Chapter 23
1300, 20 September 2004
Fallujah Liaison Center
Fallujah, Iraq
Captain Loper motioned with his hand, and Ismaeel Latif moved to the front of the desk, placed the claim form, receipts, and photographs down, and glanced toward the attractive young Iraqi woman interpreter. Loper investigated and settled claims for battle damage in Fallujah. The payments symbolized an expression of sympathy and remorse for damage caused during the fighting in April following the attack on the Blackwater security contractors.
Captain Loper agreed that something needed to be done to assist the people in Fallujah. Without a source of employment, nothing replaced the monthly payments made by Saddam Hussein. The mission of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force included the support of the local populati
