[Original text may be incomplete]
[Tr. Sheryl Blackstone sblackst@jade.tufts.edu]
The war journal of a young Iraqi lieutenant
When they resumed control of the bases deserted by SaddamHussein's troops, the Kuwaitis found a whole series of documentsabandoned in the debacle. No matter if they were on loose paper,typed or handwritten, or if they bore the Iraqi military seal, all testifyto the poor morale of the Baghdad troops. On his return from Kuwait,Jacques Godefrain, deputy of Aveyron, gave us one of thesedocuments, which is the field journal of a young Iraqi lieutenant.
Tuesday 15 January 1991
Leave was suspended today for officers and men because of the end ofthe period, (granted) [Editor's note: the word had been put inparentheses by the Iraqi officer] by the (international) SecurityCouncil for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. We are there and it is ahistoric right that was stolen from us when we could do nothing. Thearmy is in a state of total alert to prepare itself against allied andAmerican aggression expected against our well-loved territory. I amvery worried for my parents because I know what these conditionsrepresent for them. But God is good. We wish the war had nothappened, but it has, so combat would be welcome.
[Translation continued by Donald Webb (DonWebb@CSUS.EDU)]
Tuesday 17 January 1991
"Say this: all that happens is what God has decided for us." (A versefrom the Qur'an). God has spoken truly. This morning at 2:45 a.m. Iheard military aircraft. A few seconds later, the guard came in andtold me in a voice tinged with caution, fear and consternation,"Lieutenant, lieutenant, there may be bombing." I dressed quicklyand then realized that the American and Atlantic attack against ourcountry was starting and that the war had begun. This is war, with allthat the word implies. Afterwards, the enemy planes began theirintensive bombing on the airfield that we have been assigned todefend, at As-Salman in Al-Matna province.
I am very worried. Rather I am very worried for my relatives. Theyare alone out there. And I know how afraid they are.O God! Protect.O God! Patience.O God! Save us all.
Friday 18 January 1991
Heavy enemy bombing continues. The bombing and raids kept up alllast night.
Saturday 19 January 1991
Few enemy air raids today because of the bad weather, and ourmissiles have been fired at Israel for the second time. I am veryworried for my relatives.
Sunday 21 January 1991
The bombing and enemy raids began very early today. Air-to-groundmissiles began to explode at 3:30 a.m. this morning. I am veryworried for my relatives.O God! Protect.O God! Save us all.
Monday 21 January 1991
Few enemy raids today. Our military communiques say that theenemy has bombed most of the regions and provinces of Iraq withplanes and missiles. I am constantly gripped by anxiety.
Tuesday 22 January 1991
Thanks be to God. Many thanks be given him. Dawn has come and noraids have taken place, at least not so far... Now heavy raids havebegun again. God protect us! I went to the... of the... brigade at thebunker to move them to another place because of the raids and heavybombing at the emplacement. When I got there, I found four bombs.The situation was very difficult, because we had to pass close by them.But God protects. What an awful sight: one of the soldiers (disturbed)one of the bombs and suddenly it exploded and the soldierdisappeared and I saw (two pieces) of his flesh on the second story ofthe bunker. Allah aqbar. What a horrible thing to see. I went back tothe regiment and found the first section at another place. They hadmoved to safety.
Wednesday 23 January 1991
Threatening weather. Time drags. We wait and watch. I am veryafraid for my brothers. ...is in Kuwait. ...is in Fao and the nearby area.I am most afraid for... In the name of God the compassionate andmerciful... "We have built bulwarks around and behind them and theysee nothing." (Editor's note: a verse from the Qur'an) O God, protect! OGod, save us! The planes came back to bomb again. They were closeand we could see them. "If only I had wings."
Thursday 24 January 1991
The raids began early. They began at about 2:30 a.m. today and havecontinued heavily without a let-up. I heard news that Bassorah hasbeen bombed heavily. May God have come to help my relatives; I amvery worried about them. How I want to see them and find out howthey are! God is beneficent. Where are they now? God only knows.Ahhhhhhhhh!
Friday 25 January 1991
The raids stopped today and then started up again after sunset.Leaves had been suspended but were granted again. But that doesn'thelp me because only 5 percent are given leave. The important thingis that they've begun again. I sent a letter to my relatives and was soworried I forgot to ask about my children and about... and... and mysister, but I said hello to everybody. I ask God to protect them all.
Saturday 26 January 1991
Enemy air strikes continue, and I'm very worried, depressed andbored. I think about my children.
Sunday 27 January 1991
The air strikes began this morning. I learned before noon today that Ihave been promoted to the rank of lieutenant and that the decisionreached Brigade headquarters after a delay of... weeks. This afternoonI got back the letter I had sent to my relatives. It was returned to mebecause the soldier who was going to mail it didn't go on leave. I wasvery upset by this turn of events. My mind and heart are with myrelatives, and only my body is with the army. I very much need to seemy relatives. I had a dream yesterday and it was not a good omen atall.
Monday 28 January 1991
The enemy air raids continue and I am in a (shelter). The top of it isonly tent canvas. God protect us all. After sunset, a flock of sheepcame up to us. Apparently the owner of the flock had been killed inthe air raids. The enemy with his modern planes has launched airstrikes on a shepherd. Maybe the enemy took the sheep for nuclearor chemical or petroleum sheep. For shame.
Tuesday 29 January 1991
This evening, after a series of enemy air strikes and watching their in-flight refueling over our territory, I decided to go to Company... in thetank battalion that belongs to the armored brigade. I went to sleepwithout eating. All the food I had was a little gruel and tea.
Wednesday 30 January 1991
The air strikes began heavily today and I am still alive. I could bekilled at any moment. I am more afraid for my relatives than I amafraid to die. The air raids are nothing new to me, but I am veryworried.
Thursday 31 January 1991
The attacks continue. Only one officer went on leave. It was... It wasagreed that I would go on leave if war breaks out between Iraq onone side and 29 countries on the other. That is just not fair.
2 February 1991
I was awakened this morning by the noise of an enemy air raid. I ranand hid in the nearby trench. I had breakfast and afterwardssomething indescribable happened. Two enemy planes came towardus and began firing at us, in turn, with missiles, machine guns androckets. I was almost killed. Death was a yard away from me. Themissiles, machine guns and rockets didn't let up. One of the rocketshit and pierced our shelter, which was penetrated by shrapnel. Overand over we said, "Allah, Allah, Allah." One tank burned and threeother tanks belonging to 3rd Company, which we were with, weredestroyed. That was a very bad experience. Time passed and wewaited to die. The munitions dump of the 68th Tank Battalionexploded. A cannon shell fell on one of the soldiers' positions, but,thank God, no one was there. The soldiers were somewhere else. Theattack lasted about 15 minutes, but it seemed like a year to me. Iread chapters in the Qur'an. How hard it is to be killed by someoneyou don't know, you've never seen and can't confront. He is in the skyand you're on the ground. Our ground resistance is magnificent. Afterthe air raid, I gave great thanks to God and joined some soldiers to askhow each of them was. While I was doing that, another air attackbegan. 2 February at 2000 hours.
3 February 1991
Few air raids today. The pain I've been having all the past 6 monthshas returned. I am sad. In the last 5 days I've eaten only a few datesand boiled lentils. What have we done to God to endure that? I haveno news of my relatives. How can I, since I don't know what ishappening to me.
What will become of me? What is happening to them? I don't know.I don't know. God protect them. How I miss my children. I know that(Editor's note: woman's first name) is very, very frightened. Whathappens to her when she hears the planes and missiles? I don't know.
P.S.: 3 February 1991 at 2100 hours. While I was writing these lines,another air raid occurred.
Monday 4 February 1991
Few air raids today. I stayed alone in the shelter. Worried about thebombing.. worried about hunger.. worried about water...
Tuesday 5 February 1991
I woke up this morning to the sound of enemy air raids. I quickly puton my uniform and ran to the trench. I had my helmet on. ThankGod, the raid ended. In the afternoon I went to wash up inside anarmored troop carrier. I washed quickly because these vehicles areusually targets for aircraft.
Wednesday 6 February
I awakened to the noise of air raids. I dressed quickly and put on myhelmet. Afterwards, I had breakfast. Then there was another airattack. I ran to the trench. It was small, but it held all three of us:myself, the lieutenant in charge of the 2nd Section of the 3rd Companyof the Tank Battalion and a communications man. The planes droppeda lot of bombs before returning to Saudi Arabia. We were coveredwith dirt. We were buried alive. God is good.
Thursday 7 February 1991
Not many air strikes on us. I thought of my relatives. My illness isgetting worse and I feel tired. The planes come and go, and theshelter holds many a comrade.
Friday 8 February 1991
Few air raids today. At about 2000 hours, while I was talking with aguard, a plane flew over us, very very low.
Saturday 9 February 1991
I woke up along with Lieutenant..., head of the 1st section of my 3rdTank Company, who was in the same shelter with me, when planesbegan to attack. We went to the bay trench. The planes left withoutfiring at us. The air raids began, and with them began my descentinto the grave.
Monday 11 February 1991
Enemy planes have come back and bombed heavily. We went to thetrenches or, rather, the graves. I was very upset when I heard thatpeople born in 1973 are being drafted. That means that my brother...will have to go into the army. He is naive. He can't (he can't manageby himself). He'll make a fool of himself. He's too picky about hisfood. Where will he find room for that in the army? And especiallythis army! How I wish I were with him so I could help him.
Tuesday 12 February 1991
I have been here for more than 35 days because leaves were canceled.I am bored and sad. This morning, I learned that 26 soldiers from ourdivision were condemned to death for deserting the front. They wereapprehended near Samawa and executed at 2nd Divisionheadquarters. Two of them were from the 68th Tank Battalion thatwe were with. They were unlucky. Their shame is very great. God isgood. God protects.
Thursday 14 February 1991
I woke up at 8 a.m. this morning and said my prayers. I couldn'tmake my ablutions with water before praying, so I had to use thesand that had fallen on me and covered me from head to foot in anenemy air raid that had been going on continuously since midnight.
The planes launched missiles at our positions and the tanks that werewith us, believing that the tanks were missile-launching sites. Smokeand dust rose into the sky and mingled with the smell of powder.None of us thought we could get out of this bombardment safely. Butthanks be to God. I stood because I couldn't get into the trench onaccount of my illness. But, thank God, I wasn't hit.
Friday 15 February 1991
I went to field hospital number... because I was very ill. I heard thatIraq has decided to withdraw from Kuwait.
Saturday 16 February 1991
I feel so fatigued that I can't breathe, and I think I am going to faintat any moment from my illness. The only thing that you can findeverywhere in the world is air, and yet I can't breathe it. I can'tbreathe, eat, drink or talk. I have been here for 39 days and have notyet gone on leave. The planes came and bombed Battalionheadquarters. Most of the positions were destroyed and three soldierswere killed. When the planes came to bomb us, I remained standingbecause I can't go into the trench.
Sunday 17 February 1991
My illness is getting worse. I am short of breath. I hurt. I havebegun taking medicine; I don't know what it is for, but the main thingis to take it because I know the medicine can't cause me any morepain than I'm already enduring. The air raids have started up again.
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