What was it like to travel with the Royal Air Force?
What surprised me was the hard edged realism of the British about what a disaster the Iraqi experience is. They were talking very straightforwardly about how the operation had been botched, and they’re living in one of the most peaceful areas of the country. Being around Americans, in my experience, there’s often a gung-ho naivety. Maybe that’s gone now—it’s been awhile since I’ve been embedded with American troops. But I found the British to be a little cynical and more realistic, and a lot of them were writing off the whole thing. How would you describe the troop morale? I found a lot of people hanging around the bar. The British get to drink after work, which keeps their morale from completely collapsing. They were kind of cynical about the Americans and how badly the Americans had handled it and they didn’t see any way out, any positive way this was going to end. How often are there attacks between the rival tribes of Al Huwitha? All I can tell you is what I was told by the militar
