http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/index/ en U.S. Department of State 2008-08-20T15:01:00-05:00 Noel Clay is a Press Officer and works in the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. He is temporarily posted to the Embassy and will return to Washington, DC after his assignment where he will continue his Press Officer responsibilities in the Bureau of Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Iraq: On the Ground -- Noel's September 26 Dipnote posting

First of all, I’d like to say hello to all my relatives and friends, among others, who found me on the State Department’s DIPNOTE site and took the time to say hello. Out here – living on the banks of the Tigris – reading these postings, much like receiving mail, is exciting. Thank you all for your support and words of encouragement. I have to admit, I was a bit surprised by the response, but it was so nice to hear from everyone.

I’m wrapping up the regular work week this evening. Today (Thursday) is what I refer to as the American Friday. You see, the Sabbath here in Iraq and much of the Middle East is traditionally on Friday. Therefore, our weekend here in Baghdad is Friday/Saturday. It takes a while to get used to, but when all you do is work, you kind of feel that there is really no weekend at all. I usually spend several hours at work on Fridays and Saturdays to catch up on work I’ve neglected as a result of more pressing, immediate concerns.

It’s getting late and it is quiet now in my office, “the Green Room.” The only sounds are those of a couple of stragglers clicking away at their key boards. They’re either sending emails back to Washington where it’s mid afternoon (normally there’s an eight hour difference) or maybe they are ordering their favorite sundries from drugstore.com or a new pair of shoes from zappos.com (mine should be in any day now). Either way, quiet is nice from time to time. During the day, the Press Office is the hub of activity. It’s loud, with approximately 25 people going about their duties in one gigantic room shouting from one end to the other, dozens of cell phones ringing, and people coming in and out. Seemingly constant ambient noise spills in from the palace rotunda through the very large open wooden doors that separates our office.

The last couple of days have been spent continuing to field calls about Blackwater and the various investigations that are being conducted as a result of the recent shooting incident. That, coupled with various officials testifying before Congress, has continued to drive the news and create a lot of work for us. Yesterday, we also were asked to respond to inquiries from the press about the Polish Ambassador to Iraq, Edward Pietrzyk, whose convoy was attacked in Baghdad. Sadly, a Polish soldier was killed. Blackwater contractors helped Medivac Ambassador Pietrzyk to the International Zone (IZ) hospital and get medical treatment for his injuries.

Because Americans are such a large part of the mission here in Iraq, the Embassy is asked to comment on most everything that happens in the country. I was talking with a coalition counterpart yesterday and that person told me they didn’t receive one press call for comment on the attack on the Polish Ambassador. We do our best to respond to inquires from the press as necessary, but we also refrain when commenting would not be appropriate and should rightfully come from another source.

With that, another day in Baghdad has ended. With the recent time change, the days are shorter. (Oh, I should mention here that it’s getting cooler now. Daily highs are about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I know that sounds hot, but it can get up to 120 F in the summer. So, 100 F is cool to us out here. It’s a dry heat!) So, it’s my “American Friday Night” and I have no plans, imagine that. Maybe, I should find the “happening” spot? But first, I’ll give my mom in West Virginia a call and check in.

Ma'a salama.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/banks_of_the_tigris1/ 2007-10-05T23:28:00-05:00 Noel Clay is a Press Officer and works in the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. He is temporarily posted to the Embassy and will return to Washington, DC after his assignment where he will continue his Press Officer responsibilities in the Bureau of Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Morning started today for me like many other mornings in middle “Mesopotamia”; I rise and shine at 7 a.m., even though work in the Public Affairs Section of Embassy Baghdad doesn’t officially start until 9 a.m., and in spite of living just a couple hundred yards from my office. Had yet another restless night of sleep due to the drone of helicopters flying overhead all night.

After making myself presentable, I begin my walk to work from my half of a yellow trailer (yes trailer, but smaller then one may think -- my side is only 11 by 15 feet). En route, I pass two very large Saddam Hussein busts which used to adorn the top of the former Republican Palace (now part of the Embassy compound). I begin to think about what is in store for me when I walk into the Press Office. What will the press focus on today? Bombings in Baqouba and Basra, Blackwater, al-Qaida in Iraq, or maybe the Iraq/Iran boarder crossing closures? As I soon find out, all of the above.

It’s busy, but not as busy as it had been the week before. Last week our office was inundated with inquiries from the press about the shooting incident involving Blackwater security personnel. The press devoted a lot of “ink” to the story, and the issue continues to simmer. Focus is likely to return to the story soon as the Iraq/U.S. and State Department investigations come to completion.

While making the eight-minute trek to the office, past the occasional palm and large eucalyptus tree, a good amount of time is spent thinking about my personal safety -- why wouldn’t it? Everyone here is very conscious of this. It’s no secret that the International Zone, like Iraq as a whole, is a dangerous place. The IZ, as we call it, is targeted from time to time by those who feel Americans, as well as our fellow Coalition members, do not belong here. There have been mortar and rocket attacks within the IZ that have been a little to close for comfort and have left me and many others extremely concerned.

As a person who, prior to coming to Iraq, was not accustomed to the whistling sound of rockets overhead, or being jolted out of bed by the sound and reverberation of a car bomb exploding outside the IZ, or the hail of celebratory gunfire raining down after a televised soccer match, I have conditioned myself to take each day however it may come. I also remind myself of the voluntary commitment I made to serve my country and to the commitment we made to the Iraqi people who need our continued help and support. Yes, the process is slow and frustrating at times, but I believe we owe it to the Iraqi people as they work toward building a more secure and stable Iraq.

While sitting today at my cluttered desk, amid the vast mint-colored “Green Room” with a soaring 30-foot ceiling -- a place that I’ve called home for the past 15 months -- I begin to read through our daily press clips in order to keep up on the latest news on Iraq. I usually try to read a good majority of the daily clips, but depending on the day, it’d be like trying to tear through War and Peace in one sitting. Moving through the day, I also work on a couple of regular internal documents that are intended to inform Embassy staff, as well as others personnel in Iraq, on what the White House, State Department, and Embassy are saying about topics and events that may have a direct impact on their official duties.

As the workday draws to a close, (we work far into the evening, at night, and on weekends) I’m looking forward to our office “Happy Hour.” No, we’re not going down to the local pub – there isn’t one. We’ve invited some of our Embassy colleagues and friends to join us here in the Green Room for a little socializing and group therapy. It’s one of the very few ways of relaxing and forgetting, even for a brief moment, that you’re so far away from home and so far from the comforts that come with it. Cheers!]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/iraq_on_the_ground/ 2007-09-26T22:23:00-05:00