Whats the most dangerous job in the Green Zone?
The soldiers posted at Gate 12 have it bad. They routinely get car-bombed and have to fend off attacks. The other most dangerous job is private security contractor. There are roughly 25,000 PSCs in Iraq, and, by my count, one is killed every three days. Can you spot an insurgent? On our runs through downtown, some folks would smile, some would frown, and others would just watch as we rolled by and mouth the word “boom.” Instead of scanning individuals, you have to intuit the pre-ambush ambience. If the street is suddenly deserted, if traffic patterns turn weird, if people look frightened or are running like hell, it’s about to get ugly. What’s the most dangerous corner of Iraq? Each morning I would roll out with my contractor buddies to run security details on the six-mile road to the airport. This stretch of blacktop is nicknamed RPG Alley a misnomer considering that just as many insurgents use car bombs as rocket-propelled grenades. In one 48-hour period, I counted 16 attacks on that
