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Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Moni Basu’s farewell blog
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Baghdad, Iraq — I never imagined I would feel such mixed emotions when the wheels of the C-130 left Iraqi soil.
I was thrilled to be on my way home to Atlanta, leaving behind a nation in turmoil and yet, it was difficult to leave behind a place I had called home for the last two and a half months.
I arrived in Baghdad in July knowing that I would see a different Iraq though the eyes of the soldiers of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Brigade Combat Team. I knew it would be an experience like no other in my life — embedded with a brigade of 4,400 soldiers from all walks of life.
Over the last 10 weeks, I got the chance to make new friends and perhaps, even a few enemies who didn’t care for the images and thoughts in the stories I filed for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Photographer Bita Honarvar and I arrived at Camp Striker at a difficult time for the brigade — soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment were rehearsing for a memorial service for four fallen comrades.
I had to ask difficult questions of grieving soldiers. I wanted so much to not interfere in their moment of pain and loss.
I wanted to let the world know they were committed soldiers who would carry on with their mission. They were strong. They were courageous.
But they were also human beings gutted by the horrific nature of war.
After that first service, came another. And another. In all I covered five tributes to Georgians who died for their country.
It was a solemn introduction for me. But one that helped forge friendships that I hope will last a lifetime.
My time here was not always easy. A stranger to the military before this assignment, I sometimes felt swallowed up by rules, regulations, procedures and a hierarchy that seemed mind-boggling. At other times, the pace, physical hardships and constant fear of the unknown almost seemed overwhelming. It gave me new appreciation for the life of a soldier at war.
Over the last 10 weeks, many of the 48th Brigade soldiers showed me kindness and generosity for which I am grateful. This assignment was challenging enough; I needed all the help I could get.
There were soldiers — I think you know who you are — who bared their souls to me, who were brave enough to speak not just about their experiences but about fears that kept them awake late into sweltering Baghdad nights.
Freedom of speech and the press are hard-won rights we sometimes take for granted in the United States. If the American soldiers who are in Iraq to help bring about those freedoms for the Iraqi people cannot themselves be honest, the intent of this war is all but gone.
To the soldiers who spoke openly to me, I say, thank you. They made my stay with Georgia’s citizen soldiers all the more worthwhile.
Goodbye, 48th Brigade. Stay safe.
Pirated movies come with their own surprises
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Camp Striker, Iraq - Headless characters. Random heads. Glowing red “Exit” signs. Crunching popcorn. Chatter. And always “Shhhhh!”
Georgia National Guard soldiers never know what they are going to get when they buy pirated movies in Iraq. Some of the DVDs are high quality. Others are so poorly done they are hilarious to watch.
Louie Favorite/AJC
These pirated movie DVDs are for sale at a bazaar at Camp Striker.
For example, in the opening scenes of the comedy “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo” a shadow starts to grow on the white shirt of one of the characters.
After a few seconds, it becomes clear that someone’s head got in the way of the film pirate’s hand-held video recorder. Later in the movie, a man wearing eyeglasses walks down the center aisle of the theater and pauses as if he is looking for a seat, blocking almost the entire frame.
Some of the most obvious bloopers are in a copy of “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.” The opening credits are cut in half and so are the characters. There is a headless woman in the opening sequence.
“She had a short stay as princess. Her head got cut off part way through the film,” a soldier joked about his copy, a curiosity that has made the rounds among soldiers in his tent.
The pirate for that film must have been sitting too close to the screen or zooming in too close with his camera. Soldiers say they can hear people talking and eating popcorn in other copies.
One soldier at Forward Operating Base Marez in northern Iraq said he saw a DVD where the recorder left his camera on while he took a break and went to the men’s room.
Across Iraq, soldiers buy the movies by the dozens and watch them for entertainment between their high-stress missions. Local vendors here sell them for as little as $3 a disc. Haggling, however, is acceptable. No one seems worried about intellectual property rights.
Salesmen will jam as many as six movies on one DVD without following a particular theme. On one disc, for example, “The Prince Diaries 2,” was inexplicably combined with “Alien vs. Predator,” a horror-action movie.
There is a bonus to all this for the soldiers. They get new movies weeks before they are released in stores back in the United States.
But there is a challenge. The soldiers must have the patience to watch movies like “The Dukes of Hazzard” - with all the pirating defects - all the way to the end.
Soldiers’ diplomacy kid-friendly
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC photographer Louie Favorite recently visited a school.
LOUIE FAVORITE / AJC
Iraqi children wear new book bags given them to by members of the 48th and the Iraqi army. Winning the hearts and minds of children is a key to success, a 48th major said. MORE PHOTOS
Return today for a new blog item from reporter Jeremy Redmon.
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