The Foreign Service Journal, January 2004

At one point some officer ordered me away (I had no ID and couldn’t prove who I was), but luck- ily I knew the head of the hospital. He told the guys that I was the U.S. consul and asked them to let me hang around and give assistance to the injured Americans. I actually ended up helping everyone who came in only slightly injured with simple things like making a phone call home, finding clothes for people to change into, and getting a ride to the CPA headquarters (better known as the four-headed palace) for temporary lodging. Some- one eventually gave me a T-shirt and shorts and I was able to clean up a bit. When the lady came out of surgery, I helped her call her family and sat with her for a while until she went to sleep. At some point I managed to shower and then went back to the hotel to pick up a few things for her (and clothes for myself). In particular, she really wanted her glasses since she could not see without them, so I was glad I found them. I was very thankful for my own Lasik surgery; that’s one less thing to worry about in a crisis — I can see! That night I slept in a friend’s trailer (she was in the U.S. on leave) and tried to figure out what to do. The homeless from the hotel were scattered throughout the Green Zone (protected area), with the less fortunate (meaning no friends with empty trailers) sleeping on cots in 50 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 4 I must admit that I rather like having men with guns around!