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PHOTO COURTESY OF SGT. LONNIE TODARO A group of Iraqi girls goof around after getting out of school. Soldiers expect more attacks on schools, which are serving as registration, polling and voting centers for the upcoming elections.

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Enemy now targeting
Iraqi civilians

But we will continue to press him until the day we get on the plane and leave. This is something that he is going to have to understand.

Every soldier on the ground understands the mission and the intent from higher headquarters. After last week's attacks, we are just more determined to root him out and either capture or kill him.

Dec. 13, 8:47 a.m. >> Just received a radio report that a local interpreter and his daughter were shot in front of their home in a drive-by. Both are in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery.

Dec. 14, 8:05 p.m. » One of our interpreters informed us that his friend working at the Kirkuk Regional Government Building was killed. A vehicle pulled alongside the taxi he was riding in and opened fire.

Again our enemy has continued attacking Iraqi people working for the new Iraqi government and coalition forces. This tactic may be successful in other parts of the country, but here in Kirkuk it seems to anger the people. There is a small percentage that quit their jobs because of threats, but the majority of people seem to get more determined as the attacks intensify.

Dec. 15, 5 a.m. » Received reports that a police patrol spotted a roadside bomb -- a 120 mm artillery round encased in concrete with a short-wave radio detonator -- in the median of a heavily traveled road. This is a testament of the determination of the police force to better the city.

Dec. 16, 12:20 p.m. >> Bravo Company reported finding three bodies on the edge of town during their patrol. The victims had been shot execution-style and discarded. They were later identified as Kurdish.

Even though citizens have lived together for almost two years, there is still an animosity between the different ethnic groups. The Kurds, who were thrown out of this region under Saddam, are trying to return to lands that were seized from them more than 25 years ago. The Arabs, who were brought in, don't want to leave the lands they feel are rightfully theirs.

Clashes between ethnic groups have been minimal over the last few months. But every now and then, killings of this nature occur and remind us how volatile this region actually is.

Dec. 16, 7:25 p.m. » Police are reporting a school was shot with a rocket-propelled grenade, leaving a 2-foot hole in the outer wall. No casualties were reported and Iraqi officials are investigating the incident.

We expect more attacks like this because the schools are the registration, polling and voting centers for the upcoming elections. By attacking these places when they are vacant, the enemy is not inflicting casualties, but is inflicting fear.

This is a new tactic -- inflict fear in the general public to prevent them from participating in the elections. This, along with ethnic boycotts, will deem the elections invalid. Hopefully, this will anger the population to get out and vote to begin the rebuilding that this country needs and deserves.

Dec. 17 >> Bravo Company, along with Iraqi forces, conduct a raid on individuals responsible for last Saturday's car bomb that injured two soldiers and damaged two vehicles.

Two suspects were arrested and a third is still on the run. This was a score all of us enjoy hearing about. Just imagine riding down a busy road and the Toyota parked on the side of the road explodes. That's what we are facing on a daily basis. To remove those that attempt to harm us in this manner is a major reason for celebration.

As we move closer to Christmas, the soldiers of Alpha Company are doing their best to get into the spirit. Rooms are decorated with stockings, and presents with "don't open till Christmas" are stacked at the ends of beds.

We may be here for the holidays, but our hearts are with our families and friends all over the world. Special thanks to Sherrie Cummins, Malene Pang, Joan Warren and Meredith Kelly. These four ladies have been our biggest supporters over the last few holidays.

I'll end with a few words from a wise old man: "Merry Christmas to all and all a good night."

God bless and aloha.

Lieutenant tackles
steep learning curve

1st Lt. Brian Hall

Hall wasn't shocked when he found out about the deployment to Iraq. "I know how the Army assigns units to different areas and I knew we were going outside our normal theater," he said. "I knew that we were fighting a two-front war with Iraq and Afghanistan, so some units would eventually get pulled from their normal areas."

Hall added that whether he thought the war was right or wrong, he knew he was obligated to complete any commitments he had made.

When he first arrived in the country, Hall learned that there was a very sharp learning curve. "All the training I did as a platoon leader had to be modified, and modified quickly," he said. "This environment that we have been fighting is nothing like the training we had conducted my first few years. It's like fighting in the mountains of the Kahukus, then fighting in Waikiki. It's totally different."

I asked Hall what he thought about Iraq now that he has spent the last 11 months here in Kirkuk. He said: "I have had the unique opportunity to experience all aspects of the battalion. I learned as a platoon leader, boots-on-the-ground soldiers are winning the war. Being able to interact with the populace and see firsthand the needs and improvements has been my greatest reward."

Hall finished the interview by saying hi to his folks, Cliff and Janet Hall, sister Jess back in Virginia, and his girlfriend, Tammy Busadee, in Aiea. "Truth, like art, is in the eye of the beholder."