Bill Ardolino On A Nighttime Raid In Fallujah

Bill Ardolino, having completed his embed mission in Iraq with American forces, has begun to write about his experiences at length. His latest essay tells about his experience on a nighttime raid with US Marines and Iraqi Army forces, and presents the difficult routine of these missions:

A fifth stop was another dry hole, but occupants told the Jundi that the house of the man they were looking for was a block away, so the soldiers immediately splashed down a sewage-filled side street on foot, leaving the cordon, the convoy and its crew-served heavy weapons behind. We chased them down the darkened alley, Lt. Kim struggling to communicate with the IA’s about their ad hoc plan of action. The move was poorly planned but ultimately successful, as a blindfolded man was led from the quickly targeted house with no shots fired.
This chaotic initiative highlights one of the strengths and weaknesses of the fledgling Iraqi security forces in Fallujah, particularly the Iraqi Army. Their aggression bordering on recklessness signals problems with command and control: planning, coordinated execution and battlefield communication. The marines think that this proclivity signals a need for more training, as well as results from cultural differences – one American remarked that “when your entire life has been spent fearing death, your concept of planning and self-preservation is a bit different.”
“Insh’allah,” as they say: “if God wills it.”
On the plus side, they’re motivated and brave. Lt. Col. Fisher believes that this is one of the better problems to have, citing the old Marine saying, “it’s better to have to reel them in than have to push them out the door.”

He has plenty of pictures of the efforts in Fallujah as well. Be sure to read the whole post, and drop a few dollars in the tip jar to help him defray the enormous personal expense of his trip.
UPDATE: Chris Muir of Day By Day is also embedding this month; his comic strip will go into a “Best Of” mode for the next few weeks.
Also, I haven’t had a chance to mention it, but please read Scott Johnson’s post about the invocation at the Democratic National Committee meeting last Friday by an imam who called for the end of “oppression and occupation”, the traditional language of Muslims who want an end to Israel. Robert Spencer has more. I’ll try to return to this subject later.