I Heart Iraq?

January 8, 2008

Iraq’s tourism industry got a real shot in the arm (poor choice of words?) earlier this month with the maiden voyage of a ship packed with camera-clutching sightseers across the majestic Tigris River.
Okay, well, there was a boat. And it did cross the Tigris.
The Tigris is majestic. In some places. The stretch that borders Bayji, home of the Bayji Oil Refinery (BOR), could use a little work. There is a bridge that falls several car lengths short of spanning the river, thanks to damage done by an explosion, so the easiest way to get to the other side is by boat.
The Iraqi Army (IA) has a battalion stationed on one side of the river (the BOR side), and a lone company set up in a much smaller base on the other side. Major Oscar Pintado and his Military Transition Team (MiTT), part of the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade’s 1st Battalion, are responsible for five IA battalions, and they try to visit each of them regularly, offering guidance and support as these battalions take over more and more of the responsibility of providing security for their country. The MiTT team members spent the morning meeting with their Iraqi counterparts in the battalion, but before we could break for lunch, Major Pintado wanted to visit the company across the river.
It turns out some people don’t find the idea of crossing a river, even if it is the Tigris, exciting. A seaworthy vessel makes such a trip more appealing. Our vessel did not look seaworthy. Crudely fashioned out of rust and just enough metal to support the planks we would be sitting on, the boat did not inspire confidence. The soldiers were not fighting each other over who would get to make the trip and who would have to stay back. Most of the guys were more than happy to stay back. It wasn’t just that the boat looked like it might sink immediately, but the weight of their body armor meant the soldiers would sink immediately too.
While those selected for the river crossing collected themselves on the sloping shore, thinking positive thoughts, mentally rehearsing the best way to shed our vests if the boat capsized, the majority of the MiTT team, together with some of the IA soldiers, pulled security. We would be vulnerable in more ways than one out on the river, and the soldiers are trained to recognize these risks and take precautions, which meant positioning the humvees and themselves in spots where they could provide us the best coverage in the event of an attack. Though, really, an attack on the boat would take us back to square one: figuring out how not to sink like a rock. And if any insurgent was watching, he probably figured it would be smarter to save his ammo and just let the boat take care of us all by itself.
We were divided into two groups; the boat would only hold 4-5 people, including the captain of the ship, a polite and quiet Iraqi soldier who probably thought we were idiots for making such a fuss--the journey only took a few minutes. No, it wasn’t far at all. Just far enough for me to gaze up and down the river and realize it was the Tigris, and the sun was shining, and we were in a crappy little boat, and probably Katie Couric never had it so good.
Once we arrived at the other side, Major Pintado and the colonel from the IA battalion spoke with IA soldiers from the company, giving them a chance to voice their concerns. There were very few structures on this side. They had to cross the river to use the battalion’s showers and to pick up supplies, like food. They had a fairly large area to cover security-wise, but some shifting would be occurring, and more troops were going to be brought to the area. It sounded like from a soldier’s standpoint, things were moving along, however slowly. But I couldn’t help feeling that, from a tourist’s standpoint, they really could have used a souvenir shop. A place to buy a t-shirt: I crossed the Tigris. I made this suggestion to the colonel. He looked at me as though I could take a lesson from the Iraqi women and just be quiet.
Having conquered the river, we were more than ready for lunch. Major Pintado admitted one of the reasons they liked visiting this IA base was lunch. I had been to an IA base in Kirkuk, and I knew what he was talking about. We entered the dining room and were welcomed by the sight of a table covered with all kinds of local dishes. Fresh bread, vegetables, hummus, rice with chicken, lamb, apples and oranges, salad, and, when we were finished with our food, chai.
We finished lunch around 2:00, and if we could have napped, we would have. Instead, we said our goodbyes. The colonel said our visit (maybe not so much mine) had made him happier than he had been the day before, and he was sincere.
The drive home was slow. The lead truck was on the lookout for IEDs, and anytime something looked suspicious, we stopped so they could check it out. At one point, we came upon a donkey standing stoically on the side of the road. He was weighted down with saddle bags, which were a concern because insurgents have been known to conceal bombs in animals, both living and dead, and the bags looked heavy. I didn’t want our excellent day to be ruined by an exploding donkey. We waited. We watched him and he watched us. After a few minutes of this odd standoff, the soldiers decided maybe sometimes a donkey is just a donkey, and we continued home.
It may be a few years before Iraq can compete with, say, Nicaragua as a vacation spot, but it has potential. A peaceful boat ride across the Tigris followed by a delicious meal would have to be considered a great day by most. It was for us. And let’s hope everything worked out for the donkey. shelbymonroe@gmail.com