Final Roll Call was held today for five soldiers killed near Baquba on 24 January 2005. The soldiers were conducting combat operations in support of Iraqi elections when their Bradley Fighting Vehicle rolled into a canal. The accident occurred after erosion caused a dirt road to collapse under the weight of the vehicle. Two other soldiers were injured.

Knowing the magnitude of this event, I wanted to witness it from the most important perspectives, and to meet the people who were taking part. My election day began in the US military headquarters, then shifted to American and Iraqi soldiers on the ground. Next, at the JCC (Joint Communications Center) that would oversee the elections for Diyala Province; and finally, where votes were being cast.

With 24 hours before the elections, US soldiers are expecting intense combat in Baquba. Yet so far, despite the good weather that the insurgents like to fight in, there have been no notable attacks. I spent most of yesterday on Forward Operating Base Gabe in Baquba, resting, repairing and preparing my gear for the big Sunday. Throughout Friday, I heard explosions and gunfire, sometimes tracers arced into the sky, but no serious attacks emerged.

Saturday, January 29, 2005

Election Eve

Baquba, Iraq

The US Army here in Baquba baited insurgents into attacking fake elections sites. Among other tactics, the Army set up dummy facilities then leaked information to the insurgents. The ruse was successful, causing anti-Iraqi fighters to direct energies and ammunitions into attacking meaningless locations.

This morning began an important day for the Iraqis in Diyala Province. Colonel Pittard, the commander of US Forces in this region, organized a meeting of about sixty important local leaders in downtown Baqubah. It was billed as a “Peace Day.” But any American with a passing interest in civic life would instantly recognize Peace Day as a town meeting. Democracy was in the house–sporadic eruptions of contention...

January 26, 2005

Baquba, Iraq

It’s midnight in Baquba; the end of the deadliest day for American troops since the war began. At least 37 Americans died in Iraq today.
Morning began cool and dry, the sky stayed bright all day. I expected attacks, but in fact it was mostly quiet. I saw only a few tracers during daylight, and heard only one large explosion in the distance. As the sun retreated, I walked over to the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) to get the latest from the intelligence officer, Captain Williams.

Baquba, Iraq
A critical moment in Iraq’s future history is only seven days away. Nobody knows which direction the elections will lead Iraq, the region and, by extension, the world. If the painful journey to democracy eventually works, the implications for civilization might be as profound as those precipitated by the “unimaginable” fall of the Soviet Union. But if Iraq disintegrates into full-scale civil war, the future of the region will be less predictable than next year’s rainfall.

Five men from the 1st Infantry Division were killed when their Bradley Fighting Vehicle rolled into a canal last night. Two others were seriously injured. The accident occurred during a combat patrol that was launched from Forward Operating Base Gabe, in Baquba. The accident seems to have occurred due to a wash-out that undercut a road. When the Bradley crossed the area, the road partly collapsed, causing the vehicle to flip into a canal, drowning some of the soldiers. More information will be available pending notification of next of kin.

Baquba, Iraq

The full moon is just reaching zenith as the clock nears midnight here in Baquba. Another eerily calm day has passed with little gunfire or explosions. I saw tracers piercing the sky but once today, and heard only one large explosion.

The inclement weather of the last few days has completely cleared. The rains are gone and the muddy streets are drying, the night is bright under full moon. Perfect conditions for this particular enemy to attack. And yet the insurgents do not attack. Not yet, anyway.