Have said it before, will say it again: This internet thing is amazing. (AM I RIGHT?!) When my brother went off to war, the Google alerts I made were “army” and “4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division” and “Michael Frizzelle,” as well as “Maysan” and “al-Muthanna” and “Dhi Qar”—provinces in southern Iraq. He wasn’t exactly sure where he was going. On his Facebook page on May 20, he clarified his location: “I’m in Dhi Qar providence around Nasiriyah.” Everyone in the family was relieved he’d be going to southern Iraq to train Iraqi security forces. Relatively less dangerous region/mission than, say, going to Baghdad. “He’ll be in jeopardy, of course, but it’ll be a random sort of thing, Iraqis blowing up Iraqis—getting in the middle of that. That would be the danger,” my great aunt (army nurse in the Korean War) said that weird week when Mike left. So we’ve all been on edge for news of freak accidents, car bombs, stuff like that. This morning Google lit up my inbox with today’s news in Dhi Qar: car bomb.

A car bomb blew up Wednesday in a packed outdoor food market in one of the most peaceful areas of Iraq’s Shiite south, killing about 30 people and wounding dozens more. The blast raised fears that militants may be planning more strikes in remote, poorly secured areas, seeking to stretch Iraq’s security services as they take on a bigger role in Baghdad and other flashpoint cities… It was the deadliest bombing in the Nasiriyah area since Nov. 12, 2003.

Just sent him a message on Facebook to see if he’s OK. Haven’t heard back yet, but none of the news stories mention any American casualties. To fill the silence, I’ve been digging around Facebook, and the more you dig around on Facebook for information about someone you know fighting overseas, the more you find. Facebook has completely changed what war feels like for families. There’s someone in the army whose job includes maintaining his brigade’s Facebook page. And everyone in the brigade has a Facebook page too, and they post pictures of one another. On a day when Iraqis are blowing up Iraqis in regions thought to be peaceful, when you’re desperate for a peaceful mental image of your brother, it’s quite nice to stumble across a photo of your brother sleeping peacefully in an air-conditioned tent on the other side of the planet:

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The caption: “Waiting to go to Iraq………sorry, not waiting. Taking a tactical pause.” This was in Kuwait, weeks ago. What has he done since then? According to Facebook, he’s been thinking about the Red Hot Chili Peppers, getting sweet messages from college friends (“Are we allowed to send you alcohol? I bet some Arbor Mist Peach Chardonnay would hit the spot. Hope you’re taking care of yourself”), getting shit from college friends (“A little birdie flew into my window and told me that somebody’s been sneaking off post…..”), and getting messages from his girlfriend back home (“Baby I’m so so so so sorry… I bitch about you not calling then I don’t answer I promise it won’t happen again:(…”), and sweating (“It’s very hot”). It’s weird how far away he is, and yet how close he feels. It’s weird, I tell ya. I used to hate Facebook. I don’t hate Facebook anymore.

Christopher Frizzelle was The Stranger's print editor, and first joined the staff in 2003. He was the editor-in-chief from 2007 to 2016, and edited the story by Eli Sanders that won a 2012 Pulitzer...

16 replies on “Deadly Car Bomb Today in “One of the Most Peaceful Areas” of Southern Iraq”

  1. I seriously hope “Dear commenters” doesn’t become a regular thing for bloggers. It’s almost as bad as director’s notes, or when the entire cast of a TV show get together at the end of an episode involving a touchy topic to remind everyone what’s right, what’s wrong, blah blah blah. If someone doesn’t want to read about your brother, with a topic like this, they’ll be viciously taken care of by other commenters in the post. And with that, you won’t have to come off as someone who thinks and/or cares about what other people are going to say in the midst of obvious comment-baiting and antagonizing posts of Critical Mass, careless bikers with double standards and no actual agenda at all to what they do.

    Hope your brizzy is fine.

  4. Are you aware that all military personel can apply for a discharge at any time for practically any reason?

    I say this not to disparage your posts about your Brother, but only to inform. I, myself have been enjoying these posts.

  5. @4

    Why would his brother apply for a discharge? Why would he want to? And why, as you put it, for “any” reason? Better question: how do you enjoy these posts if you obviously don’t read them?

  6. The internet and Facebook has dramatically changed how we can communicate with servicemembers. I was in the military for 8 years in the early 1980s. When I was deployed overseas, the only communication I had with friends or family was olde-style pen-and-ink letters, sent by postal mail. We could not call back home by phone on base at all except for emergencies. There were coin-op phone booths off-base in the host country, but the cost of an overseas call back then was astronomical. So as a practical matter, we wrote letters, which sometimes took a couple of weeks in transit, each way.

    I remember getting pretty homesick the first time I was deployed overseas. And that was during peacetime.

  8. @4, are you nuts?

    Maybe he can APPLY for a discharge any time. Doesn’t mean he’d get it. You’ve heard of “stop-loss”, right? They’re not even letting guys out when their enlistment ends. They certainly aren’t going to let someone out for the hell of it, just for asking pretty please.

  9. @4, you do know that there’s no way he would be discharged from active duty during wartime (especially while deployed overseas) without being seriously injured, right? I think they even keep the gay ones until they get back on US soil.

  16. A well-written, insightful entry Frizzelle; my brother just returned from his 2nd tour and you hit the nail on the head. The anxiety and fear accompanying most days when your sibling is abroad in a war zone can really affect your routine. Our family’s 2nd experience was made a lot easier by F-book (and the relatively less active Anbar Province); my best to you, your family and your brother.

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