Prison Break…(Part 2)

We pass the make shift check point as the “guards” stare at what I’m certain is an unusual site for them - two troops and an civilian in battle rattle carrying notebooks not rifles. Pen is mightier then the sword? Screw that… I miss my M-16A2 right about now. We continue our trek but now we have picked up a “tail” from the impromptu cp, who is making no effort to hide the fact that his is following us. He is complemented by several Iraqi’s jumping roof top to roof top pointing and watching. The two Iraqis hiding behind a car just ahead and to the right don’t make us feel much better. My little situational awareness voice is definitely talking to me.

Rules of Engagement are clear… Do not fire unless fired upon. I unsnap my 9mm and keep walking. No sense in at least not being prepared. We have a mission as silly as it may be. To be fair there is a large taskforce of US forces about a couple hundred meters before the initial check point we came too. So relatively speaking we are safe. The problem is that the large taskforce is about a couple hundred meters before the initial checkpoint we came through so we are currently isolated and, in a fire-fight, cut-off. The situation now seems so ludicrous the three of us can’t help but crack jokes. By now I’m thinking this is more like Donald Sutherland, Clint Eastwood, and Telly Savalis in “Kelly’s Heroes”… three soldiers behind enemy lines walking down an empty street to meet up with a waiting enemy.

As we come up to the car with the two guys “hiding” I am relieved to see they have a set of tools on the ground. They are fixing the damn car. Never mind that this car is blocking a road and their crouching tiger act looks as suspicious to us as we there stationary toting soldiers walking aimlessly down a deserted street are a curiosity to them… they are just fixing the damn car. Just when I think I can breathe the guy behind us moves up on us and points to us to turn down the road way at the car next to the two guys tinkering on the ground. As I turn the corner I look up to see… An Alley way… An Alley way with a bombed out building at the dead end… A bombed out building at the dead end with no windows and many potential sniper’s nests. Yep… We have now passed directly into hell and this is “Black Hawk Down!” Our impromptu guide urges us on so we tell him “fine you go first we’ll follow.” We walk another 200 meters to a hidden corner and there to the left is a street that leads to a large court yard with a crowd of people…

At first glance I’m taken a back unsure of the reasoning behind the horde. One thing is evident; they are as surprised to see us as we are of them. Just on the other side of the large gathering I can see the bosses’ truck so we continue walking forward. At least we’re in the in the right place. All is revealed as we clear the building on our right. Football… (Soccer) the rest of the world’s national past time. And it’s being played here in the middle of a city on a raised field with green grass - GREEN GRASS! I miss green grass. Talk about absolutely unexpected. This doesn’t look like a war zone at all. Everyone here seems to be having a good time… uh except us. We suddenly had a “One of these things is not like the others” moment. We remove our helmets and try not to look so threatening. We catch up with the rest of the team and begin the long day of production shoots and media engagements in production news studios that could have been Anywhere USA. We completed our work and headed back to the HMMWV where I greet a few children with a smile of confidence. Time to convoy back to the “Prison of Outlawed Children.”

Lesson learned? These are just people trying to live their lives the best they can in extremely adverse conditions. I won’t even try to deny there are dangers here but I guarantee there are places in the US where I would also prefer to have my battle rattle and a M-16 Musket.
The reality is people are really the same all over. Kids will be kids; soccer players - soccer players and families - families. And we all possess our own “special” eccentricities. But at the end of the day, we all just want a safe place to live, play and grow old with dignity. The fact they are out here living their life gives me hope that Fardh Al Qanoon really is making a difference.