numbers

Original post date:
Sunday, July 15, 2007

I really don't know how to start this post. A lot has happened since the beginning of the month. I basically caught in the planning stages a mother trying to pimp out her twelve year old daughter to some guy in a back alley. It was pretty late in the day and I was patrolling behind the Iraqi Police station. There was not much I could do because it was an Iraqi matter and also I couldn't really prove it. However, the was pretty nervous and scared when we started to question him. When we allowed him to leave, he didn't waste anytime leaving. The mother's house has at least six children in it. I don't know if they are all hers or some are her daughters. The mother used to be a prostitute until she got up in age and now she teaches it to her daughter. It is like horrible cycle, the blind leading the blind. Well at least I stop it this time..

We had over 40 mortars hit the IZ, killing 3 and injuring over 12 in one day. This week we had more rocket attacks that have took 4 more lives. One was an Iraqi while he was praying. I didn't have to respond to that one, however the patrol that did respond said the body was still in the kneeling position. I was lucking I only had to deal with minor injuries.

There are a lot of numbers my chain of command relays to me and my comrades. How many rockets the insurgents got in their latest shipment; How many insurgents were killed in the last raid the army conducted; How many mortars and rockets hit the IZ to date (215), How many people have been killed in the IZ (30), How many injured (over 40).

I like this one..47...how many days I should have left here.