Oil is simply everywhere

21 Apr 2004 0057 hours

An Iraqi was killed by an IED tonight. I wonder how many children lost a father tonight. Or how many widows will grieve tomorrow.

This country is absolutely incomparable to any place on Earth that I have been to. It is shocking to see the state in which many of these people exist. Oil is the blood of this country, and it runs thick through its veins. There are several oil refineries in our sector. The stench is inescapable. I wake up to the vile odor every morning. The entire airspace reeks like burned oil caked onto cars headers and cooked into a thick black sludge. Just when you think you have been accustomed to it, a new tinge to the horrible odor reveals itself to my repulsed nasal passages.

Massive plumes of black smoke constantly rise on the horizon. Fires burn constantly at the refineries from huge pipes that extend high above the ground. The smoke lingers without end, creating black clouds that hover above the city. They cast ominous shadows over the houses; the shade they provide is wicked in its nature.

The roads are lined with pools of the black crude liquid; some are size of small fishing ponds. When those catch fire, they burn for days at a time. Unchecked by a seemingly non-existent fire department, the fires light the sky at night with a horrible glow.

The soil is stained deep by the oil. There are massive areas of black earth that have been penetrated by spills. I saw the cab of a tanker truck that caught on fire, it was abandoned beside a road. Someone opened the valves of the trailer and drained it onto the ground. The pool was at least 100 meters long, with numerous fingers running off the side. The truck has been removed, but the biohazard still remains.

The roads along trucking routes are completely soaked with black gold. The shine off the oil is clearly visible at night under moonlight. The EPA would simply loose their minds over here. Every pothole in every truck stop is filled with oil puddles.

Oil is simply everywhere. The Tigris River is rainbow colored in the spots that do have huge oil buildup. Black tar is like jelly fish on the banks. I am appalled by how nasty oil is handled here.

There is a huge dirt parking lot outside of the refinery. Thousands of oil trucks park there for days at a time. The drivers sit in small groups drinking tea they cooked on little oil stoves. They wear dresses and defecate directly next the roads we drive on. They do not perform personal hygiene of any kind I recognize. Their trucks are old, rusty, and unreliable. I am surprised that any oil actually makes it to the ship. Where does all the money go? I have absolutely no respect for anyone who profits from this business and does not improve the work conditions or quality of life for their employees.

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Philip Jarvis
SSG, USA
Master Gunner