Eurotuner Forum6420 Wilshire Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90048-5515eurotuner@primedia.com
Combat Car CorrespondentI've been in Iraq since June 2004 (that's the Dahlback issue for those on eurotuner time) and I still have another six months left. I don't know which was harder, kissing my wife and daughter goodbye or watching her drive off in my Jetta, wondering if she was going to tear up the front end driving it into a storage unit.
Now I could tell you it really sucks over here, but I've seen so many things I'll never forget. So I don't have regrets. Of course, there's some good, some bad. How many of you have seen a Mercedes-Benz porta-potty poopy-pumping truck?
One of the saddest things I've seen is a middle-aged man who lived in a bad part of Baghdad. He was driving an older Passat and I thought, "Dear Lord, that poor man probably has a stock exhaust and intake!".
But seriously, I wanted the readers to hear the real deal from Iraq. Whenever you see the news, all you see is the bad stuff. Over 90% of the Iraqis are happy we're here. It's the other 10% - the Neon owners, if you will - who are causing all the trouble. They never cover the honest guys trying to make a living because that just isn't news.
Since we arrived, violence has steadily declined over the last six months. I live right next to Saddam's palace, right in the butt crack of Baghdad, and it's not that bad for US troops. I'd compare it to a really crappy day in Chicago!
I had the humbling opportunity to go into a busy part of Baghdad during the elections. No cars were allowed on any roads that day, mainly because of the risk of car bombs. Iraqi people, young and old, were walking up to 15 miles just to vote. They were collapsing in the heat, so we took water bottles and dropped them by the road for the travelers. They were so grateful. I just couldn't believe these people walked so far to vote. Most of us wouldn't vote if we had to park down the street from a voting booth.
Seeing the difference you can make by just giving a kid a sucker makes it all worthwhile. "Never has so much been owed by so many with so little."
Greg asked me what I missed most about being over here. Besides my wife Liz and daughter Jade, I'd honestly say it's my car, and probably real clothes. But you have to be positive, so I try to think about how nice it'll be to have a '03 Jetta with only 10,000 miles on it when I get back.
Oh yeah, I really miss McDonald's too. But when I get depressed, I just drown my sorrows in Red Bull.
I've taken it upon myself to be eurotuner's Combat Car Correspondent, or eCCC for short. That way I can keep you updated on all the neat mods the Iraqis do to their cars ... like putting tires on them!
It has been really cool meeting the multinational forces here. Australian, Korean, Belgian, Estonian (I didn't know Estonia was a country, let alone had an army - I bet they can't wait for both their troops to come home!).
Greg, you'd be proud. The Brits are pros over here. They take this army stuff to an extreme. Their uniforms look even better than ours. Machine guns, crumpets and tea. It's like a James Bond movie.
We love you guys stateside and all the support you've given us - letters, pictures, cookies. Keep 'em coming. Don't feel too bad for us, though. After all, how many of you get to shoot machine guns at cars? I believe it's a healthy alternative to therapy sessions. I call it the "bottle it up until you get on the road" therapy.
God bless the readers and staff of eurotuner. Maybe we'll bump into each other at the next Waterfest. Until then, this is your eCCC signing off. Back to you, Greg.Sgt. Cloward, Brady A.210th FSB 10th Mtn. Division"Climb to Glory"Baghdad, Iraq