Election Day

These are my observations to this historic day in Iraq, 30 January 2005.

Today started off with a significant amount of steady violence throughout the sector. There were suicide attacks on polling centers and indirect fires on key high value targets in the area. Most of the suicide bombers are non-Iraqis. This is in keeping with the strong Al Qaeda presence in Iraq focused against the elections. Despite the attacks there were very little casualties associated with it. I was expecting much, much worse than what I have seen and what has been reported in the news.

Despite the number of promised polling sites not all were opened. Some election support personnel did not show up. Other sites were slow to open. When the crowds formed at these sites they were directed to another site that was open. Election personnel were consolidated where they could be of best use. By mid-day, according to one commander on the ground, “everyone who wanted to vote has had the chance to vote.”

Our part in the election was limited to security and administrative support. The FOB is empty today. In the words of my boss, “every man jack” is out in sector providing protection. Although we were not at the polling sites, we were never far away. We also provided armed escort for the delivery of election personnel and election materials.

I was located in the TOC – Tactical Operations Center – all day. The TOC is the nerve center for the entire area. There are several wide screen plasma televisions. Each carries an image of a camera mounted on a tower, or underneath an UAV (Unmanned Aerial Reconnaissance Vehicle), or on an electronic map. There are also the mandatory maps, charts, and rosters. Communications gear surrounds the walls. There are representatives from all the units on the FOB and several units supporting us from off of the FOB (such as Aviation).

From this vantage point I saw this testament of the will of the Iraqi people. There was a suicide bomber outside a polling site. He detonated his bomb and killed himself and wounded others in the process. Within minutes the UAV was over head and we were observing real time video from the site. As the Iraqi police cleaned the area a crowd formed. It was the group of people who had been on line and had fled. Voting resumed within a short amount of time. The Iraqi people are resilient and brave.

Our sector reported a moderate to high level of turn out. This was even true in sectors that were considered high in concentrations of Sunni Iraqis.

It is now 1815 hours local time there is an emerging sense of amazement – the polls are closed - THEY DID IT!