Monday, 06 July 2009
-
A Lonely Night In Sadr City
I didn't go see any fireworks last night. I was in a funky mood, because lately it has felt like things haven't been going my way. I lost my wallet and my jeep is in the shop, so I have no money and no wheels. So instead I stayed home, cooked dinner, and relaxed. I had hoped that last night's fireworks would be visible from my balcony, but unfortunately there were some trees blocking my view.
I could hear them, though. And this morning, as I read The_Giant_I's post, "What If It Were Gunfire?" I couldn't help but be taken back to another night, a bit more than a year ago, when I noted to myself that combat does sound a bit like fireworks.
All day long, we sat inside the building we'd occupied weeks earlier. The only time men would leave was to rotate the guard shifts. Other than that, we just sat there, and slept, or ate, or sat on the radio. The day was usually pretty calm, unless a dust storm moved in, in which case the enemy would use its cover to move about, and attack the Iraqi Army's checkpoints scattered throughout Sadr City. Other than that, though, it was usually dusk and dawn that brought with them an increased cacophony of sounds related to combat.
