One of Ours

Well. Very quiet. The bad guys promised to attack and occupy the Green Zone, take over the major cities and storm the Sheraton hotel.

I was on the back veranda of the Palace after supper when we heard the mortar fired across the river to our right. Stood there for a bit & then heard it land off to our left. Later we determined that it landed near the Sheraton. So all last night we saw repeated film of one darn mortar hole at the tennis courts next to the Sheraton. Over & over. Then the announcers ask various talking heads – Is it over? Have we failed?

One mortar produces a lot of gloom & doom...

...The foreign press is at the Sheraton so the bad guys were going to storm it. New principle of war: Don’t attack the military – attack the press.

Also the Iraqi police were broadcasting from their cars that anyone seen on the streets with an AK would be shot. No warning...

...Iraqi security. Still doing fairly well. Not perfect & we will keep training more to bring them up to strength. But, again, not the gloom and doom that is preached on US TV.

Coalition has retaken many cities. Some interesting sights as the main population is glad to get rid of the thugs that brought about the latest violence.

But then, that's now a sound bite or film clip.

Anyway, it was a good Friday.