Game day!

September 26, 2004

The streets were filled with people.

They walked and laughed.

Some even waved as we rolled past.

Light glowed from every store on the street. Photography shops, shoe stores, clothing stores, snack food vendors. They all bustled with business.

There were more prosperous storefronts along this route than in downtown Little Rock.

This is not the Adhamiya I’ve come to know.

There was a time, not so long ago, when shopowners would lock up their doors and streetlights would darken as patrols neared.

“We’ve been doing something right,” said Capt. John Stubbs as he watched the activity on the street. “This place is alive.”

It’s hard to believe that just two weeks ago, a sniper position in this district was almost overrun by angry residents.

It’s hard to believe that one week ago, a trio of insurgents was rolled up on a nearby street.

As we walk this street, it’s hard to believe this is Adhamiya.

Even the sewage water flowing in the street is at a minimum tonight.

All in all, it’s been a good day.

A couple hours before the patrol, Operation Ruffles went down.

It was a fast mission with one goal — to find chips, lots of them, and return safely to Fort Apache.

Chips are sold by street vendors where they are fried up fresh each day. You buy them by the bag, which is about the size of a five-gallon trash bag.

The chip vendor was glad to see the convoy of humvees pull up.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/STEPHEN B. THORNTON Pvt. Jonathan Wallace of Pine Bluff, Spc. Bobby Beatty of Searcy, Staff Sgt. Ronald Woods of Little Rock, (partially obscured) and Sgt. Nathan Baker of North Little Rock celebrate a Hogs touchdown late in the fourth quarter against Alabama.

No, he didn’t know the Razorbacks were playing football. He didn’t know Charlie Company’s joy when it learned Armed Forces Network was carrying the game.

But the vendor quickly learned that the men of Charlie Company needed chips, bad.

The men scoured the cardboard boxes that arrive from home each week for dip. There was enough salsa, cheese and French onion dip for everyone.

After securing the chips, soldiers completed the day’s patrols and waited for kickoff — 11:30 p.m. here.

Soldiers circled the two televisions at Fort Apache, one in the chow hall, the other upstairs.

Some wore Razorback shirts and hats. Some clutched footballs carried from home.

Most just yelled at the screen.

The crowds weren’t large, but a loyal few stayed until 3 a.m. to see the Razorbacks to victory.

When it was done, the smell of stale chips and French onion dip lingered in the air as everyone wandered off to bed.

Posted by Amy at September 26, 2004 04:15 PM