgs.blogspot.com) so if you have access to the internet, please check out the blog.

On the 31st of December, the patrol rolled out like any other normal days to look for Improvised Explosive Devices but we returned to base on time to have a bon fire and welcomed the New Year with German Near Beers. I actually drank two bottles and got a little buzz, as I do not drink alcohol at all (may be a few times). The Soldiers laughed at me when I told them that. I wonder what will happen to me if they force me for a few real drinks when we redeploy. I am worry!!!

As the New Year came, the temperature dropped to 27 degree Fahrenheit and it has been cold since then. None the less, USA Today reported that the Month of December has the lowest casualty combined in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The Status of Force Agreement took effect on January 1st and Iraq has become an independent democratic nation. We have completed our job knowing that 20 to 30 years from now, we will be able to recognize that we have contributed in helping Iraq become a democratic country. But for now, we know that in a few short weeks, we will be home hugging you, the wives, children, parents, aunts, uncles and friends with a bright smile and a sense of relief from a long and tenuous deployment. It is almost over and I am thanking you very much for being strong, patience and endurance in the last 14 months while being away from us.

Sincerely,
1LT Pham, Tho
3rd Platoon
Platoon Leader

Random Thoughts

Hello 3rd Platoon blog readers, this is PFC Nelson. This is my first time posting on my platoon's blog. Being apart of this platoon is an interesting experience. Though i am glad that we are finally about to go back to wonderful FT. Irwin in a few weeks. Although my stay in Iraq has not been as long as most of my fellow soldiers, i am just as excited about going home as they are. I am also glad that Iraq is becoming a sovereign nation and soon will be able to govern itself. In the upcoming weeks i will be posting more about my perspective of our last days in this deployment.

Christmas Carol written by PFC Matthew Nelson

On the evening of December 25th, eight soldiers from the 3rd platoon of the 58th CEC went on a Christmas Caroling Adventure. I was fortunate to be one of those eight happy singing men who was urged by our amazing lieutenant to bring cheer and joy to various houses on COB Speicher.

We practiced our songs repeatedly before starting our tour, the practice was essential to making out singing voices and rhythm near perfect. Afterwards we all met up at the coffee shop and prepared to start spreading our Christmas spirit. First we entertained our Commander. We sang our songs for him, and he seemed to appreciate it, though he did imply that our singing needed some improvement. We then left the TOC and ventured into the "crack house" area. A soldier suggested that we go and sing in front of his female friend's house. And so we did. Our songs attracted two young women to come out and listen to us, after that we left and decided only to entertain the people in our platoon. We walked to the house that mostly has 3rd squad and started to sing, unfortunately not everyone in that house enjoyed the sound of our voices, someone even threw things at us and slammed his door! But most of the people in that house liked us and we even had someone join us as we went on to the next building!

We continued to carol for our platoon at the next building, and then when we reached my house, things changed a little. We all went inside and started to sing in the empty hallway. Within a matter of seconds people opened their bedroom doors and stood in amazement as we sang our songs loud and proudly. It was a wonderful and memorable experience. We then left my house and ventured to the lieutenant's house, but one of us had the idea of entertaining the Sergeant Major. After some debating we decided to do just that, and walked to his house. As we got there he was just about to step outside. We stood around his front yard with our Platoon Sergeant witnessing, and we sang our songs for the last time that evening. The Sergeant major thanked us and took many pictures and then the eight Christmas carolers left.

The blessed night ended with most of us gathered around a fire in front of the lieutenant’s house roasting marshmallows and socializing. Altogether that night was fun and a morale booster. And I was very honored to be apart of it.