March 23, 2003

YYZ

TORONTO, Canada -- The pentagon looked ironically peaceful from above. The little Canadair jet took its required left turn after leaving Reagan National Airport to avoid flying over the National Mall, restrictions that have been in place since September 2001. The turn exposed the sunbathed military headquarters building with its parking lot only one-third full.

One can’t blame the military for waging war on Iraq. Orders come down, orders are followed. The lesson learned nearly four decades earlier was one taken to heart. Carrying weapons does not make one a war monger. Just as Gen. Tommy Franks has been touting, “No one hates war like a soldier hates war.”

When I first drove into the District on Saturday afternoon anti-war – or pro-peace, depending on how you look at it – protests abound. They walked north on 15th Street NW waving signs, beating drums and hollering slogans westward hoping the words carry one block to The White House.

The paradox that I leave the comparatively serene Washington, D.C., to hopefully walk into a war zone baffles my mind. My country’s government decided it was high time to continue the march to Baghdad after a 12-year delay, and here I go along for the ride shooting pictures, not bullets.

But an even bigger paradox is that I joined the Navy 14 years ago specifically not to put my boots on the ground. Just like when I first joined I never thought I’d ride submarines. I rode three.

When asked why I’d chosen the Navy, I’d reply that 600 miles was a better distance to fire at the enemy from rather than 600 feet.

Another city is behind me as my Air Canada flight left Toronto. It’s the cheapest fare I found to Frankfurt with two days’ notice, but on further analysis Air Canada seems the safest airline to fly lately. No one hates Canadians.

The defensive sleeping starts now. Hardly knowing when the unit I’ll “embed” with will leave for Iraq is a serious motivator. Add whatever time I can find to relax and a seven-hour flight is a good time to accomplish both. No better time than the present.

- Rich