Posted By:
Catherine Moy
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Let the diplomacy roar. The work of U.S. and allied troops inside Iraq has paved the way for normalization of diplomatic ties int he country formerly controlled by Saddam Hussein, a mad dictator.

The AFP reports.

BAGHDAD (AFP) — The United States inaugurated its gigantic new embassy in Baghdad on Monday, ushering in what American officials described as a new era in relations with Iraq nearly six years after it invaded the country.

“It is the start of a new era for Iraq, and a new era in US-Iraq relations,” Ambassador Ryan Crocker said in a speech at a ceremony attended by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte.

Officials moved into the new 700-million dollar embassy weeks ago but celebrated its opening with a flag-raising ceremony on Monday, four days after the United States officially handed over to Iraq security control of the Green Zone.

Although the new embassy complex lies within the heavily fortified zone officials said the ceremony marked another step towards more normalised diplomatic relations between Washington and Baghdad.

Under an agreement between the two nations which took effect on January 1, the US military must now operate under the authority of the Iraqi government.

Although it will maintain its independent chain of command, it will be subject to Iraqi laws under certain conditions.

The accord also allows US troops to play an advisory role to the Iraqi military as they prepare to pull out out Iraqi cities in June and before leaving entirely at the end of 2011.

Go here for the rest of the story.

Posted By:
MAF Blogger Danny
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Read Part 1 of this series: The Hospital and The White House

Lunch at the Galley

Next on the agenda was lunch at the galley so we headed over to the dining facility. I remember Debbie Lee talking about how each branch of the military has its own little nomenclature for certain things, in this case how the Army would call this cafeteria a Mess Hall whereas the Navy refers to it as the Galley. We went in and had a quick lunch, we had a whole hour to eat but we also knew that we wanted to pass out some goodies so we ate as quickly as possible and quickly got to work.

Melanie made an announcement that got everyone’s attention; she introduced MAF and Kylie Williams and said that we were there to thank the troops and distribute goodies and holiday cheer. We set out a bunch of cookies, t-shirts and Christmas cards out on the table and people started digging in. Debbie Lee was signing t-shirts because they have Marc’s picture on them and Kylie was of course signing her photos! Melanie and Debbie Lee also went around passing out Christmas cards some more. We probably gave away half the stuff we brought to GTMO on that stop!



USN and Coast Guard Port Security

After visiting the galley we headed over to the U.S. Navy / Coast Guard Port Security. As I was saying before the bay and all its waterways are guarded by the Navy or Coast Guard. If you look on a map of Guantanamo Bay, the water looks roughly like a figure 8 but with the top half the 8 ballooned up much larger than the bottom half. The Coast Guard is in charge of patrolling the lower, smaller half of the bay and also the outlying waters of the Caribbean Sea. The Navy patrols the upper half of the bay which is larger and presents a greater security danger, still only modest and the dividing line where the bay falls under Cuban control.

There is a water gate about three quarters up the top half of the bay, and then there is a zone of virtual no-man’s-land which no one ventures into. On the other side there is another water-gate controlled by the Cubans and beyond that are communist waters. On that side of the bay there are Cuban marines stationed up on watch towers who watch our side as our Marines are stationed up on guard towers monitoring activity on the Cuban side.

We hung out at the docks with the Navy guys for a long time and visited the Coast Guard detachment briefly. I was asking the Navy commander if they row out barges or junk ships out to the water and shoot at them, he told me that the Navy doesn’t do that but that the coast guard will set up decoys and blow them out of the water every so often.

U.S. Navy


U.S. Coast Guard guys


Boat Ride

After a little while the Navy decided they could take us out on their patrol boat to see what there was out in the bay. We boarded the little patrol boat and took off into the open waters. Even though their primary mission is to protect the bay the Navy guys told me that their normal day-to-day operations usually consist of enforcing the fishing and sailing codes for base personnel who rent boats from MWR.

The fishing boat we were on was not very big but it was very fast and maneuverable. I was impressed by its ability to go from dead in the water to about 30 miles per hour in a short period of time. It was very maneuverable too; the driver performed a number of maneuvers like really tight turns called “donuts” that tilted the boat out so you could just lean out and touch the water. We also did a “emergency stop” where the boat pilot approached the landing very quickly but then at the last second he cut the engine and turned the boat sideways so that we sort of “slid” sideways up to the landing.

Out on the bay we sailed by Hospital Cay which like I mentioned before was an island where sick people were quarantined a long time ago. There is no more hospital on “Hospital Cay” but we were told that a lot of base personnel like to rent boats from MWR and sail out to the little island to party of have a picnic. The Navy devotes a lot of money to MWR at Guantanamo because unlike bases such as in Germany or Japan or in the mainland U.S.A the troops there have nothing to do for recreation except for what is provided on base. So the MWR at GITMO is well funded and has lots of boats and jet skis or other watercraft available for rental so the troops can go out and have fun and go fishing and stuff.

We took the boat right out to the very edge or U.S. controlled waters and we could see the first Marine Corps observation posts on the U.S. side of the bay. Across the water you could now easily see the Cuban watchtowers that we had been just a tiny speck of white when we saw them from afar. After seeing the edge of the base and communist Cuba we turned around and headed back to the shore. As it turns out there is really no threat from the communists. The Navy picks up refugees fleeing from Castro’s Cuba every so often, but for the most part relations are actually pretty friendly. In fact, I was told there are regular meetings between the “Skipper” and his counterpart in the Cuban navy.



Last U.S. Outposts -- Manned by Marine Corps


Cuba


The Windmills

After we were back on dry land we were picked up by two trucks instead of the big van we had been traveling in so far that day. We drove up to this part of the island that you’re not allowed to film or take photos of called “the Windmills” but it’s basically just a big hill. From the top of it you could see every part of the island including the secretive detention camps that had eluded us so far.

Despite having asked, so far we had not been allowed anywhere near, nor discussed the detention camps really with anyone. But as we stood up on the high hill there our guide got a call on her cell phone (that pretty much only works in GTMO) saying that our request to see the detention camps had been approved and that we were circumventing the rest of our schedule to include that.

We had asked about the detainee camps when we first got to the island. The schedule as planned did not originally include the detainee camps and since we were asking on such short notice the MWR coordinator basically told us “Oh, we will try but it’s not likely.” That was a little bit disappointing because it basically sounded like they weren’t going to try very hard but then when Debbie Lee told the Skipper about her so Marc who was the first Navy SEAL killed in Iraq and how much this trip means to her, the Skipper said “We’ll make it happen.” Well here we were halfway through our only day on the island and still no word until we got that call.

The rules are, when women visit the detainee camps they have to wear full sleeves on their arms and long pants. Shoes have to be closed-toed and shirts must have high neck lines so as not to reveal any semblance of their bust. The girls were all pretty unhappy about having to change just to avoid offending the sensibilities of terrorists captured off the battlefield while trying to kill Americans simply because we’re the infidel or other Arabs because they are of the wrong sect of Islam.

We all hear stories about how awful the detainees treat their guards; spitting on them, throwing feces, doing anything possible to be difficult or put the guards in a tough situation. This begs the question, why must the military guards go to such lengths to respect the prisoners, respect their Koran, treat them with kid gloves and give them superb medical attention?

After everyone was ready to go and ‘properly attired’ we got back into the big van with the skipper’s wife and two sons who also came to visit the detainee centers with us. The drive out there took ten minutes, it’s not close to the rest of the base, and there were a few security checkpoints to pass through.

The base itself doesn’t seem very sophisticated as far as technology goes, but it’s simply a menacing array of chain-link fences, gates, and barbed wire. Barbed wire, razor wire, and lots and lots of it; on every wall made of chain link fence there are two sets of barbed wire atop each side, and on each side there is another row of razor wire halfway up each side just to further dissuade anyone from even getting close to the fences.

Posted By:
MAF Blogger Danny
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AP News is now reporting that U.S. Troops have handed over control of the Green Zone to Iraqi officials and are officially going to be taking a backseat role in what is basically the center of government and power in Baghdad. This is a historic day and a milestone of victory for both our troops and Iraqi security forces!

Congratulations!

From AP Report:

The U.S. formally transferred control of the Green Zone to Iraqi authorities Thursday in a pair of ceremonies that also handed back Saddam Hussein’s former palace. Iraq’s prime minister said he will propose making Jan. 1 a holiday marking the restoration of sovereignty…

..."A year ago, the mere thought of forces withdrawing from Iraq was considered a dream,” al-Maliki told reporters afterward. “The dream that no one had the right to think about became true.”

He called for making Jan. 1 a national holiday called “Sovereignty Day.” Iraq already officially observes New Year’s Day as a holiday.

Posted By:
MAF Blogger Danny
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Happy New Year to Our Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan!

From Multi-National Force Iraq website:

Camp Liberty Soldiers Ring in the New Year
Thursday, 01 January 2009
By Spc. Benjamin Crane
Multi-National Division - Baghdad

Capt. William Obringer, an attorney with the Staff Judge Advocate section, dances with a light stick for the crowd at the “Across the Nation” New Year’s celebration, Camp Liberty, Dec. 31, 2008. Photo by Spc. Benjamin Crane, Multi-National Division Baghdad.CAMP LIBERTY — U.S. Soldiers gathered together inside the Stadium here to celebrate the arrival of the new year, Dec. 31.

Being away from home doesn’t mean that Soldiers need to also be away from holiday celebration, and with the help of the Quarterback Club and the 4th Infantry Division Band, they didn’t miss a beat.

The “Across the Nation” New Year’s celebration helped many Soldiers feel like they were back at home by providing a Vegas-like casino setting, a Texas house party setting and the vibe of a New York 80’s dance party.

“It’s a New Year’s Eve party that we put together,” said Maj. Michael McGregor, a Roaring Springs, Pa., native, who serves as deputy director of the division human resources section, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B. “We have New York represented; we have Texas, which is kind of our home party; and then we have Las Vegas, which represents the western part of the United States.

Dance-offs, game tables and loud cheering were signs of Soldiers taking a break to enjoy a night to kick up their heels and have a good time.

“We just want to boost the morale. This is our second New Year’s here, and so we wanted to boost the morale of everybody in headquarters and have them come to have a good time,” said McGregor.

Morale boosting was the name of the game on this night and the Soldiers who attended enjoyed every bit of it.

“I’m here to have a good time with the staff,” said Staff Sgt. Keslet Cineas, a Miami native, who serves on the commanding general’s personal security detail, Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Inf. Div. “It’s just to have great time with everybody.”

“This evening clearly brought a lot of great morale,” said Col. Peter Utely, chief of staff, 4th Inf. Div. and MND-B. “I tell you what, there were some awesome dancers out there tonight,” he said with a smile. “Thanks to all of you for what you do every day because every one of you makes a difference.”

After the countdown, the party poppers and the thrown confetti, the Soldiers streamed out, heading back to their rooms with smiles on their faces and maybe a glimmer of hope and comfort that next year they will be with their families, remembering where they were on this brand new day of another brand new year.

Posted By:
Catherine Moy
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U.S. troops far away from home still celebrate the new year. This picture is an AP photo from AFghanistan, where troops had cake awaiting them as part of the celebration.

God Bless You!!!!