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January 31, 2005
[Have an opinion about the issues discussed in this article?
Sound
off in our Discussion Boards.]
By Jason Chudy,
Stars and Stripes, Mideast edition
 |
| (Jason Chudy / S&S) Sgt. Dustin White, medic with 1st
Platoon, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, stands
next to his Humvee on Election Day on Sunday. Posters for the
many Iraqi political parties running in the election are pasted
on the nearby bridge support. |
 |
| (Jason Chudy / S&S) Spc. Michael Johnson talks to an
Iraqi boy Sunday as soldiers from Company A, 2nd Battalion,
14th Infantry Regiment, patrol a Baghdad neighborhood during
the elections. The picture was taken through Johnson's Humvee's
cracked winshield, which was damaged that morning when a mortar
landed nearby. The attack injured five Iraqis but no soldiers. |
 |
| (Jason Chudy / S&S) First Lt. Daniel Hurd, left, and
Sgt. 1st Class James Shinholt talk to election officials and
Iraqi police officers Sunday at a polling site in Baghdad. |
BAGHDAD — There was less violence and more voting.
Tenth Mountain Division soldiers assigned to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment said that voter turnout was high in the three Baghdad neighborhoods of Kadhimiya, Shulla and Hurriya, and insurgent attacks were less than expected.
“It’s certainly not the level of violence we expected,” said 1st Lt. Brian Wood, executive officer for Company C. “It’s definitely worse than a normal day, but there are a lot more targets (for insurgents) out there.”
Rocket, mortar and gunfire echoed throughout the area all day. None
of the battalion’s soldiers were injured. But it wasn’t quiet everywhere
in Iraq’s
capital and largest city.
In an adjoining sector patrolled by the 91st
Engineer Battalion, a man detonated a bomb at a polling site,
killing only himself. Radio reports received by 4-31st soldiers stated
that after the attack, Iraqis placed the suicide bomber’s head, which
was still intact, on his severed foot and passing voters spit on the
remains.
Even after some polling stations were attacked, voters would often continue to arrive to cast their ballots.
Soldiers from the battalion, which had 125 polling sites in its sector, were out in force during the entire 10-hour voting period, and they spent more time dodging soccer balls than fighting insurgents.
The government had imposed a driving ban for all but official vehicles; so most of the city’s younger men took advantage of the ban to set up impromptu soccer fields on the streets, using rocks or sets of shoes as goal posts.
Interrupting game after game, soldiers from the battalion’s three companies and others from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment visited polling sites throughout the day to check on security.
They didn’t spend much time at any, said 1st Lt. Daniel Hurd, Company A, 2-14th’s executive officer. Site security was entirely handled by Iraqi soldiers and police.
At one point a patrol from Company A passed a handful of armored personnel carriers from an Iraqi mechanized unit on one of the main north-south streets through the Kadhimiya district. Pedestrians waved and cheered as the Iraqi troops passed.
“I’ve seen more (Iraqi National Guard) in the past three days than I have in the entire time in country,” Wood said.
Not only was Iraqi security seen in large numbers throughout the district, but so were voters.
“Based on the reports received during the day … I’d say there was a 75 percent turnout,” said battalion commander Lt. Col. John Spiszer, as he stopped at a forward patrol base shortly before the end of the elections.
By 11 a.m. reports had reached the battalion command post at Camp Justice that some polling sites were running out of ballots.
Throughout the small section of Baghdad, people walked around with blackened right index fingers, the identifying mark of those who have voted.
Soldiers took pictures and videos of Iraqis dancing and singing outside of the polling sites after they cast their votes.
Soldiers seemed less enthusiastic about the elections than the Iraqis in Baghdad, possibly exacerbated from an increased pace of operations leading up to Sunday’s vote.
“I think there’s mixed feelings,” said Staff Sgt. Scott Price of Company A, 2-14th, about election day finally arriving. “The longer they’ve been here the less they care. They do care because it’s their job right now.”
And with a higher voter turnout than hoped, and a smaller amount of insurgent attacks than expected, the soldiers’ worst fears weren’t realized here.
“It’s 100 percent better than everything we expected,” said Company C’s Spc. Steven Ealy. “It’s much ado about nothing.”
Staff Sgt. Shawn Bush added, “It’s like Y2K was.”
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