Living Literature

As I was walking past the PX yesterday, I had a moment that was straight out of "All Quiet on the Western Front." I know that this war is different than WWI in some ways (note: understatement), but the more things change...

Almost every building has many antennae sticking out of them, and many are a geometrically pleasing skew divergent three stick arrangement that I'm sure Koichi could identify, he being a communications officer. Apparently the birds like the aesthetics of this antenna and think nothing of exposing their young to radiation, and built a nest in the crux. As I was sauntering down the road, slowly enjoying the warm, cloud free beauty of the smoky-blue Baghdad sky, I noticed the birds and dwelt for a second on the irony of birds raising their young in a war zone and building their home on military equipment.

For those of you have seen the movie (I don't remember if this is how the book ends), John Boy has a similar moment in which he starts drawing a bird and then he gets shot just as he again begins to appreciate life, or some such literary thing. Luckily, I remembered that scene and remembered where I was. Kept my head down if you will. If I had kept staring at the bird for another 50 feet, I would have ended up in the intersection, and if there had been a truck coming by, and if it didn't stop at the stop sign, and if it had been going faster than the base mandated 5 mph, I could have ended up like John Boy and come to a similarly cruel end.

So here in the trenches of Baghdad, I am living the same war fears that every generation's soldiers have since the Great War: the terror of getting hit by a truck. It's rough, having to look both ways before you cross the street. Remaining constantly on the alert so that you can detect the trucks with all five senses. Fortunately, Camp McCready and other pre-elementary school level experiences have prepared me for this harsh environment.


Hope.