placed it on her shoulder, and then tried to move it across her breasts, and then started to cry.
So many tears in this place, and now there were more as he closed his eyes and dozed off and she knew he couldn’t see her. She stepped out of the room. She removed the gloves, the gown, the mask. She hurried to a vending machine to get something to eat and then came right back so she would be next to him when he woke up. Gown back on. Mask back on. Gloves back on. Waiting. He opened his eyes. For a moment there was alarm, and then he saw her.
There she was, as if she hadn’t moved.
“Can you give me a kiss?” she said. “Can you give me a kiss?”
She leaned in until her mask was against his lips.
“I love you, baby,” she said, and then drew back, sensing that something was wrong. But what? What could it be?
“Are you cold?” she guessed.
He looked at her.
“Are you cold?”
He moved his lips, ever so slightly. He seemed to be trying to answer. She moved her ear to his mouth.
More hope:
“Yes,” he said.
On June 20, Kauzlarich was back on the air on PEACE 106 FM.
“Sir, there is talk that security is bad and getting worse. What is the way ahead to improve security?” Mohammed, whose name was not really Mohammed, asked in Arabic, which was translated into English by an interpreter named Izzy, whose name was not really Izzy and who had replaced Mark, who had been arrested and jailed for extorting money from other Iraqis working on the FOB, all with fake names as well.
“That’s a very good question, Mohammed,” Kauzlarich said. “Right now, though, I would have to say that I disagree that the security is worse for the Iraqi people in Nine Nissan specifically. I say that because there’s been a minimal number of kidnappings and murders.
“Security of the coalition forces, however, is becoming an issue. The militia within the Nine Nissan area is biting the hand that is attempting to assist the Iraqi Security Forces and rebuild or build the essential services. As everyone should know by now, militias are illegal in accordance with the Iraqi rule of law and must be dealt with. When was the last time the militia did something positive for you or your neighborhood? Has it provided you essential services? Recently the militia has fired mortars, rockets, and IEDs into your neighborhood. And those actions have either killed or injured innocent women and children. Why are Iraqi citizens allowing that to happen? It must stop soon, as time is running out.”
“Sir, would you please tell us about some of your recent operations since our last interview?”
“Certainly. Since the last time I was on the air, Mohammed, and that was approximately five to six weeks ago, we’ve conducted hundreds of combined patrols with our Iraqi Security Forces brothers. The results of those patrols were in excess of fifty militia or criminal detentions. And with each of those detainees we have very strong evidence that they’ve harmed Iraqi citizens, Iraqi Security Forces, or Coalition Security Forces. And each one of them now will face the Iraqi criminal court system.
“We’ve also found caches of ammunition that were hidden in Kamali-yah and Fedaliyah.
“With those criminals and caches now gone, Nine Nissan will now become safer for your children and for your children’s children.”
On June 25, Private First Class Andre Craig, Jr., became the fourth soldier to die when an EFP severed his right arm, fractured his jaw, knocked out his teeth, lacerated his face, and snapped his head against the metal gun turret. He and his platoon were headed from the COP in Kamaliyah to FOB Rustamiyah for a couple of days of rest and relaxation, which had become standard practice once the COPs were built. After a week or so of bad food, hole-in-the-ground toilets, and patrols in 120-degree heat, the soldiers were eager for showers, better food, a chance to sleep, and air-conditioning.
All they had to do for this was get from the
So many tears in this place, and now there were more as he closed his eyes and dozed off and she knew he couldn’t see her. She stepped out of the room. She removed the gloves, the gown, the mask. She hurried to a vending machine to get something to eat and then came right back so she would be next to him when he woke up. Gown back on. Mask back on. Gloves back on. Waiting. He opened his eyes. For a moment there was alarm, and then he saw her.
There she was, as if she hadn’t moved.
“Can you give me a kiss?” she said. “Can you give me a kiss?”
She leaned in until her mask was against his lips.
“I love you, baby,” she said, and then drew back, sensing that something was wrong. But what? What could it be?
“Are you cold?” she guessed.
He looked at her.
“Are you cold?”
He moved his lips, ever so slightly. He seemed to be trying to answer. She moved her ear to his mouth.
More hope:
“Yes,” he said.
On June 20, Kauzlarich was back on the air on PEACE 106 FM.
“Sir, there is talk that security is bad and getting worse. What is the way ahead to improve security?” Mohammed, whose name was not really Mohammed, asked in Arabic, which was translated into English by an interpreter named Izzy, whose name was not really Izzy and who had replaced Mark, who had been arrested and jailed for extorting money from other Iraqis working on the FOB, all with fake names as well.
“That’s a very good question, Mohammed,” Kauzlarich said. “Right now, though, I would have to say that I disagree that the security is worse for the Iraqi people in Nine Nissan specifically. I say that because there’s been a minimal number of kidnappings and murders.
“Security of the coalition forces, however, is becoming an issue. The militia within the Nine Nissan area is biting the hand that is attempting to assist the Iraqi Security Forces and rebuild or build the essential services. As everyone should know by now, militias are illegal in accordance with the Iraqi rule of law and must be dealt with. When was the last time the militia did something positive for you or your neighborhood? Has it provided you essential services? Recently the militia has fired mortars, rockets, and IEDs into your neighborhood. And those actions have either killed or injured innocent women and children. Why are Iraqi citizens allowing that to happen? It must stop soon, as time is running out.”
“Sir, would you please tell us about some of your recent operations since our last interview?”
“Certainly. Since the last time I was on the air, Mohammed, and that was approximately five to six weeks ago, we’ve conducted hundreds of combined patrols with our Iraqi Security Forces brothers. The results of those patrols were in excess of fifty militia or criminal detentions. And with each of those detainees we have very strong evidence that they’ve harmed Iraqi citizens, Iraqi Security Forces, or Coalition Security Forces. And each one of them now will face the Iraqi criminal court system.
“We’ve also found caches of ammunition that were hidden in Kamali-yah and Fedaliyah.
“With those criminals and caches now gone, Nine Nissan will now become safer for your children and for your children’s children.”
On June 25, Private First Class Andre Craig, Jr., became the fourth soldier to die when an EFP severed his right arm, fractured his jaw, knocked out his teeth, lacerated his face, and snapped his head against the metal gun turret. He and his platoon were headed from the COP in Kamaliyah to FOB Rustamiyah for a couple of days of rest and relaxation, which had become standard practice once the COPs were built. After a week or so of bad food, hole-in-the-ground toilets, and patrols in 120-degree heat, the soldiers were eager for showers, better food, a chance to sleep, and air-conditioning.
All they had to do for this was get from the
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