Baghdad Operators by James Glasse

Author:James Glasse
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Modern / General
ISBN: 9781473828285
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2013-06-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Home Comforts

WHEN YOU HAVE SO MANY MEN working so far away from home you are bound to have problems and at times it felt like I was their boss, their mentor and their confidante all rolled into one. There was always someone with a problem at home, whether it was a problem with their relationship with the wife or girlfriend or with the kids being ill or not doing well in school. When I joined the army the only contact with home was the weekly letter, nicknamed the ‘Bluey’ and the odd call when the pay phone gobbled up your change. Back then the enforced separation seemed to make you appreciate your loved ones more. You had your letter or your call and then got on with your soldiering.

Today, in this world of instant communications the guys were constantly in touch with home, either through text messages, emails, internet chatting or webcams. While it increased the amount of contact, the guys were hearing about every little problem and little problems became big ones when they were misunderstood. I used to think that instant communications caused some of the biggest personnel problems we had.

Believe it or not, the more you kept in contact with your loved one while you worked away, the harder it became. Each time you called home, it reminded you how much you missed your family and it reminded you how much you had to lose. Every little thing you said to your wife or kids stuck in your mind and it went round and round your head until you spoke to them again. Usually, it was just your mind playing tricks on you but the insecurities of working in such a dangerous environment played on your fears.

Your loved ones were anxious to hear you were alright and that you were not in too much danger, so you never told them how crazy your life was out there. You loved them too much to give them more worries than they already had. Conversations were often based around a few white lies as you tried to protect your loved ones from the difficulties of living completely different lives. While hers revolved around the house, the kids and your friends, yours revolved around trying to stay alive in one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

My wife and I always agreed to keep in contact by email and our Sunday get together on the internet allowed us to keep in touch. We usually spent an hour chatting away, and most of our conversation was about the kids and the rest of the family. Although she knew I had a hectic routine in a dangerous line of work, we never talked about it. As long as I was looking after myself, eating good food and keeping healthy that was all that mattered.

She had never watched the news all the time we had been married, it was something that stemmed from my military service when I often disappeared on operations without saying a word.

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