Soldier one moment, peacekeeper the next
On patrol in Khaldiyah, west of Baghdad, six soldiers with Apache Company are tested by constantly changing demands.
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The full moon bathes the countryside in a ghostly silver light as the six soldiers lie hidden in the shadows of the derelict building outside Khaldiyah. The squad is on observation duty, monitoring the neighborhood for an insurgent known as "RPG guy" who has a habit of firing a rocket at US troops every other day.
Other than the distant bark of dogs and the buzz of insects, nothing stirs for nearly three hours. Then comes the blast from the RPG a few hundred yards up the road.
In the alley in Khaldiyah, the soldiers glance beneath parked cars for "RPG guy," and check around corners for possible gunmen.
"There's a guy in a white man-dress," one soldier calls out, referring to the full-length dishdash worn by Iraqi men. The patrol breaks into a sprint as two men dart into the entrance of a house, slamming the white metal gate behind them. Two hefty kicks and the gate springs open. Two soldiers cover the back of the building while others burst through the front door, rifles pointed before them. Out of one room come two men, three girls, and an older woman, looking dazed and frightened at the late-night intrusion. The two men are lined up against the wall. But the man in the white dishdash has disappeared.
"Man, it's like we're fighting ghosts," says Spec. Nick Moorehead from Harrisburg, Pa.
Three men from a neighboring house are pulled into the road. One of them has a white dishdash. All three claim to be policemen, but their identification cards carry no names.
The Bradley, commanded by Sgt. Tyler Doughty from Newark, N.J., pulls up outside the house. As the soldiers interrogate the suspects via an interpreter, there is a second, closer RPG explosion, followed by the crackle of small-arms fire.
"Tight security, people," yells Sergeant Spencer as the Bradley roars off down the narrow alley to investigate, striking a parked vehicle and a wall in its haste.
"Shoot anybody coming through the back door," Sergeant Spencer orders, as the terrified old woman sobs on the floor.
The second RPG round was fired at a civilian truck but missed - apparently the insurgent mistook it for a military vehicle.
The Bradley returns, and three men from the neighboring house are handcuffed and pushed into the back. Two of them are positively identified by the police at the nearby station and released. The third man, whose plea of innocence fails to impress the soldiers, is taken back to the camp for interrogation.
The incident emphasizes the difficulties faced by US troops confronting a low-grade guerrilla war. Any goodwill gained during the day through giving out food and water, and the friendly approach of the US soldiers stands to be lost at night when troops are forced to react to an attack.
"It's difficult," says Sergeant Doughty. "We see people running away after an attack and we can't tell if they are the guys that did it or someone just getting out of the way. That's the hard part of what we do. But we still have to check it out."
