"hello my brother how are you i am going to karbla tom perhaps i find girl f there you know all girls there beatfuls and the eyes coulors brown all the ways good ihope you fine iam happy to hear this news about your vacation and perhabs when i gets on any chance to leave iraq to usa i will go to unversity your f hadi ali -iraqi" The latest email from an Iraqi friend, Hadi.
A while back, I wrote about my buddy, Hadi, who delivers propane to us every couple of weeks. He speaks english so well that he could easily be a translator, and, in fact, hopes to become a translator for the US Army, very soon. However, he fears for his family's safety, as he says "militias from Iran are back in town and threatening everyone working with Coalition forces". He gave me an example of just how dangerous it can be.....
His father died of a heart attack in 2007. Prior to his death, he had worked with the British troops in Basrah, where Hadi is from. One night, in 2005, he did his nightly duties of locking up all the doors and windows in his family's home.....but forgot one. In the middle of the night, they were woken up by a group of "very large men, Iran militia men". They beat him. They shot his younger brother in the leg, and they kidnapped his father. This part of the story was difficult to understand, but apparently the British troops whom his father worked with were able to find him and rescue him just before he was executed.
Now that things have improved in Basrah, Hadi, 21, works with us, but is afraid of the apparent growing Iranian presence in Basrah. He hopes to one day go to college in the US.
In other news, my daily communication "problem" with the servers in the chow hall is as funny as ever. I have learned that "Ma Chikini" is Nepali for "mother fu@%er", so I make it a point to mispronounce fried chicken when ordering this dish, instead requesting "fried ma CHIKINI". At first I am greeted only with blank stares and, "yes sir, fried chicken, sir...." To this I just respond more emphatically with "fried MA CHIKINI, please". When they realize I was saying "chikini" on purpose, they all burst into laughter. Whatever it takes to keep spirits lifted.
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I like these posts...it's kind of funny how situations like these make it easier to see the "sameness"...
A squad of Marines were driving up the highway between Basra and Baghdad. They came upon an Iraqi soldier badly injured and unconscious.
Nearby, on the opposite side of the road, was an American Marine in a similar but less serious state. The Marine was conscious and alert. As first aid was given to both men, the marine was asked what had happened.
The Marine reported; "I was heavily armed and moving north along the highway. Coming south was a heavily armed Iraqi soldier."
"What happened then?" the corpsman asked.
"I yelled to him that Saddam Hussein was a miserable piece of crap, and he yelled back: 'George Bush is a miserable piece of crap."
"We were standing there shaking hands when a truck hit us."
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