A Few things about Iraq You Probably Have never Been Told: Former State Dept Advisor to Iraq Govt

Mar 18, 2007
Generally speaking

By Marshall Adame

1.In the United States Embassy in Iraq there are a couple of hundred Iraqi workers. They are badged and vetted. No hostile incident has ever occurred in the US Embassy executed by an Iraqi employee of the U.S. Embassy. In fact, the Iraqis working for and in the US Embassy have turned out to be great assets to the operation as a whole and have contributed more than expected and have gone the extra mile to help achieve stability in Iraq. Most are risking there very lives every day by working for the US Embassy, but through various forms of cloak and dagger secrecy they are able to make their way to the Green Zone to work on behalf of the Coalition and their country. (Most Iraqis are not the enemy).

2.In contrast to the above paragraph, the US military are prohibited from employing any Iraqi citizen (with a few exceptions). Any Iraqi who is employed by the US military in Iraq is accompanied by a US soldier every minute they are at work.

3.The US Military and Halliburton have brought in thousands of third world employees from Europe and Asia to fill thousands of jobs that could have went to Iraqi citizens. Basically, all Iraqi citizens have been considered, or are treated as a potential enemy. Planned and formulated widespread efforts to create relationships and alliances with the Iraqi population at large have never been carried out in Iraq.

4.I am told Halliburton employs and pays most of its American and foreign employees in Iraq through a company in Saudi Arabia. By doing so, they do not pay any US taxes related to Medicare, social security, income tax (federal or State) etc.

What many of the American employees discover, usually after they return form Iraq, is that they are still liable for paying their share of Social Security, Medicare and State taxes and obligations. They are also responsible for income taxes for all income in excess of the first 82K dollars per year which is exempt under US law.

5.The Iraq Reconstruction Management Office (IRMO) which oversees all contracts in Iraq and the US Army have funded and built or re-built dozens of Muslim Mosques throughout Iraq, but has not re-built, or built a single Christian Church that I am aware of, although a couple of dozen have been battle damaged or destroyed.

6.When the Commander of the Multi-National Corp-Iraq suggested that we begin to utilize some funds to restart State owned Enterprises, which were many, to re-employ the Iraqis, open micro-finance offices in the critical cities to allow Iraqis to begin restructuring their own existence, and build a few highways as a way of re-employing thousands of Iraqi men, he was denied. Formally or informally, I do not know, but I do know the subject was dropped at the subsequent meetings.

7.Coalition? Somebody needs to ask who paid for the salaries, transportation, housing, food, offices, and other amenities for most of the "Coalition" members in Iraq. With the exception of the British, Italians, Japanese and very few others, we (YOU) pretty much paid for everybody else.

For example; What was the cost of supporting the Polish, Check Slovakian, Romanian and other contingents? KBR Halliburton has provided much of the support for these contingents. Isn’t that sort of like "paying" them to be with us? If we did not offer to pay, would they have been there at all?

8.Many of the "elected" Iraqi Government officials, although still being paid, have left Iraq and are living in neighboring Arab countries, France and England. Most are connected to rivaling militias.

9.From 2003 until late 2006 there existed no joint "Iraqi-American" working groups to determine structure, design, civil planning, priorities, requirements or civil "Rule of Law" plans. If they did exist, no-one I knew was aware of their existence. We (IRMO) decided what would be built and then we would inform the Iraqis. Iraqi civil servants and elected officials had no input. (The single exception is the PRTs which allow the Provincial councils to submit preferences for reconstruction). On many occasions we built things the Iraqis did not even want and told us so prior to construction. One example would be the "Highway Patrol" Station we built. The Iraqis do not have a Highway Patrol.
US Logistics units MNST-I/CPATT insisted on its construction.

10.The State Department Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), which exist all over Iraq to bring Rule of Law, City Planning, reconstruction planning, etc to the Provincial governments do not have a single professional Iraqi citizen on the teams. No Iraqi city planners, no Iraqi engineers, no Iraqi Lawyers. There are thousands of unemployed, qualified Iraqi Engineers, Attorneys, City planners, etc., etc. etc..

11.About eight-thousand brand new SUVs and Pickup trucks were delivered to the Iraqi Police under a program called "Project Daytona". In the beginning the State Department had oversight of the project.
The pace was methodical and sure, but not fast enough for the US Military Commander, Maj. Gen. D.P. (Yes, the same D.P. who runs our Military in Iraq today). The DOS personnel were relieved of their primary responsibility of oversight and the Army began the hasty issue of the 8,600 SUVs and Pick-up trucks. With almost no accountability, no spare parts and no maintenance plan,the vehicles were issued.

Last time I check in late 2006, almost none could be accounted for and the Iraqi Police were telling us that the vehicles were destroyed. What a coincidence that SUVs and Pickups, just like the ones the America Taxpayers bought, are all over Baghdad and the Iraqi finance Minister, who used to control the Iraqi police, has dozens at his disposal now. We also delivered dozens of Brand New Factory armored Mercedes Benz sedans which cannot be account for now.

The governments of Japan and Korea had sent the Iraqi Minister of Interior over three thousand SUVs and Pickups. Those delivery numbers were never shared with IRMO although the Iraqis had agreed to share that information. We never formally asked them to explain their behavior.

12. A bridge construction project in Ramadi, approved by the IRMO/PCO and thoroughly briefed and signed off on by the Military Commanders in Baghdad was stopped by a single Colonel who had no authority to cancel the project. The thirteen million dollars was stilled paid out to the contractors, who were prevented from entering the construction area. (The Ramadi Governor and his Provincial council insisted that the bridge was critical to Ramadi and its future). The original bridge had been blown up by order of a Marine commander AFTER the Marines had already secured the immediate area.

13. Iraqi citizens are, more or less, prone to trust the average American soldier who walks their streets. They genuinely see the American soldier and Marine as a protector and shield against the violence. In contrast, the average Iraqi citizens, I have known, have a profound mistrust of many of the American commanders and civilian authorities they encounter. They know the Iraqi Police, for the most part, make up a large part of the Shia Militias. In Basrah, Iraq’s second largest city, the situation is different. In Basrah, where the British reign, there is a pronounced contempt and suspicion about even the average soldier. On many occasions the Provincial Governor of Basrah has simply refused to talk with the British authorities. The Shia Militias there have, to a great degree, dissuaded the British Army from being too active in the city of Basrah. British patrols in the actual city of Basrah are few.

14. With few exceptions, all the construction and assistance to the Iraqis in Southern Iraq, where the British have complete control and oversight, has been funded by the United States.

15. The costs for US Army Corps of Engineer controlled projects through the PCO in Iraq are more than double that of other US Government sanctioned contracting units such as the Air Force Contracting group in Iraq known as AFCEE.

The average advertised cost of performing a contract with through AFCEE is about 5% of the whole contract and usually ends up under that figure.
With the Corp of Engineers, the average advertised cost of the total contract dollar is about 8%. In many cases those contracts end up exceeding 22% to 30% of the total contract dollar. Lots of overhead, lots of "other" expenditures.

AFCEE is managing over three Billion dollars of contracts in Iraq with an
American staff of between nine and twelve people physically in Iraq. The US Corps of Engineers has roughly hundreds of American staff in Iraq.
Somebody needs to be shown the number of project "starts" by the Corps of
Engineers and the numbers of "fully completed" projects by them. I think that number would be of interest to the American population.

Somebody needs to ask how many projects have been "de-scoped" in order to
recover contract funds to pay "other" costs.

16. Many of the Military Base facilities the United States built for the Iraqi Military, were looted and stripped of anything of value, i.e., air conditioning, copper wire, bathroom fixtures, furniture, etc., very shortly after being formally turned over to the Iraqi Military.

The average American Soldier, Airman, Sailor and Marine in Iraq is dedicated and faithful to his/her service and leadership. They see some of the good and most of the bad to be seen in Iraq. They want to believe that they are there for a great purpose, a purpose that transcends tangible accomplishment.

Our Soldiers and Marines want the Iraqi people to know what we know in America, freedom, liberty and peace. They want the Iraqi to understand that we do not want to change their religion, or their culture and that we do not need to control the precious oil which lays in abundance under the Iraqi soil. The soldier in Iraq believes he/she came to help, to do a good work. Their Military and Civilian leadership has failed them.

Although there is great turmoil happening throughout Iraq everyday, our military soldiers, occasionally, are given the moment in time when an Iraqi man puts out his hand in friendship, or an Iraqi kid kicks the ball over to a soldier or Marine who happily joins into the game. An Iraqi mother glances with a grateful "thank you" in her expression to a passing soldier.

There is the snapshot in time, where a Marine holds the limb body of a dead child in his arms and cries from the senselessness of it all. At that moment, there is no politics, or good reason for what is happening, only a dead child, a life gone before it’s time. How do we compensate that Marine for that moment in his life? We don’t. We can’t. God help us.

There is no questioning the bravery, courage and compassion of the US Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers and Marines. That has never been the issue. America loves them and they know it. Right Wing, Left Wing, Conservative, Liberal, Cut "n" run, Stay the Course, or the Bomb the hell out of Iran group. We all love our men and women in uniform. They and the first responders of 9/11 have given America the real life heroes we have needed for so long.

Many Corporations and business people, American, Iraqi, British, Iranian, Kuwaiti, Jordanian and others have financially profited greatly from this war. Many of the Iraqi government officials, having arrived after Saddams fall, back in Iraq paupers, are now millionaires thanks to the American taxpayer, the President of the United States and the failed leadership of Donald Rumsfield and Paul Bremer. Those very same Iraqi government officials who now are associated with the very militant elements responsible for the senseless murder of thousands of Iraqi and US Soldiers and Marines. My own son was wounded battling these terrorist, criminal and murderous elements who are the friends of many of the Iraqi officials we support.

We owe the American Soldier, Sailor, Airman and Marine, who without question, has carried out his/her mission, and rightly performed his/her duty to their God, Service and Country without reservation. It was so discouraging to me when I heard about the Walter reed Medical scandal wherein our wounded soldiers were being subjected to terrible treatment. What was our President and Republican Congress thinking over the past four years?

This disgrace upon our Military wounded was totally avoidable. How did we have the money to pour Billions into the pockets of the Corporations and the Iraqi government officials, but could not find the funding to care for our wounded? The President surely understood business for the Corporations, but failed in the business of leading our Military and serving the people of America.

Iraq can only be stabilized by the Iraqis themselves. Yes we can and should support, train, advise and provide technical assistance to their economic and commercial development, but our combat role in Iraq must be ended immediately. Our combat forces need to be redeployed to areas where there is availability without exposure.

We have paid the price, we have gone the extra mile while the entire Middle East has sat out the turmoil. The Arab league needs to help Iraq, financially, commercially, and militarily.

America needs to allow the countries of the Middle East to begin the healing process in Iraq. The war against terrorism is not in Iraq. Enough is enough.

God bless the suffering people of Iraq. God bless America.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marshall is a retired US Marine Vietnam veteran who became an Aviation Management/Logistics consultant in 1992.
Marshall worked in the Kuwait recovery of 1992-93.
He the Senior Aviation Logistics Manager for Kaman Aerospace in Egypt US Government programs for four years.
Marshall was in Iraq from mid-2003 until late-2006 where:
In 2003 he was the US Coalition Airport Director for Basrah Int'l Airport in Iraq.
In 2004 he was VP for Aviation Development with The Sandi Group Int’l, Iraq.
In 2005 Marshall was a Department of State US Advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and with the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) where he was on the staff of the National Coordination Team (NCT) in Baghdad.

Marshall returned to the USA from hi diplomatic assignment in Iraq in September 2006 and is currently on staff as a Senior Analyst for a DOD project.
Marshall and his wife Becky (3rd grade teacher) have been married for 37 years and have four children, Paul, Veronica, William and Benjamin, and eleven grandchildren.
Their sons William and Benjamin, served in Iraq in the US Army. William was wounded in action on July 2nd 2006.
Marshall and Becky reside in Jacksonville North Carolina. marshall_adame@yahoo.com
Note: Marshall Adame will be a 2008 Democratic candidate for Congress in NC and is a supporter of John Edwards for President