Entry 8

2000 hours                  May 14th 2007

Today was basically a continuation of yesterday. The numbers came in; the mortar attack had left 17 dead and 28 wounded. Our trenches had been severely damaged and our morale lowered. One trench barrack completely caved in killing 1 and injuring 10. The combat engineers equipment was also damaged to an extent. The PFC (Private First Class) from my squad that followed me during the mortar raid was now in the sick bay. Thankfully the rest of my squad was still intact. The first mortar shell that had awakened all of us had killed 2 men on night watch duty; if they had not been killed maybe we could have sent a faster reprisal. I remember jumping over their bodies as I rushed towards the top. Today the weapons detail of the supply convoy rolled through our section. Everyone not a non-com (Sergeant) or officer received a Browning hi-power pistol. Non-coms and officers received Mauser machine pistols. I got one, loaded it, and put in a holster on my side. Weapons convoy rolled through every month or so. It was hard to drive a convoy through Iraq without it getting attacked. Anyway, as I had mentioned earlier yesterday was spent raising tension between myself and the anti-war, pro-drug group that occupied trench barrack 12. When I came back from the mortar raid, they were all sitting casually in their barracks; they had not even stirred or assisted our attack.  Tension is rising ever since the PFC and I killed one of their own when he got drunk and fired the MG42. I got into an intense argument today about the war and its cause; it ended when my squad pulled me away. Rumors had been circulating that they had illegal drugs and alcohol in their barracks. Rumors also got around that there might be a chemical missile attack on our trenches, so they can ease up our grip on the Iraqi basin. We were all issued boxes with gas masks in them. If someone shouts, “Lightening! Lightening! Lightening!” That means there is a gas attack. That’s all for today, I find it hard to sleep with sunburns from 120 degree Iraqi weather.