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American Sniper - Boekje Pienter

American Sniper - Boekje Pienter

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The sons of the election officials were a favorite target. The insurgents<br />

would use the families to put pressure on the officials to drop<br />

out. Or else they’d just kill the family members as a warning to others<br />

not to help the government hold the elections or even vote.<br />

THE SALACIOUS AND THE SURREAL<br />

One evening, we took over what we thought was an abandoned apartment,<br />

since it was empty when we arrived. I was rotating with another<br />

sniper, and while I was off, I went hunting around to see if there was<br />

something I might use to make the hide more comfortable.<br />

In an open drawer of a bureau, I saw all this sexy lingerie. Crotchless<br />

panties, nightgowns—very suggestive stuff.<br />

Not my size, though.<br />

There was often an odd, almost surreal mix of things inside the<br />

buildings, items that would seem out of place under the best circumstances.<br />

Like the car tires we found on the roof in Fallujah, or the goat<br />

we found in the bathroom of a Haifa Street apartment.<br />

I’d see something, then spend the rest of the day wondering what<br />

the story was. After a while, the bizarre came to seem natural.<br />

Not quite surprising were the TVs and satellite dishes. They were<br />

everywhere. Even in the desert. Many times we’d come upon a little<br />

nomad settlement with tents for houses and nothing but a couple animals<br />

and open land around them. Still, they were bristling with satellite<br />

dishes.<br />

CALLING HOME

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