[mdlug] Retro Computing

[Peter Bart]

On Fri, 2006-12-29 at 22:00 +0300, Aaron Kulkis wrote:
> Peter Bart wrote:
> > On Fri, 2006-12-29 at 21:08 +0300, Aaron Kulkis wrote:
> >> Garry Stahl wrote:
> >>> OK, the DCG Computer Club AKA Downriver Commodore Group is on it's last
> >>> gasp. 
> >>>
> >>> Anyone interested in Retro Computers, be there or be square.
> >>>
> >> I'm in Baghdad, but I'll be there in spirit.
> >>
> > 
> > 	Stay safe Aaron, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
> 
> I'm sure you heard that we lost 3 guys last week to an explosion.. :-(

	It's allways bad to know of casualties. Sadly I seem to have fallen in
with a lot of other people in that this kind of news seems to fade a
little too quickly.


> 
> The only good part (if you can call it that) is that they never
> felt a thing.
> 
> Amazingly, one occupant (out of 5) in the vehicle suffered only
> a cut on the chin requiring about 5 stitches.

	War is hell. It is good insofar the dead did not suffer needlessly.


> 
> The fourth man in the vehicle was a 19-year old from Baghdad, who
> worked for us as an interpreter.  His dream was to come to the
> U.S. and become a U.S. citizen.  More than any of the other
> interpreters, he was viewed as part of the company, not merely
> someone helping us.
> 
> This interpret was known as Jimmy.  Jimmy had a really outgoing
> spirit.  His father encouraged him to come work with us....last
> summer, while we were training at Fort Dix, Jimmy was also in the
> U.S., being trained by Titan (the interpreter contractor) for
> this work.  Jimmy wanted to make Iraq a better place, and do his
> part to help rid the country of the foreign jihadists and, frankly,
> local criminal gangs who are the source of all the problems
> (both groups are afraid of a new government that has any sort of
> stability -- despite what the news people say, there is NOT a
> civil war here -- merely rival factions who kill innocent
> bystanders as gestures of intimidation ... if there was a REAL
> civil war here, the rival factions would be shooting at each
> other -- but they all fervently avoid combat with actual
> belligerents of rival factions....this is more like a giant
> drug-gang turf war in and around this city).


	This is very interesting to me. The media stateside has given me the
impression that it is indeed a civil war. The actual situation calls for
a very different solution.


> 
> For the safety of both themselves, and their families, all of our
> interpreters work under aliases (most use English names, some
> use sorts of English nickname, such as Tiger or Black Sam).
> 
> 
> We just had the memorial service about an hour ago.  Just to
> make things interesting, some local idiots with a mortar tube
> a couple of miles away decided to throw explosives at us, as
> the service was winding down.  Fortunately, their aim was bad
> tonight, and the explosions were off the FOB (forward operating
> base).  I hope I never again have such an experience...
> 
> As most of you know, I was part of a military funeral honors
> detail for about 18 months before I was deployed here.  This
> was the most difficult service I've been in... I'm glad that
> "Jimmy's" family was there, but that is also what made it so
> difficult...The funerals in which a mother outlives her son
> or daughter are always the most emotional...  Looking into the
> eyes of his parents...and since they did not know any English,
> not really being able to say anything to them....was, well,
> heartbreaking.  All I could do is let them see the tears in
> my eyes.
> 
> 
> All of thenm were good guys...really good guys.  Fun to be around,
> and who you could totally trust, and, I must say, much braver
> than I am.

	When you have few options even dangerous work is preferable if you can
influence the outcome positively. These are truly altruistic people that
I fear the politicians are going to leave behind.
> 
> 
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	As for Michael, I think he's stuck in the sixties. I haven't heard that
sort of misguided rhetoric since Vietnam. I have to wonder if he voted,
but as you may have allready seen from the list I have no intention of
finding out. Aaron, thank you for going into harms way because you were
ordered to. Hopefully the Iraq war will be resolved soon and to a
peaceful conclusion. Hope springs eternal but I don't really think the
final solution is going to be pretty. War, for whatever reason, never
is. 

Take Care of Yourself,
-- 
Peter Bart <peter at petertheplumber.net>
http://petertheplumber.net