.Troops in Ramadi Learn to Live With Danger
RAMADI, Iraq (AP) - The hole in the ceiling is just a way to let out steam for the soldiers showering inside a damaged trailer in Ramadi, one of Iraq's most dangerous cities.
But each knows how that hole was created. A mortar round came through the trailer roof a few weeks ago and could have killed everyone inside had it detonated. Most mortars are not so benign, and there are many here.
The Iraq war for most troops is fleeting; brief ambushes or sudden, powerful roadside bombings. But in this troubled city, the capital of deadly Anbar province, the conflict is nearly constant. Gunbattles in the streets are common and mortars rain down on the bases every week.
On the eastern edge of town at Camp Corregidor, a base named after a famous World War II battle in the Philippines, U.S. soldiers regularly hunker down during "indirect fire" attacks or what they generally call "incoming" - military vernacular for inbound rockets or mortars.
The attacks happen at least three times a week, soldiers say, and usually end with explosions that miss their target. Sometimes the mortars hit nearby neighborhoods, maiming and killing civilians.
But the insurgents also have taken a toll on U.S. troops. This week a soldier at an outpost a few blocks from Camp Corregidor was killed by a mortar. Several soldiers have been wounded by shrapnel.
Many soldiers say they have adjusted to this life under regular fire. They say the attacks rarely injure soldiers or hamper operations, although they have many tales of near-misses.
"My latrines took two 60 millimeter mortars, my shower trailer has been disabled by 80 millimeter mortars, and it's not uncommon for us to pick pieces of shrapnel from the side of building," said Capt. Joe Claburn, 29, of the 1st Battalion, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. "We get mortared so much that we don't even flinch anymore."
But others privately acknowledge that the mortars, which thunder throughout the base at all hours, have caused nightmares and took awhile to get used to.
"When we first got here it bothered me. We thought every loud sound was a mortar until we got used to it," said Spc. Lemuel Ross, 24, of Richmond, Va., speaking outside a building that was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade earlier in the year.
The regular insurgent attacks have changed the face of this base, which once was an agricultural college. Troops have piled sandbags on the roofs as protection. Latrines and sidewalks are surrounded by thick concrete walls to deflect shrapnel.
In early June, the military launched an operation to establish new outposts and solidly install U.S. and Iraqi troops in the troubled city 70 miles west of Baghdad.
Some soldiers, desensitized to the attacks, speak of them with fatalistic phrases common in military ranks.
"Mortars are the least of my worries. We look at it this way: If it's going to happen, it's going to happen," said Spc. Milton O'Neal, 20, of Chicago, as he dribbled a basketball during a break between missions.
"Sometimes it's an annoyance if you're in the latrines with your pants down," said Staff Sgt. David Rogers, 26, of Cleveland.
Some attacks seem linked to outside events. For example, shortly after terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed on June 7, soldiers said more than 10 mortars fell on Camp Corregidor.
Other times, insurgents often fire during hours when they think soldiers are congregated for lunch or dinner.
Soldiers walking on the base are required to wear their protective vests and helmets, even for short distances to latrines and shower stalls.
After mortars strike, soldiers are required to account for all members of their units.
While soldiers say that they're so used to explosions that they hardly stir from their sleep anymore, some attacks can hardly be ignored.
"When you hear a 120 (millimeter mortar), you can feel it, not just hear it," said O'Neal. "You know you can't just lie in bed for that one."
MyWay
But each knows how that hole was created. A mortar round came through the trailer roof a few weeks ago and could have killed everyone inside had it detonated. Most mortars are not so benign, and there are many here.
The Iraq war for most troops is fleeting; brief ambushes or sudden, powerful roadside bombings. But in this troubled city, the capital of deadly Anbar province, the conflict is nearly constant. Gunbattles in the streets are common and mortars rain down on the bases every week.
On the eastern edge of town at Camp Corregidor, a base named after a famous World War II battle in the Philippines, U.S. soldiers regularly hunker down during "indirect fire" attacks or what they generally call "incoming" - military vernacular for inbound rockets or mortars.
The attacks happen at least three times a week, soldiers say, and usually end with explosions that miss their target. Sometimes the mortars hit nearby neighborhoods, maiming and killing civilians.
But the insurgents also have taken a toll on U.S. troops. This week a soldier at an outpost a few blocks from Camp Corregidor was killed by a mortar. Several soldiers have been wounded by shrapnel.
Many soldiers say they have adjusted to this life under regular fire. They say the attacks rarely injure soldiers or hamper operations, although they have many tales of near-misses.
"My latrines took two 60 millimeter mortars, my shower trailer has been disabled by 80 millimeter mortars, and it's not uncommon for us to pick pieces of shrapnel from the side of building," said Capt. Joe Claburn, 29, of the 1st Battalion, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. "We get mortared so much that we don't even flinch anymore."
But others privately acknowledge that the mortars, which thunder throughout the base at all hours, have caused nightmares and took awhile to get used to.
"When we first got here it bothered me. We thought every loud sound was a mortar until we got used to it," said Spc. Lemuel Ross, 24, of Richmond, Va., speaking outside a building that was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade earlier in the year.
The regular insurgent attacks have changed the face of this base, which once was an agricultural college. Troops have piled sandbags on the roofs as protection. Latrines and sidewalks are surrounded by thick concrete walls to deflect shrapnel.
In early June, the military launched an operation to establish new outposts and solidly install U.S. and Iraqi troops in the troubled city 70 miles west of Baghdad.
Some soldiers, desensitized to the attacks, speak of them with fatalistic phrases common in military ranks.
"Mortars are the least of my worries. We look at it this way: If it's going to happen, it's going to happen," said Spc. Milton O'Neal, 20, of Chicago, as he dribbled a basketball during a break between missions.
"Sometimes it's an annoyance if you're in the latrines with your pants down," said Staff Sgt. David Rogers, 26, of Cleveland.
Some attacks seem linked to outside events. For example, shortly after terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed on June 7, soldiers said more than 10 mortars fell on Camp Corregidor.
Other times, insurgents often fire during hours when they think soldiers are congregated for lunch or dinner.
Soldiers walking on the base are required to wear their protective vests and helmets, even for short distances to latrines and shower stalls.
After mortars strike, soldiers are required to account for all members of their units.
While soldiers say that they're so used to explosions that they hardly stir from their sleep anymore, some attacks can hardly be ignored.
"When you hear a 120 (millimeter mortar), you can feel it, not just hear it," said O'Neal. "You know you can't just lie in bed for that one."
MyWay
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