Originally published in ‘zine issue #40, 2009
Pete Ponitkoff should be no stranger to D.U. readers. Besides being the singer in the now-defunct Benümb, Pete screams in Agenda Of Swine, both interviewed in earlier issues (as always, go to the zine website to download ‘em). He also helms the not-regular column Get it or Die! for us. Well, Pete is on the receiving end of a discussion once more, graciously sharing his views and experiences in connection to the Iraq war. He knows from where he speaks, having served in Iraq from February 2005 until January 2006, when his National Guard unit, BCO 1/184 Infantry, out of Dublin, California, was deployed to the International Zone in Baghdad.
“We got the word that we were headed overseas, several days after the Fourth of July weekend,” recalls Pete. “We had gone through several weeks of clinics, paperwork, family support briefings—the National Guard is huge on family support and service. We then went to El Paso, Texas for close to five-and-a-half months’ worth of training and family support briefings. I wish I was kidding. Training was comprised of training in patrols, convey ops, marksmanship, et cetera. After completion of that, we traveled to Louisiana for more training and from there we flew to Kuwait. We did more training in Kuwait and some of us, myself included, drove up to Baghdad.”
Pete continues, “It’s easier to describe an average day than describe my job. Someone asked what was it I actually did, because no one knew. I told them I walk around a lot and be Sgt. Ponitkoff. A funny rumor that people had made up about me was that I secretly ran the entire program out there, and all the extended work hours and screwed-up shifts were all my doing. I, of course, passed this off as the truth and told them I was trying to make us the last unit to leave Baghdad.
“Doing this was, like, the biggest thing I ever did.”
“But in reality, it goes like this: I was an infantryman; I got detailed to do other taskings. An average day started about 7 a.m. I showered, shaved, et cetera, jumped in a Humvee, got taken to another FOB (forward operation base). My mornings were spent as a PLL (prescribe load listing) clerk. I tracked vehicle dispatches and maintenance; ordered parts for vehicles, weapon systems; and trashed talked with the other clerks. Afternoons were either spent in a stockyard or supervising local national workers. Towards the end of the day I would pick mail for my company. I would get picked up and taken back to where I slept. I helped drop off mail; take care of any vehicle maintenance issues which had to be addressed. If one of the line platoons, platoons on patrol, or checkpoints, which I really liked working with, had checkpoint duty or was going out on a patrol, I would go and help out for a few hours.”
While Pete missed hanging out and playing music while he was in Iraq, he says, “Doing this was, like, the biggest thing I ever did.”
Pete and the rest of the unit were first told that they were to provide security to convoys. “That was our original mission. We got tasked out for checkpoint duty, patrols; some of our guys got to do missions with the Navy SEALs. I was invited but didn’t get to go—sore subject. Our people had a lot of interaction with the citizens of Baghdad and really got to improve living conditions for a lot of people.
“I am sure there wasn’t a person there that wasn’t aware of the U.S. interest in petroleum assets in the region,” Pete adds. “But again, the general vibe is safety and a genuine desire to give the people of Iraq a decent existence. Though there might be many underlying agendas for the U.S. occupation, this isn’t the agenda of the U.S. soldier, Marine, airman, sailor. It’s a genuine desire to do some good.”
Not everyone from Pete’s unit came back from overseas unschathed, however. “IEDs took the lives of several of our people; sniper fire. Within my region, two friends were shot and, thank God, survived. Over the course of the deployment, close to 100 people were wounded. There was one case of a suicide bomber.”
One can hardly talk about the war and its consequences without talking about the politics behind the U.S. starting the war, and Pete has no qualms about expressing his thoughts on such matters.
To begin on these subjects, back in 2004, then-Defense Secretary Rumsfeld addressed and took questions from U.S. troops in Kuwait, where he heard tough questions from National Guard personnel, starting with one who hesitantly started that ball rolling. Complaints ranged from inadequate or nonexistent equipment to extension of tours to National Guardspeople being treated second-class to regular Army.
Pete responds, “Thank God for all the families and that soldier for standing up and saying something. Our unit already had better equipment than some of the regular Army units, but over the course of the 11 months we were there, drastic changes in body armor and policy came about, for the better. In regards to be being second-class citizens, from my end I didn’t really experience too much of it. The regular Army people I worked with really took me in as one of their own. But that’s my story; I am sure there’s someone else who would have a story that would completely contradict what I just said.”
Rumsfeld and the rest of the Bush Administration repeatedly linked the Iraqi conflict to September 11, 2001 and America’s so-called war on terror, and the media was happy to repeat it.
“This is almost the three degrees of Kevin Bacon,” Pete begins. “History has taught us that anything can be linked together if you really try hard enough. Prior to our occupation, there was people scaring and hurting other people in Iraq, which can be perceived as frightening, but because there was oil in the equation, these acts can now translate into terror. But for real, of course there’s traces, obvious and similar ideals as those which you could have found behind 9/11 in Iraq. But in the same sentence no one can take a blind eye to our previous conflict in Iraq and the fact the both Bushes were involved.
“All of this aside, I am totally behind the troops, and regardless of all this nonsense, they’re fighting the good fight. Those which have died did so in the most honorable fashion, in service of their country and so someone else could have a better life. Most of us will more than likely leave this world in some rest home crapping on ourselves.”
Continuing on, there’s the revelations of the Downing Street memos and the Downing Street minutes, pointing to the facts being fixed around the policy to justify the war, and U.S. bombing starting a year before troops were deployed in Iraq.
“What a surprise. Why don’t they just come right out and say things? I don’t get it. Like the truth is any worse than what’s happening now. Imagine if our politicians came out and said, ‘Look, the economy pretty much is going to go to crap here in a hot second; we as a society are still way dependant on oil to maintain our way of life; our petroleum assets are in a hostile and unstable region of the world. We are sending forces in to that region to stabilize our intrests. Yes, there will be loss of life, but there will be a resurgence in the economy and humanitarian efforts to improve life in this part of the world and quite possibly our portion of the world.’”
It’s been suggested that the Pentagon supplies inaccurate counts of wounded and killed U.S. troops in Iraq, because those that perish in transit to Army hospitals in, say, Germany, are not tallied with those in-country.
“Take into account that the media will always report faster than the military,” Pete explains. “Simply stated, the military and government have to go through procedures before actually reporting, while the media reports immediately. But in regards to the fashion it is reported, it’s almost reminiscent of the way the uneployment rate is tallied. Wow! I think the tragedy here is not in the way these figures are tallied or reported, but the fact that the value of a human life has been reduced to a statistic. There’s a real person behind each number, a person with family; someone’s son, daughter, father, mother, husband, wife. Someone who is going to be missed.”
Then, however, there’s VP Cheney’s comment of, “The President carries the biggest burden, obviously. He’s the one who has to make the decision to commit young Americans.”
To this, Pete is almost speechless. “What the hell can you say? How do you even respond? But let’s keep in mind, there was no draft. When you sign up for the chore, you can’t cry when you got to take care of business, regardless of the politics behind it.”
Finally, Pete wraps up the whole ball of wax: “Theoretically, this is what should be done. Forces should be concentrated in either one region or another, either Iraq or Afghanistan. But realistically speaking, after all the other countries have pulled out with only our forces left with the number of soldiers that we have, a reduction of troops on the ground is not going to help the situation. It would be more of a reduction of safety. But if we were to entirely pull out, choosing a specific date, keeping the same numbers until that date for safety measures—that being convoy, security for patrols, both air and ground—would minimize possible injuries and fatalities.
“If we were to continue with a peacekeeping mission, that region is not ready for that. We would still need soldiers on the ground. It’s nowhere like Korea was in the ‘70s and ‘80s or the borders of Eastern Germany. The situation is just too unstable.”
These days, Pete’s daily life goes something like this: “Walk down to my mail box and open it; about every other week there’s a check. Translation: I professionally collect unemployment.
“I currently attend community college at night; one night a week I go volunteer at the 924 Gilman Project as a booker; I also jam on Agenda Of Swine.”
With the conversation coming to a close, Pete ends with this: “To all those who wrote, supported: thank you! Especially all at Relapse, Roadrunner, Metal Maniacs, Revolver, Metal Edge, Fuse TV, and CMJ, and you too, Richard! Remember, you don’t have to agree with political agenda or leaders to support the troops; they are yours.” ■
Photo: Pete Ponitkoff (by Stephanie Pattison, courtesy Relapse)
