Author's notes about these
Military Support Cigar Chronicles

While not necessarily beating the drum for the cigar industry, it is a reality that smoking cigars is one of the few pastimes permitted soldiers in Iraq. Under Coalition command policy - General Order #1 - troops are forbidden to consume alcoholic beverages, and, it goes without saying, illegal drug use is prohibited and thankfully minimal. Partially as a consequence, most all soldiers either smoke cigarettes or cigars or use smokeless tobacco products. Of the three I personally consider cigars the most benign.
        
There is camaraderie among military people - even when old-timers like me interact with the younger generation - that transcends age, race, sex, or time served. Cigar smoking in Iraq played a large part in renewing that spirit for me and in building bridges across generations.
        
So I'm offering for your enjoyment a few stories from my too-brief time spent with the soldiers and thereby hope to give you a brief glimpse into life with the military police in Baghdad and beyond.

— Gordon Cucullu

Building Bridges to the Iraqi Police

Not long after leaving the Green Zone I was embedded with the 18th Military Police Brigade which had been deployed several months earlier from its permanent base in Germany. Brigade public affairs officer Major Michael Indovina had planned for me to rotate among subordinate battalions and my first week in the field was spent in the good hands of Lieutenant Colonel John Bogdon (call sign Star 6) who commanded the 95th Military Police Battalion (Shooting Stars), located at Forward Operating Base Rustimaiyah.

Previously Bogdon had me roll out with several of his companies including the 59th MP Company (Dragon Maulers) (each unit has it's own nickname or motto) commanded by Captain Joshua Campbell, the 54th MP Company (Warriors), and the 108th MP Company (Warlords) commanded by Captain Keith Edwards. Today, my last day of my tour with the 95th, I was riding with Colonel Bogdon, Star 6, and we were scheduled to call on the Iraqi Police (IP) general commanding IP operations on the entire east side of Bagdad - the part known as the Rusafa District. Everything east of the Tigris River belonged to General Ali Adnan.

The general is a genial, 43 year old former Iraqi Army officer. He tells us that his father was an Iraqi Police colonel and that as a boy he always liked the police. He was transferred to the police about 5 years ago and is well respected. Already accustomed to receiving cups of heavily-sugared Iraq tea, called chai, I was pleased when his orderly served us an interesting Arabic coffee.

It was very strong and too sweet for my taste, but highly aromatic and flavorful. Much like a refined espresso. In the course of the conversation, I asked if it might be possible for me to buy some to take back with me. At that point Bogdon jumped in and offered to pay for it himself. I ought to have know better.

Like a good Iraqi host, the general immediately dispatched his aide out to find me some. The captain returned grinning, a pound of bagged coffee clutched in one hand. General Ali waved in my direction and directed him to give it to me. Naturally, he declined payment for it.

Now I was in a quandary. It would be bad form for me to accept the gift without reciprocating. Then the idea hit me. I dug in my black nylon shoulder bag and pulled out my plastic bag with cigars in it. "Sadi (an Iraqi honorific of respect), would you please accept a cigar from me?"

General Ali's face lit up and moments later so did his cigar. It was a great ice-breaker and rapport-builder. As we smoked our cigars and I interviewed the general - for most of the next hour or so - it struck me that such a small gesture was so meaningful.

From that interview forward, I always made it a point to carry enough cigars with me to share with my American colleagues and my new Iraqi friends as well.

— Gordon Cucullu

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