Alaska to Iraq

Daily News reporter Rich Mauer is on special assignment for six weeks to the McClatchy Newspapers Baghdad bureau. For Mauer, who has reported on politics, the oil industry, military and other topics in his 23 years at the Daily News, it is a return to a region he covered as a much younger free-lancer in 1981-2, including the civil war in Lebanon. In this blog, he'll provide snapshots from his reporting.


Joshua Ferguson

I joined the Army in 1996 and my position is as a forward observer. My dad was in the Air Force and I'm the oldest of four with one brother and two sisters. My wife is Danielle, and we have three young children, J.J., 5 in June, Corinne, 3 in July, and little Madeline, 1 this month. My goal is to complete a full 20 years in the military, and then retire to become a teacher at the elementary or high school levels.

FEATURE STORY

New life & limbs

Read reporter George Bryson's account of how Ferguson ended up on his way back to Walter Reed.

The Pumpkin in the Pothole - 4/6/2007 4:31 pm

Catch - 4/6/2007 1:35 pm

Car Bomb - 2/24/2007 9:42 am

Our Bloggers - 2/21/2007 12:48 am

Southern Cooking - 2/20/2007 1:30 pm

Battlefield Circulation - 2/20/2007 10:36 am

Soldier of the Month - 2/19/2007 6:34 am

Night vision - 2/16/2007 12:29 pm

Base Tour - 2/16/2007 9:53 am

You always lose the good ones - 2/13/2007 8:36 am

Artillery - 2/7/2007 12:38 am

Kalsu: No picnic - 2/7/2007 12:20 am

FOB Kalsu - 2/6/2007 6:30 am

The Dedication - 2/4/2007 7:16 am

Focused Engagement Strategy - 2/3/2007 6:42 am

The Green Zone - 1/29/2007 6:51 am

US helicopter down - 1/28/2007 1:57 am

Days will reveal what you conceal - 1/27/2007 4:59 am

Early Cabin Fever - 1/25/2007 1:01 am

Arriving in Baghdad - 1/23/2007 10:13 am

One day to go - 1/22/2007 4:10 am

The Cuban doctor - 1/21/2007 1:15 pm

The Dedication

ERBIL, Iraq, Feb. 1 — A state department public affairs officer called the other day to offer a tour to the new reconstruction effort in Erbil, one of the provincial capitals of the Kurdistan region.

The C-130 is readied for the ambassador's arrival.The C-130 is readied for the ambassador's arrival.

I leaped at the opportunity. Sure, it sounded like a junket, but I’d been cooped up in Baghdad for a week. Besides, I’ve wanted to see the Kurdish region, a place with its own language and national pride.

The Kurds occupy the three northeast provinces of Iraq and the cross-border regions of Turkey and Iran. And they’ve been making political inroads in adjacent Iraqi areas, like the oil town of Kirkuk. One of their divisions is being sent to Baghdad for the Iraqi security plan, though it’s unclear how that will work. Few Kurds speak Arabic, and many have said they would desert rather than leave their region.

Representatives of four media outlets were going to take the trip, but when we met near LZ Washington, the big helipad in the Green Zone, it was only me and Courtney Kealy of Fox News.

Rooftop flying to the airport.Rooftop flying to the airport.

Well, it was going to be a good-news-in-Iraq story. What do you expect?

The drive to the airport from Baghdad is so dangerous that we were going by helicopter. Two Black Hawks touched down. I went in one, Courtney and her cameraman in the other. You realize there’s room for about a dozen passengers in each. A few state department staff and an Army reservist from Virginia joined us too, but there was plenty room to stretch out.

We scooted fast over the rooftops, each one with a summer patio. Gunners manned open doors on both sides of the helicopter. Since insurgents have been shooting down U.S. helicopters, even flying can be nerve wracking.

Blackwater guards wait for the ambassador in Erbil.Blackwater guards wait for the ambassador in Erbil.

At the airport, a C-130 transport was waiting with its ramp down. A C-130 for two reporters? This really is crazy.

Kealy whispered something about the ambassador. I turned to our State Department minder, Susan Phalen, who fessed up: The press was the extra baggage on this trip. The real passengers were U.S. ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and his retinue.

Khalilzad, his party and a crew of fairly rugged Blackwater security guys took one side of the plane. We were on the other. When Khalilzad gets back to New York to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, if he’s confirmed, he’ll probably fly on planes that don’t require earplugs and don’t have canvas seats.

Tour bus.Tour bus.

The flight took 50 minutes. We landed at Erbil International Airport. That’s not a joke. By every measure, the Kurdish region is the most peaceful in Iraq. Tourism may be an adventure, but it’s possible.

But even here, we couldn’t get outside the fence. The base for the Zaytun Division starts adjacent to the airport and runs over the brown hills outside of town.

We were met by 1st Lt. Hyung-Soo Kim, a public affairs officer in the Korean Army. The Zaytun Division, I learned, is a Korean force, one of the few remaining allies still in Iraq in force. The Koreans still have 2,400 troops here.

Susan Phalen of the State Department and Zaytun Division's 1st Lt. Hyung-Soo Kim.Susan Phalen of the State Department and Zaytun Division's 1st Lt. Hyung-Soo Kim.

The big event was the dedication of the Kurdistan Regional Reconstruction Team, the 10th such team to be inaugurated in Iraq. The teams are the civilian component of President Bush’s last chance in Iraq. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Congress in January they would work to strengthen provincial governments and encourage them to meet the needs of their people. Bush said the U.S. was ready to apply another billion dollars in aid for the effort.

The Koreans were in charge of the Kurdistan team. The Korean ambassador to Iraq, Chang Ki-Ho, joined Khalilzad and the Kurdistan prime minister, Nechirvan Barzani, on the stage of a community hall for the dedication.

The Zaytun Division Band entertains at the opening ceremonies.The Zaytun Division Band entertains at the opening ceremonies.

Khalilzad is tall and distinguished and has the presence of rock star. Before and after the ceremony, he was mobbed by people wanting to take their picture with him. When he spoke, though, his voice was thin and reedy.

Koreans is a model for Kurdistan and Iraq, he said. Korea was in ruins after World War II, and needed a massive injection of U.S. help to recover. Now, the Koreans and the Americans are doing the same in Kurdistan.

“There will come a day when the Kurds and Iraqis will be helping others,” he predicted.

After the ceremonies, Khalilzad went one way and Kealy and I another — to tour earlier aid projects by the Koreans, a vocational school and a hospital.

Kurdistan leader Nechirvan Barzani, left, and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, right, are mobbed after the dedication.Kurdistan leader Nechirvan Barzani, left, and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, right, are mobbed after the dedication.

The school has graduated more than 1,000 students since it opened in 2005. All are guaranteed jobs by the regional government. The Koreans were also thinking ahead: the mechanics classes work on Kias and the appliances classes with LG refrigerators, washers and air conditioners. They will surely build the market for their products.

As safe as Kurdistan is, the regional reconstruction team won’t have an office in Erbil itself, just behind the fences and checkpoints of the Zaytun Division a couple miles away. The State Department staff who work in Erbil live in a guarded compounded, their own Green Zone. Mario Crifo, an enthusiastic attache here, is bound by state department rules to not enter the city on his own.

I thought of an news wire report from Jan. 11 in which Rice discussed the reconstruction effort: “Rice said a key element of the new strategy will involve getting US diplomats out of the isolation of the heavily fortified Green Zone that surrounds the US embassy in Baghdad and into the countryside. ”In total, we seek to deploy hundreds of additional civilians across Iraq to help Iraqis build their nation,” Rice said.


  6     October 2, 2009 - 6:09pm | zishuixin

Louis Vuitton

Fake-designer.com manufactures replicaLouis Vuitton that are indistinguishable from the latest sensations to come out of France. From the chic and modern Monogram Perfo to the classic Louis Vuitton Wallets, our fake
Louis Vuitton Handbags are perfect imitations, indistinguishable from the real thing.
Our replica Luis Vuitton collection includes everything; Monogram Perfo Pochettes, compact wallets and Speedy satchels can be yours for below-market prices when you buy from Fake-designer.com. The same goes for each and every item in our Louie Vuitton lines- from our Louis Vuitton Bags to our Fendi handbags. If you love Cheap Louis Vuitton, ,designer Replica Louis Vuitton;Fake-designer.com has something for you.
All of our fake Louis Vuitton Outlet are made to look and feel just like the originals. No one will be able to tell you’re carrying one of our fake Louis Vuitton Sale, because our imitation Louis Vuitton Online Saleare identical to the real thing. Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Cruiser Bag 45 Replica M41138 On Sale - Cheap Louis Vuitton Wallets,Handbags,Bags,Purses Shop Outlet Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Sac Chasse Replica M41140 On Sale - Cheap Louis Vuitton Wallets,Handbags,Bags,Purses Shop Outlet Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Eole 50 Replica M23204 On Sale - Cheap Louis Vuitton Wallets,Handbags,Bags,Purses Shop Outlet Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Replica | Luxury Replica Louis Vuitton Bags wallet Online Sale Louis Vuitton Stephen Sprouse Nerverfull MM Replica M48613 On Sale - Cheap Louis Vuitton Wallets,Handbags,Bags,Purses Shop Outlet Louis Vuitton Damier Canvas Eva Clutch Replica N55213 On Sale - Cheap Louis Vuitton Wallets,Handbags,Bags,Purses Shop Outlet Louis Vuitton Monogram Vernis Houston Replica M91122 YELLOW On Sale - Cheap Louis Vuitton Wallets,Handbags,Bags,Purses Shop Outlet Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Canvas Key and Change Holder Replica N62659 On Sale - Cheap Louis Vuitton Wallets,Handbags,Bags,Purses Shop Outlet Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Batignolles Vertical Replica M51156 On Sale - Cheap Louis Vuitton Wallets,Handbags,Bags,Purses Shop Outlet Louis Vuitton Curise 2009 Scuba Clutch Orange Replica M92805 On Sale - Cheap Louis Vuitton Wallets,Handbags,Bags,Purses Shop Outlet

  5     September 22, 2009 - 7:25pm | jessic

AVCHD Converter is an

AVCHD Converter is an amazing HD video conversion tool for all High-Definition video lovers. This AVCHD Converter is not only can convert AVCHD to popular video and audio formats but also can convert to special formats for iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, PSP, Mobile Phone, Zune, Xbox, etc.
Convert M2TS,TS Converter,MTS Converter,TOD Converter,MOD Converter,

  3     July 13, 2009 - 5:32am | jacus

SEO Services...

Website Designers - Website designers in london - Peppercorn specialise in designing professional interactive corporate websites and online games.

  September 8, 2009 - 2:02am | EssMark

This is interesting

This is very interesting.

Cape Verde Property

  September 8, 2009 - 5:30pm | johntau

re:

Student can get custom term papers help online through many websites.

  2     March 24, 2009 - 10:06pm | softwang

Nice post

2checkout cart, burn music data, Nokia Ringtone, commercial mortgage calculator, RM music, Balanced Scorecard, musical memory, automate mysql backup, MovieShare, computer securitz, seo toolbar, free car game, mario mobile game, Copy Movies to DVD, Sony PSP movie manager, AutoCAD DWG, movie screensaver, Automatic Documentation Generator, Multimedia Card, dvd movie backup, vocal to ringtone, alternative health, motorola phone tools 4.0, flash movie play, automatic locking, music cd database, autodesk, movie to mp3, free cartoon screensaver, Betting Money, musicmatch jukebox, flash mobile phone, make music, icons design, custom design, tattoo design, Copy Movies to iPod, sound card, card game, platform arcade, free autoCAD, computer alarm clock download, scorecard, Autodesk AutoCAD Drawing, movie to mp4 converter, autocad file converter, movie star, gsm sim card, animated cartoon, movie catalog, computer karaoke, security encryption, download movie, video ripper for mobile, automate excel, Movies Search, Christy Carrera, Retail Security, automatically, music game, Autorun CD, music search, cardfile, Play Free Car Game, BearShare music, musicmatch 9, four Card Keno, free car screensaver, Mobile Phone Spam, mobile phone mp3 player, car loan calculator, phone recording, AutoCAD to Flash, movie to flash, educational aide, windows shopping cart, mortgage solution, experimental music, game movie making, amv movie player, movie, ecard, windows automation, insurance inventory, business diagram, Organize Music, form designer, computer telephone conversation recorder, sim card, kids computer mouse, automate shut down, MP3 Movie Download, computer answering machine, sd card, high school musical, automation, Music Manager, flower garden, electronic security, Wireless Security