Hey mystery-ak. Two pictures for you. The first is not Balad, but Baghdad, just to give you a visual of what Mike is speaking of:
U.S. troops patrol through a flooded street after heavy rain in Baghdad December 6, 2003.
and the second is one of the Pictures of the Year 2003
PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2003 - A row of U.S. Army helmets are perched on M-16 rifles during a memorial at Al Asad air base November 6, 2003 for the 15 victims of a Chinook helicopter which was shot down by insurgents on the weekend. Against a backdrop of 15 helmets resting on M-16 rifles, American soldiers on Thursday honored their comrades, victims of the single deadliest incident for U.S. forces since they invaded Iraq. REUTERS/Chris Helgren
and I'll just throw this one in since I have been looking at it off and on today. It kind of gives one a little hope for the future of some of the Iraqi children.
An Iraqi child tosses his toy gun on to a fire during a demonstration in Baghdad, Monday Dec 8, 2003. The purpose of the demonstration was to protest the importation of military toys to Iraq and promote a healthy environment for children. (AP Photo/Samir Mizban)