Sunrise Over Fallujah

The troops are in Baghdad now, and though there is still fighting going on, they spend most of their time repairing things and doing odd jobs, such as repainting the outhouses. The Marines and other soldiers were being interviewed all over Baghdad, and the footage on the news shows happy Iraqis cheering the Americans on. One of the Iraqi civilians helping Birdy’s squad is Jamil Sidqi al-Tikrit, a supposed cousin of Saddam Hussein. When asked what he thinks about the invasion, Jamil says that “when you kill a camel it is better to cut off the body than the head” (92), suggesting that the Americans have only made matters worse for themselves in confusing the body (the Iraqi people) by removing the head (Saddam Hussein).

Birdy’s team learns that a school has been hit and civilians, including children, have been hurt and killed. The Civil Affairs unit is tasked to go to the site and offer the locals money as well as help with the wounded. The soldiers talk about how wrong it seems to kill innocent people and then just turn around and give them money and a smile. Birdy begins talking about how nothing about the