“STUCK IN THIS SANDBOX: Gripes, Humor, Boredom, and the Daily Grind”

Chapter commentary: Humor isn’t usually associated with warfare, but service members from all conflicts use levity to break the monotony of life on the front lines and to cope with the enormous stress they’re under. Not all of the pieces in this chapter are funny (many deal with the numerous ways the troops kill time during their deployments, as well as their more serious reflections on religion, the beauty of the physical landscape around them, and the sense of camaraderie that sustains them), but, compared to the other sections of the book, this one has far less combat-related material than the others. It is, nevertheless, a valuable and dynamic part of “Operation Homecoming.” 

COMBAT MUSICIAN, LOST IN TRANSLATION, and THE CIRCLE
(Personal Narratives)
Sergeant Sharon D. Allen

Commentary: Sharon D. Allen has three pieces in “Operation Homecoming,” which is more than just about any other person in the book (most submitters have just one; a few have two), and, frankly, we could have put more. Allen deployed to Iraq in March 2004 with the 216th Engi­neer Battalion (Combat Heavy) as a sergeant, and she received training to operate bulldozers, loaders, dump trucks, and other heavy equipment. As grueling as the labor was, Allen found creative inspiration in the characters, both Iraqi and American, she met and worked with during her eleven-month tour of duty. The following is an excerpt from one of the many short, humorous pieces she wrote about her life in Iraq.
 
We work with a lot of Turks and Iraqis, especially Kurds. I wish that every deployed soldier had a chance to meet them because they are very different from the Arabs in the south. The Kurds love us….

One of our guys brought his guitar around to the guard shacks and played some American music for them. Note to Enrique Iglesias: Iraqis know you. For what it’s worth, you rank right up there with Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Shakira.

Sometimes they’d try to join in. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a bunch of Iraqi soldiers, complete with AK-47s, sitting around and singing with gusto as they mangle the Beatles’ “Let It Be.”

“In times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wis­dom... Little Pea.”

They really got into it.

“Little Pea, Little PEA! Little Pea, yeah, Little Pea...Whisper words of wisdom, Little Pea.”

That was a good day.

© “OPERATION HOMECOMING: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families” (Random House, 2006), edited by Andrew Carroll. Reprinted by permission.

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THE MENORAH
(E-mail)
Simone A. Ledeen

Commentary: “For those of you who don’t know -- tonight was the first night of Hanukah,” twenty-eight-year-old Simone A. Ledeen wrote from Iraq in December 2003. Ledeen was not a soldier but a civilian advisor with the Coalition Provi­sional Authority (CPA). She regularly up­dated her family in Washington, D.C., via e-mail about life in a war zone. And, as a person of Jewish faith, few moments were as meaningful to her as celebrating Hanukah in the former palace of a brutal, anti-Semitic dicta­tor. She continued her e-mail home (and the ellipses are in the original):

So there were 6 of us -- 2 soldiers who led the service -- two civilians in ad­dition to me -- and the chaplain here who is Christian but who wanted to witness this historic event: the first lighting of the menorah in Saddam’s Re­publican Palace. As I was the only female they asked me to light the Shabbat candles. I actually got quite emotional and almost couldn’t finish. Lighting the Sabbath candles in this place -- in the seat of power of a man who tried so hard to destroy us. I thought about the Hanukah story -- about how the Mac­cabees and their followers refused to compromise their beliefs -- how they de­feated Antiochus’ army -- and how they rededicated the Temple, making oil that should have lasted for only one day last for eight. I realized that in a way, now we are rededicating this place. What was once the seat of evil has been replaced by hope and praise to G–d.

The menorah we use is beautiful -- it was a gift to the CPA from an Iraqi Jewish artist living in New York. All of the candle holders are shaped like pomegranates, a symbol of fertility -- to bring growth and new life to this country.

I also thought about the miracle of Hanukah, of the lamp burning for eight whole days until they could find more oil. That is what this country needs -- no, not oil (!!) -- but a miracle of that kind. Even though there are limited resources... even though some people say it’s hopeless...I couldn’t help thinking maybe there’s more to it than that. There are so many people here sacrificing so much -- from the young soldiers to the translators who risk being recognized to the older men and women who retired from the military but still volunteered to come as civilians so this effort could have the benefit of their expertise. Then there are all the people back home who are praying for us and sending us good wishes... and food.... Basically what I am trying to say is there is a lot of good coming into this place -- and I am not ready to give up on it.

It is late and I am going to sleep now. Love to all and Happy Holidays!!

© “OPERATION HOMECOMING: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families” (Random House, 2006), edited by Andrew Carroll. Reprinted by permission.

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NEXT WEEK: Excerpts from Chapter Four of OPERATION HOMECOMING -- “Worlds Apart: Life on the Home Front”