Iraqi Dinner, photos, and news

I finally have another chance to add some more photos. Right after posting last night we had a dinner made in the traditional Iraqi style. It was quite good. One of my favorite dishes is curry, which the Iraqis make quite well. There was also a sort of kabob of beef and lamb, rice and a salad mix. Iraqis also drink lots of tea, or chai, and joke that they like chai with thier sugar. Also, if you ever get invited to dinner at an Iraqis home, don't plan on using silverware.

Enjoy the pictures.

Top, from the left is Ra-ed, our language and cultural instructor, Major Mohammad, Captain Wentworth, and myself. The second is Major Brott with two IA Captains. Then there is the picture of myself and Captain Connaroe, goofing off as usual, I'll refrain from any kind of meat jokes. In line from the left in the next photo is Major Brott, SFC Montes, 1lt Alaniz, Cpt Dresh, and SFC Connaughton. Then the last photo is SFC Parker the NCOIC, and Major Brott passing time in one of our not so briefs...

Good news on our front. I don't know if I have mentioned the Sons of Iraq (SOI) yet. They are basically young men and teenagers who would otherwise be up to no good. These guys put on road guard vests, pick up their AK-47's, and patrol their neighborhoods. They have become an invaluable asset to the security situation. Who knows better when something is out of place than the residents themselves?

We, the US, have been paying the SOI for quite some time, and we have since decided to stop paying them in the future out of our pocket. The concern for not paying them anymore weighed heavily on our minds. We are actually talking about thousands of young, military age men who would not be getting money, and have to find other means of making money. The good news is that the GOI (government of Iraq) has decided to flip the bill, or otherwise find employment for them, whether it be with the Iraqi Police, National Police, military, or a form of technical training.

I Added another link from Captain Wentworth's blog, he was copying off me, jk... his has a photo album that you can click on to view photos. I'll copy off him and add an album to mine soon, but uploading photos from here can often be quite time consuming... remember 10 kbps dial up? Not that bad, but close.