The real picture in Iraq

Patrolling with the Iraqi Army

By Mark Wojciechowski
Friday, April 7, 2006


BAQUBAH, Iraq (April 7, 2006) � Building the force to fight the insurgency is essential to a free and democratic Iraq. Many people know this.

The latest waves of sectarian violence, since the bombing of the Golden Mosque, are obvious attempts to disrupt and throw the fledgling Iraqi government into chaos. Many people know this as well.

Brave Soldiers of the Iraqi Army are stepping up daily despite being targeted by anti-Iraqi forces. Not as many people know this since they don�t see it in the media.

They see the attack on an Iraqi Army recruiting station, but they don�t see the day after, when more recruits line up to join the ranks of the Iraqi Army to protect their country.

When I walk with the Iraqi Army, I see a look of determination on their faces as they sweep through palm groves or patrol through the streets looking for insurgents, weapons and bomb-making materials. With the help of coalition Military Transition Teams, the Iraqi Army recruits will become better Soldiers. The MiTTs teach basic soldiering skills that are used to thwart attacks and quell the anti-Iraqi forces.

I have had many opportunities to follow the Iraqi Army on various operations they regularly conduct. The operations spawn from intelligence they gather on their own.

Iraqi citizens are scared and tired of the "bad guys" dwelling in their villages and neighborhoods. More and more of them are coming forward and offering tips that are leading to more finds.

A few months ago, Iraqi Army Soldiers were very doubtful about me carrying a camera along on their patrols. Some of them would utter "Ali-Baba" and motion with their fingers as if their throat was being cut. They would turn from the camera or cover up their faces with scarves. This would imply that if the wrong people saw their photo, they would be killed.

Now I can walk with them and they proudly pose with their weapons at the ready saying "Mister picture?"

The mainstream media states that the attacks on the security forces are hindering the growth and progress of a peaceful Iraqi. This is the complete opposite of what I see. I see Sunnis, Shias and Kurds walking in the same ranks of the Iraqi Army towards the same objective--a peaceful secure Iraq.

(Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowski is a military journalist serving with the Tennessee Army National Guards 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Department in Iraq. Sgt. Wojciechowski, who hails from Chicago, has a Bachelor of Science in journalism from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.)