400 additional photos uploaded

I have uploaded all the photos from days 1-4 in Fallujah. It's a lot of pictures the wade through, but hopefully fun if you are looking for somebody you know.

Here is the link to the new "complete" galleries: http://photos.scrappydog.com/Military/288386

I will be uploading another 500 pictures over the next few days.

The Battle of Pump House Flanders, August 12th 2006

On August 12th 2006, 10 soldiers from Bravo Company 2/136 Infantry, 34th Brigade Combat Team, fought one of the most significant and decisive battles that Minnesota National Guard soldiers have fought in the Iraq War to date.

The Bravo Company soldiers were manning defensive positions at Pump House Flanders, a Combat Outpost that protects one of the two water pumps that supplies water from a canal fed by the Euphrates to the US base at Camp Fallujah.

Up to 35 insurgents riding in two fortified dump trucks, and supported by mortars, rocket propelled grenades, and machine guns launched a surprise attack after having approached to within 20 meters of the perimeter. 38 minutes later the fight was over, and 1 Bravo Company soldier was seriously wounded, and more than 20 insurgents were dead.

The following video clip show Captain Chip Rankin, the Bravo Company commander, standing on the wall of the Pump House, giving an account of the fight (recorded in February 2007):

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

FALLUJAH, ANBAR, IRAQ - An Army runs on it's stomach, and one Bravo Company soldier apparently runs exclusively on Otis Spunkmeyer Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins.



SPC Brian "Bootcamp" Micheletti, of Gilbert Minnesota, poses with one of his favorite muffins.



A short interview with SPC Micheletti, discussing his favorite food.

The innocence of children...

FALLUJAH, ANBAR, IRAQ - One of the things that I have the found most striking during several weeks in Iraq is the children. The young children in particular are oblivious to the war around them. They don't know or care whether they are Sunni or Shia. They don't know whether or not their father is an insurgent. They view American soldiers (and reporters dressed like American soldiers) with curiosity and openness not fear.

Older children are more aware of what is going on around them, but they still don't grasp the gravity of the situation. They tend to see American soldiers as some odd blend of Santa Claus and dim witted uncles. They run up to you any time you stop calling "Mista, mista! Chocolat? Pen? Futball?" If you don't give them anything I have heard some reports of rude gestures or even thrown rocks, but this was definitely not my experience. Instead they would adopt a sort of hurt puppy face, and following you around, cataloging the other possessions that you might be willing to give them.

Numerous children asked to see my watch (a Tag-Heuer given to me by wife as a wedding present), and then asked me to give it to them. One boy in his early teens asked me to give him one of my cameras. When I said no he said he could give me money for the camera. I said no before we got to discussing what he would consider a fair price for a Nikon D200 and telephoto lens.

The camera boy left, and I thought I had seen the last of him, but a few minutes later he reappeared carrying a rabbit by the ears. He wanted to trade the rabbit for my camera. This attracted the attention of one of the soldiers I was patrolling with, and between the three of us we were able to determine that the rabbit had a name, and that it was probably the boy's pet. The most interesting part of this whole exchange was the perceived value of a rabbit to a young boy growing up in a small impoverished village outside Fallujah.

Several days later while visiting the local water plant, I met a boy of about 10 named Whalid. I know his name because he came up to me and proudly introduced himself, and wanted to know my name. I tried to ask Whalid his age, but I couldn't get the point across. We were however able to determine that Whalid could count to ten in English. I thought that this was a worthy accomplishment, and I rewarded it with pen.


Whalid, in the black and white striped shirt, wins the lottery with a new soccer ball, and can of soda. Courtesy of they US Marine Corps.

Generally, the children would stick together in groups, but occasionally one of them would approach us on his own (boys only). The most memorable of these was "sling shot boy". On this occasion there was a group of about ten older boys who were watching us from a little distance. They were doing the usual "Mista, Mista!" routine, but they weren't coming forward to interact with us. This was a little unusual, and I'm guessing that they had very specific orders from some village elder to keep their distance, because we were meeting with the sheik.



Slingshot boy was probably only five or six, I'm guessing that one of the men we were talking to was his father, and so he felt much more comfortable to come forward and interact with us. He might have been a little too young to have learned the whole "Mista, Mista" routine, because he didn't ask for anything, he just wanted to quietly see what we were doing. He was rewarded for his politeness with a spinning top, and his first Pop-Tart.



Children also serve to bridge the gap between adults in this war. I was standing near three Iraqi men in their 20's and 30's while I was taking pictures of Slingshot Boy. They weren't openly hostile, but they definitely weren't being particularly friendly either. It's a safe bet that in this part of Anbar province, a strongly Sunni tribal area, that one of these men was probably an insurgent, and they were probably all at least somewhat sympathetic to the insurgents, if not openly supportive.

We were all enjoying watching Slingshot Boy's excitement at his first bite of a PopTart, and I had a flash of inspiration and pulled out a picture of my family to show the Iraqi men. I quickly had a cluster of cheerful Iraq men all gathered around to check out the picture.

This exchange of a picture led to a ten minute conversation carried out in very broken English and makeshift sign language with multiple pictures and maps scratched in the dirt. From this we were able to determine that all of us were married, and all of us had children. I assured them that I was not from New York or California, and drew a map of the United States to show where Minnesota was. Yes, this was a television camera, but I was not from the BBC. The fact that one of my cameras was worth more that $3,000 US was fairly staggering.

The day started with mistrust, and ended with friendship, all because of children. I'm left with some new found hope that there is always common ground to be found between people even in situations as divisive as the Iraq War. Hopefully these men will think twice about planting an IED along the roads leading to Camp Fallujah, or even better will be willing to call the hotline to report one.

Ordering Prints (frequently asked questions)

Now that I'm back in the US, I am in process of uploading about a 1,000 full sized original photos from the trip that will all be available for printing (this includes more than 800 new pictures that nobody has seen yet!) It may take a couple days to get them all uploaded...

Frequently asked questions:

1. How much are you charging for prints?

4x6 $5.00
5x7 $7.00
8x10 $15.00
8x12 $15.00 (I would highly recommend printing 8x12 instead of 8x10, because it shows the whole image.)
11x14 $20.00
4 x wallets $5.00

There are also many other products available from coffee mugs to t-shirts. Click the "buy: this photo" button above a picture to add a picture to your shopping cart and see all the products and prices.

2. What about poster size enlargements?

Many of the pictures I took should print fairly well up to 20x30 (poster size), if you are interested in ordering 12x18 ($30.00) or 20x30 ($50.00) please contact me by email (eric.bowen(at)gmail.com), and I will handle the order personally.

3. Why are you charging so much/so little for prints?

This project is a personally funded, money loosing labor of love. Selling prints is one way to help recover some of the costs. My goal is to strike a balance between affordability for family members and meaningful income to support the project.

4. I would love to get some prints of my family member, but I really can't afford the prices?

I realize that this deployment is a severe financial hardship for some guard families, and if you legitimately can't afford the prices send me an email, and we'll arrange a scholarship to get you some free photos of your family member.

5. What if I order a lot of prints? Can I get a discount?

Contact me directly, and I would be happy to discuss your circumstances?

6. I'm uncomfortable shopping online with a credit card, can I send you a check?

Send me an email with the details of what you would like to order, and I would be happy to try to accommodate you.

7. Print guarantee. What if I'm not happy with the prints I ordered?

SmugMug, the company that hosts my photo website, and processes print orders provides an unconditional guaranty of all print orders:

"If you are unhappy with your prints or gifts, SmugMug will reprint or refund your order, whichever you prefer. Simply send email to help@smugmug.com within 30 days of receiving your order."

Eric Home in MN Safe and Sound

Eric returned on Monday afternoon. He is doing great. I know he has many more stories to post and hundreds of images to upload. Our 1 and 3 year old are initiating him in their own "embed" program which is keeping him pretty busy at home but I am sure they will give him a break soon so he can get back to you!

The Cartoonist Embed

I'm sitting with my new friend Chris Muir, at Caribou Coffee in the Kuwait City International Airport. I haven't mentioned Chris before, but he was on my flight from Amsterdam to Kuwait, and he was one of the other three journalists that I travelled to Baghdad with on the way in to Iraq two weeks ago.

This morning I ran into Chris again in Kuwait, and it turns out he is on my same flight from Kuwait to Amsterdam again. Small world. We have been taking turns watching each others bags in the airport, and generally hanging out. It's always nice see a familiar face.

Chris is a cartoonist, and he just spent a week in Mosul on an embed to get material for his comic strip (and you thought I was crazy). At any rate I thought I would pass along the link to his website so you can check out his comic strip. He doesn't have any Iraq themed strips yet, but I'm sure he will soon.

Day by Day, by Chris Muir: http://daybydaycartoon.com/

UPDATE: I've also added Chris' comic strip to the bottom of this page (it will update daily).

UPDATE II (March 8th): Chris has a humorous travelogue posted on The Fourth Rail today. For those that aren't familiar with it, Bill Roggio's Fourth Rail is definitely the most comprehensive and credible independent source of daily news on the wars in Iraq and Afganistan that I am aware of.