In Iraq I led the Counter Mortar Patrols within our area. We traveled to almost every house within a 5 mile radius of our FOB. We knew who everyone was; we made repeated visits as often as possible. Often times we would stop by just to sit down and drink tea with the elders. I wouldn’t discuss any military topics. I would ask things like, “How is your family doing?” This over time earned their friendship, and ultimately their respect. Eventually they started coming to the base to speak only to me and my personal translator when they had heard information. Overall, the Counter Mortar Patrols turned into something more like social call /security patrol. While this tactic was not anywhere in the traditional combat textbooks, at the end of our tour I looked back and realized that we were not once fired upon while on patrol. We hit zero IED’s on our patrols, and the mortar & rocket attacks on our FOB were reduced from almost 5-8 times a day on our arrival, to maybe once a month at the 9 month mark.

What did I learn? The world is not full of hate, 98% of the individuals you meet are just normal innocent people, caught in a mix of things. The other 2% are typically outsiders who come to their location to start trouble. I'm proud to say that I represented myself, my unit, Corps and Country to the highest standards possible, and even made some friends too.