Two more reports from Bart, our correspondent in Iraq.

Amazing. If a convoy is wiped out and the media doesn’t report it…

IRAQ Math, 3161’s, the media

Math is big here, for military and civilians. You constantly hear people referring to it. For instance, 139 and a hook, 35 and a wake-up, etc. Of course, what they are referring to is the amont of time they have left in Iraq.

3161’s

You may have heard that what we have in the Green Zone is the largest U.S. Embassy, or “mission,” in the world. In fact, most of the civilian personnel in Iraq are not career bureaucrats, but 3161’s, named for a provision in (from what I’ve heard) a defense authorization bill that permits hiring them. Some seem to be extremely specialized, in areas like irrigation and damns. Some do things that sound “funny” to me; I’ve heard several are working with the Iraqi Sports Authority (not the store, but a
governmental organization dealing with their Olympic team, yada yada). They are found at all different levels, but senior levels seem to predominate. I don’t know how much the senior ones make; it’s been described to me as “outrageous” and “it would amaze you.” I’ll try to find out more about them.

Media

Hard to figure them out. Last week, a woman (a DOD civilian) got killed when an insurgent rocket hit the Camp Victory gym (maybe I should think seriously about the time I spend at the gym). Virtually no mention of her death. The other day, the insurgents hit a convoy really hard. It was guarded by a firm that hired South African, French, English and Iraqi
security contractors. Just about everyone in the convoy is either dead or missing in action. We thought the media would really jump on that, but the only place I saw it was at the end of a yahoo news article.

I guess that something more newsworthy (Michael Jackson getting the hiccups) must have pushed this stuff down the list.

Bart

GYM RAT

I hang out a lot in the gym because, well, there ain’t much else to do, and I’d probably hang out there anyways. Some of the personal security contractors from Dyncorp, Blackwater, etc., are also there working out, in addition to Army, Marines, Air Force, etc. Lots of guys with menacing tatoos, goatees, and shaved heads. Trying to look like Edward Norton in American History X. When will that look go out of style?

I’ve heard some of these contractor boys bitching about their pay, as in they don’t get enough. A couple of ‘em told me they make $2,400.00 - $2,500.00 a week, which, by my calculations, means they’re getting 120 g’s a year. Sounds like a good salary, but then, as they say in The Outlaw Josey Wales, “dying ain’t much of a living, boy.”

Something is odd about this gym. That would be the many supermuscular folks tossing around large amounts of weight. Looks like an NFL training camp. I’ve been in military gyms, where you have a lot of fit people, but nothing like this.

Methinks some of these boys are cutting corners, as in chemical corners.

Just my opinion. I calls ‘em as I see ‘em.

Bart