Most of the training we have been doing has been located on the "Crossed Swords".  It was a huge Parade Square that was used for formal ceremonies of State.  Saddam had the two pairs of huge swords erected at either end, for his troops to march under.  The arms holding the swords were actually cast from his own arms.  At the base of the swords, as you can see below in some of the pics, he placed thousands of Iranian helmets from the Iraq-Iran war.  They spill out from the bases of the sword hilts, and then trail across the square to it's other sword, so that every time his troops marched on victory square, they would walk upon the helmets of their enemies.  In many of the helmets you can see bullet holes through the top, where he had had the Iranian soldiers executed.  And at some of the bases, flowers and messages have been placed by those who lost somebody to that war.

    The square is now being utilized by Coalition Forces and Security Contractors as a training grounds. We practice vehicle maneuvers, and numerous other security exercises, i.e. VIP escorts, ambushes, attacks, etc.

    It is a pretty frequent "tourist" stop due to it's history.  The building in the center of the Square, is where Saddam would stand in review of his troops, as they marched past.  The Grandstand is also where there the famous video clip of him firing off a rifle into the air one-handed was taken.  The new Iraqi flag stands in his place, and this is where our class picture (below) was taken.

Probably one of my favorite pics from the Crossed Swords.  Just happened to be in the right place at the right time, as a bunch of Soldiers were preparing for training, and an Apache helicopter flew over at just the right moment.

***Disclaimer--The guy on the far left is a rarity that somehow slipped through the cracks.  He is not an example of the rest of the personnel over here. :)  And he is not doing PSD (Personal Security Details)-- the guys who escort VIP's.

    The guys in my class were mostly former British military.  I was the only "Yank".  Our instructors included a former Regimental Sergeant Major from the British Para's, a former Australian Army SAS, as well as a former British Officer.

Some of the vehicle drills we do simulate having a disabled vehicle, for whatever reasons, i.e. IED, mechanical, etc.  When this happens we have to run back, in a staggered manner, to one of the good vehicles.  Once there, the first person to reach the good vehicle jumps through through the passenger side back door, over the back seat, and into the rear storage area.  Then the other members pile into the back seat, while the passengers of the good vehicle provide fire support, and then pile into the vehicle and we take off.  In the scenario that preceded the above picture, I was the first person to get to the vehicle.  While leaping into the back, my rifle got caught up, on the floor, and I caught the butt of it caught me right in the lip.  It was about a 1-2cm long lac (about halfway through to the outside) on the inside , upper lip, that I managed to take care of with out any stitches.  Above I am performing a critical tamponade technique to the inside of my lip, utilizing an eye patch dressing, to stop any critical blood loss.

Views up and down Haifa St, outside of Camp Honor, located 1 or 2 miles from the Presidential Palace.

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