Iraqi men do not commonly wear yellow gold. Maybe 1 in 20 do. The reasons are religious, cultural, and supposedly scientific, but, above all, they are surprising.
"The wearing of silk and gold has been made unlawful for males and lawful for the females of my nation.'' Read more »
This column is the third and intended final in a series that explains some of the differences between the U.S. and Iraqi Armies.
The source of many of the differences between the U.S. and Iraqi armies derives from the U.S. Army being significantly more established. The U.S. Army has a great deal of experience instilling personal commitment, mentoring leaders, and training and supplying its Soldiers. The most deep-rooted difference, though, illustrates cultural differences between the two nations.
Today, this the 30th of June, men, women and children across Iraq celebrate National Sovereignty Day. Iraqis hold this day on the same level that Americans revere July 4th.
The Iraqi people gathered and celebrated with music, dancing and food, as this day has been years in the making. Every Iraqi has felt the effects of six years of war, whether they have lost a family member to violence or simply grown accustom to hearing gunshots and explosions. Read more »
This column is the second in a series that explains some of the differences between the U.S. and Iraqi Armies. Breaks occur in order to break up length.
The U.S. and Iraqi armies differ in part because the U.S. Army has been established for so much longer. The U.S. Army has tried and true methods for training and equipping its Soldiers that the Iraqi Army is attempting to create while simultaneously fighting insurgents. Personal commitment and leadership are two other differences are deeper than what is visible on the surface. Read more »
This column is the first in a series that explains some of the differences between the U.S. and Iraqi Armies. Breaks occur in order to break up length.
The broad differences between any two armies are how they are equipped, their levels of training, and the demeanor and competency of their Soldiers. The U.S. and Iraqi Armies differ along these lines in obvious and in less visible ways. Read more »
Today, my Iraqi counterpart wanted to talk futbol. After all, the U.S. just pulled off a surprising victory and help to advance to the semifinals round of the Confederations Cup. "Did you see the game on Sunday?"
Like most Americans, I do not get overly excited about watching soccer, and that fact does not do me any favors in the realm of small talk. Thinking about it, the U.S. would do well to pay more attention to the sport that is loved worldwide. Read more »
A reader recently wrote to me wondering what a 'jensia' is. I would like to answer her question thoroughly, comparing identification that we use in the States versus the set of cards that the Iraqis use.
To be honest, the systems for identification in the countries are completely different. Read more »
On this Memorial Day, we, as Americans, pause to remember our fallen Servicemembers. 19 US Servicemembers were killed in action throughout May 2009.
Three incidents account for ten of these deaths. Read more »
My previous mailing address is no longer valid.
The team's mail was piggybacking with a unit that is leaving theater. Now, mail sent to our old address may take an exceedingly long period of time to reach us.
Recently, the Iraqi Army began a thorough inspection of all Soldiers including personnel records, literacy and physical condition. The goals of the inspection are to complete records, bring discrepancies up to standards, and, in some cases, separate those not meeting standards from the service. Read more »
Rich Connaroe graduated from Northside High School in 2000 and VMI in 2004. Now a Captain in the U.S. Army, Connaroe begins a one-year deployment to Iraq in August. During that time, he plans to make regular blog posts that he hopes will connect readers of the The Roanoke Times to U.S. soldiers who are deployed in Iraq.
