Patience

One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.

                    - Ancient Chinese Proverb

     One of the iron clad rules the cavalry soldiers passed along as they were leaving was to never let your guard down. It was valuable advice - not everyone who warmly shakes your hand is your friend. But just as  true is the inverse of that law - not everyone who appears threatening is your enemy. Several of our soldiers relearned that lesson today while setting up a TCP (traffic control point - aka checkpoint) on one of the crowded streets of Baghdad.

     On this overbright morning the patrol slowed to a crawl, using the inertia of the armored HMMWVs to coast into a geometrically precise roadblock. Before the rolling vehicles had even come to a rest soldiers neatly divided themselves into two groups, each performing their choreographed movements. The first group fanned out to provide a thick belt of security around the convoy while the remaining troops went about the business of setting up the oversize Arabic and English signs warning traffic of the checkpoint.

     In the blink of an eye the empty stretch of road became an invisible dam holding back a thrumming reservoir of idling cars. But before the blockade had even solidified a small sedan made a sweeping turn around the stalled traffic and into the sandy median. The beat up vehicle quickly picked up speed, shooting past the waiting vehicles and dragging a growing train of pulverized dirt. Our senior NCO was nearest to the threat, and he immediately put himself in the drivers line of sight and signaled it to stop. The car hurtled onward and CSM Plato again motioned for the vehicle to halt. The driver continued to speed toward the TCP, and by now the vehicle was almost to the empty space between the stopped vehicles and the heavily armed TCP.

     CSM Plato tried to signal the driver to stop one last time, but the driver broke into the clear and the CSM raised his M4 carbine to his shoulder. In that split second, half a hearbeat from ruin, the driver suddenly understood how precarious his situation really was. The small sedan screeched to a halt, the locked wheels gouging deep troughs in the sand.

     The sedan wasn’t filled with a family. The driver wasn’t an insurgent. He was, simply put, the world’s dumbest taxi driver. As the dust settled around the car all you could see was the passenger whaling on the driver like a side of beef.  Before anyone had a chance to intercede  the TCP started folding in on itself, pulling together like a paper being creased into an origami figure. By time we were packed and ready to go the passenger was still raging. I have a feeling that taxi driver didn’t get a very big tip.

Comments

[Charlene]

Your words are so eloquent that it honestly makes me wish I could repeat my stay in Saudi during Desert Shield/Storm. I really do look forward to reading your blog each and every day. Sometimes I laugh and sometimes I cry.....but each and every day I feel. Thank you so much for the great job you are doing for our nation. YOU and all of the soldiers over there are what makes our nation strong. Your unselfish sacrifice (being away from YOUR family so that I can continue to enjoy mine) and total dedication in your beliefs are what makes a man a TRUE MAN!!

[tmg]

Your stories paint an incredible picture. Thank you again for sharing them. You and the other soldiers remain in my prayers. God bless, tmg

[Some Soldier's Mom]

Patience is the companion of wisdom. -- Saint Augustine or so it appears and appears to have saved that taxi driver, as well! Good work! The passenger was probably wailing on the driver to start while exhorting him to drive faster! and then wailed on him when the danger was all too real!

[Jeff]

The question being... was the passenger whaling on the driver because he stopped.... or because he didn't keep going anyway?

[Joe]

First visit here and I must say I am impressed. I like that you don't try to sound macho like so many other Iraq blogs. I am forwarding your site to my coworkers so they can enjoy your words. Keep it up.

[devildog6771]

They're lucky they weren't shot. Just goes to show how much you guys risk your on own personal safety to avoid colateral deaths. Ya done gooe. But just be careful and be safe. God bless you all.

[Brian H]

I'm sure the passenger had visions of rifle slugs perforating the car, and didn't fancy his chances if that'd happened. If you ever listen to taxi drivers yak to each other, they're into major macho contempt for all other drivers and traffic rules in general. It's a hyena eat hyena world.

[Cathy]

Sounded exciting, but frightnening.

[armynurseboy]

Must be a universal trait amongst taxi drivers. I can almost see a cabbie in NY trying to pull this same stunt....

[Greg]

Well done, and well written... thanks. One question: was the taxi fare pissed at the driver for stopping, or for almost getting them killed?