Today we’re taking at look at a New York Times article written by C.J. Chivers around the time Donald Rumsfeld resigned from office. Chivers, a former marine, is able to capture the mood and dialog of a Marine infantry squad in a simple and straight forward manner. He let’s the marines do the talking, and in doing so offers an ironic depiction of how some grunts relate to their leaders.
The November 2006 piece occurs as Chivers is embedded with the squad in Zagarit, Iraq. They have been sleeping in the house of a local Iraqi man, Hashim al-Menti, who sees on the television that Rumsfeld has resigned from his position as Secretary of Defense. He informs the squads sergeant:
Chivers then makes the observation that often it is the grunts in the field with the most to loose, who are often the most apolitical – the Marine Corps has a job to do. Perhaps in the future these young men will come to find interest in politics, but not right now in Zagarit, Iraq. One marine gave Chivers his opinion on how this all works:
Lance Cpl. James L. Davis Jr. looked up from his cigarette. “Who’s Rumsfeld?” he asked.
In contrast to the marines, Chivers presents us with Mr. Menti, the owner of the house who discusses the greater consequences of Rumsfeld’s resignation on Iraq.
There are daily, dangerous questions: When to go on patrol, when to come back, which route to take down a road, which weapon to carry, and, at this moment, which watch each marine would stand, crouched up on the roof, in the cold wind, exposed to sniper fire.
His grandfather fought at Iwo Jima, he said, and his father was a marine in Vietnam. This was his second tour in Iraq. “Here’s the deal,” he said. “Someone points a finger at you, and you go.”
“The chain of command?” he added. “You know how high I know? My battalion commander is Lt. Col. DeTreux. That’s how high I know.”
It is a surreal experience to live through a major news story, seeing it reported and learning more than you even knew being there. As a grunt, all you know is what your chain of command tells you, and what you see with your own eyes. If Rumsfeld’s resignation were to have an affect on Iraq, it surely wouldn’t be seen by these young marines. Their reaction to the news offers up an important thing to remember: while American soldiers may be on your television screens every night, they are alone in a strange country where the historical significance of their presence unimportant.
“If American Army came here for three months, four months, O.K.” Mr. Menti said. “But now is four years.”
If there were no American military presence in Iraq, he said, there would be no insurgents. One serves as a magnet for the other.
Mr. Menti spoke to the sergeant as if he were an American diplomat, as if he had some influence over the broad sweeps of American foreign policy. The sergeant remained quiet and polite.
The article’s conclusion highlights just that point:
Another marine, Lance Cpl. Randall D. Webb, was scanning traffic through his rifle scope, worried that they had been spotted and the insurgents would soon know where they were.
“I think they see us,” he said.
“Man, they all see us,” Lance Corporal Maguire said, and lighted another cigarette.
