Consequence (25 page)

A sandstorm blows through Baghdad and covers everything in a fine dust. Most of us have allergic reactions and spend the next week nursing sore throats and painful coughs. Some become especially ill. I'm familiar with Camp Victory, so I volunteer to drive the sickest employees to the medical clinic. The clinic is near the morgue where I unzipped the body bag and tried to identify Walid or Thaer's body. I park under a tree while the others seek attention inside the clinic. I listen to music on the radio. I read a Ken Follett novel. I recline the seat and try to nap, but nothing I do can distract me from the memory of the morgue. I see Walid. My mind opens the bag and forces me to see the images again. Closing my eyes makes it worse. I remember lifting the bag and feeling the boy fall apart.

That night I send an email to Karin and ask her to smuggle alcohol inside the next care package. I don't write anything about Ping-Pong or ham-and-cheese omelets or morning runs around the man-made lakes. Instead, I give specific instructions about buying the miniature bottles of vodka and whiskey you get at the front counter at the liquor store. I tell her to conceal them inside cartons of Fig Newtons and Ritz crackers. Karin does this. Within a week, I have whiskey again. After the trip to the morgue, the nightmares are back. The alcohol helps.

9.4

At the CSG, I work with another analyst who is about my age. Like me, he volunteered for Iraq when no one else from his office was willing to go. He has a technical degree from Brigham Young University. We talk about Mormons and Christians; we agree that neither of our churches is doing enough to clarify its position on war.

The lieutenant colonel in charge of the CSG calls a meeting: an Army unit needs intelligence support. He's looking for volunteers to give a briefing. The briefing will take place at Abu Ghraib.

The analyst from BYU is the first to volunteer. The colonel thanks him. After the meeting, I talk to the analyst about Abu Ghraib. I tell him to reconsider. I tell him not to go. He says he came to Iraq to do his part. He's bored at the CSG. He's tired of spending his days in front of a computer screen. He wants to see the real thing. The lieutenant colonel asks me to accompany the analyst from BYU. He says it will be helpful to have someone along who knows the lay of the land.

At the last minute, the briefing location is changed to Camp Victory. The analyst is disappointed. The lieutenant colonel calls him a “hard charger.” He says, “We need more guys like you willing to get out there.” He says, “Don't worry, you'll get your chance.”

9.5

In the morning, I'm assigned one of the armored vehicles and sent on my way. The trip to the
facility takes me past the morgue. It takes me past CACIville. It takes me past the terminal where Ferdinand and I flew out of Iraq.

At the
facility I feel sick. I use the blue portable toilet outside the gate. I sit inside and struggle to breathe. Don Hackett would say that God meets you wherever you are. I want God to wait outside.

The officer in charge of the facility introduces a group of civilians and thanks them for their willingness to contribute to the effort. He refers to them as professional subject matter experts. He says, “We're lucky to have these guys on board.” Then he introduces a group of CACI contractors led by Randy Kutcher.

I haven't seen Randy since I left him at Abu Ghraib. At the time, he was earning a reputation as a solid analyst despite the fact that he had no experience in the field. Now, he serves as the lead analyst for detainee issues on Camp Victory. Randy is competent, but like Jim Fisk, he appears unqualified to hold his position.

As I continue to work with a variety of intelligence units in Iraq, I come across more and more CACI employees in powerful positions. Some are qualified; most are not. But because the war in Iraq is still in its initial phase, CACI employees have spent more time in Iraq than many of their military counterparts. Without rank on their collars or badges on their chests, there is no way to determine their professional experience or competence. The Army is quick to defer to them.

9.6

The
facility at Camp Victory was recently renovated. The concrete buildings are clean and sterile.

The doors have windows. The hallways are well lit.
and
The supervising officer welcomes me inside the facility.
He asks for advice.