Watching the Iraqis work, Sgt. Fuchs spotted one who was doing a particularly good job checking the interior of the truck, and told the interpreter to tell the other Iraqis—who didn’t seem to be paying too much attention to what they were doing—to follow his lead. The other Iraqis watched for a minute, and started to follow suit in the same methodical manner as the guy Fuchs had pointed out. In the end, the trucks were clean, the drivers’ IDs checked out, and we walked back to the waiting Strykers to head back into the night along the IED-gutted roads.


This is Part Three of an ongoing series.


Part One, “The Rejected,” is here.


Part Two, “Men With Guns,” is here.