Top Left: I was on the roof of Najaf’s newly constructed Al Tabary Primary School, checking its tiles and drainage quality, when I heard kids yelling. I asked the contractor what they were yelling, and he said, “Thank you! Thank you!” Later my interpreter told me that they weren’t saying that at all; they were asking us to renovate their school, next door.
Bottom Left: Armored Humvees save lives, but they give a false sense of security, because IEDs can still penetrate them. eventually a soldier realizes that when it’s his time to go, it’s his time to go. It’s a quasi-spiritual perspective, where you simply accept the randomness of who gets killed and when.
Top Right: In my job I frequently deal with local authorities. The mayor and a city council member from Al Kifl, a town on a military supply route between Najaf and Baghdad, often visit with me and my interpreter to discuss the clashes between their citizens and the fast-moving convoys. I do what I can to maintain good relations, but I’m also careful not to get led around by the nose.
Bottom Right: The cans we live in are basically shipping containers with doors and air-conditioning. But we do have a library, a small movie theater, a gym, and phone and Internet centers. My favorite comfort is the laundry service: My clothes are washed and folded in 24 hours.
Texas Monthly March 2006
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