"Life in the Mog! Mogadishu that is!" Mogadishu by posejc

When I first stepped out into Mogadishu Airport after a arrowing flight on a UN chartered jet from Nairobi to the Mog - it was an unusual trip to say the least - perhaps a precursor to what would transpire in Mogadishu - you see the aircraft was chartered by the UN by a Russian Pilot and his crew - an AN 124 - An old World War II type after Jet - that had the A/C on full blast - so much that it was actually emiting cold smoke from the top of the aircraft - to the Heater being on full blast on the bottom near our feet!.. so our feet where nice and toasty - and I had to take my shoes off just to try to get some cold - while our heads where in a constant mist of A/C conditioner running at full blast!.. we approached Mogadishu airport by flying right over the Indian Ocean - since the airport is build right on the edge of the ocean - it was an interesting view of boats and some white forms I took to be great white sharks that where lurking in and around the cliffs - I later found out more about those sharks and some of the results of their being there!.. more later!.. so we landed on the runway - got off the plane and walked into blazing heat and wind - oppressive heat - dry - but with a smell of salt in the air - kind of reminded me in many similarities to landing in Da Nang in Vietnam way back in 67 - and there was the omnipresent feeling also there - of: "What the hell am I doing here!" - then we all got into processing and issued our first flak jackets (now I new I was back in Vietnam!) - and our Kevlar Helmets!..then all herded into an old UPS type van - brown off course - with armor all around and windows outfitted with chicken wire and hard wired windows with all around security - I was told from handgrenades and the likes! - what about bullets?.. they said something - don't worry about those - if they find you - you won't feel it!.. A secure feeling if I had ever had one!.. Now I knew I was back in Vietnam!..

Malaysian Contingents Troops by the Ocean

After the interesting flight from Nairobi and life being uncomplicated and normal (if living as an expat is being normal!) - There we where in the Mog!.. heading out on a dusty desert road - locked in and secured by flak jackets, helmets and no weapon - hey!..at least they could issue us an M16 - like we had in Da Nang!..but no - all we had was a trusty pepper spray bottle of sort - and a baseball bat - a lot of good thats going to do against an AK47 I thought to myself!.. maybe we could just scare the *** out of the Clans with such accoutrements!.. I am sure they probably would life their heads off at our feebel attempt as self-preservation in those get up!.. Remembering the one day that I had forgotten to put on my kevlar equipment while proceeding to go to chow - big mistake - all hell broke loose while I was sitting on the throne doing and minding my own business while bullets started flying all around me!.. Hell of a time to start some *** (literally!) - I swear!.. but thats another story!.

Mohammed Mohammed - Educated - My best friend!

As we continue - come to find out that the reason why all hell broke loose was because an Indian contingent convoy was passing by the front of our gated compound and somehow a bullet founds its way in the hand of the leading Indian Captain that was leading the convoy - and he being upset at being shot at - decided to retaliate and fire indiscrimently into a crowded market right across from our gate!.. killing innocent people - one of them was a child of about 7 or 8 years old that I took to the infirmary and tried to evacuate by Australian UN Helicopters to the Pakistani Hospital in downtown Mogadishu - the child died in my arms on the way to the see the "Doc" who was just a Medic/EMT guy that we used for our ills and common colds - not a true doctor in the sense of the word - but where it not for his efforts on this day - more people would have died - thanks to the prompt intervention of many of us and the small medical skills we had - many where saved - but many more died all because of a small incident (if you want to call that a small incident!) based on retalation without thinking of the consequences!..Even to this day - I cry thinking of that boy - there was nothing else I or anyone else could do for him - his wounds where too great to survive - made me think of my son back home who was about the same age - and it hit me very deeply - even today - I have nightmares about this event - and rarely speak about it because it hurts so much!..but talking about it - I must - I need to get this off my chest and let it ride - it is over - it is but just a unfortunate memory of a time when I realized that man can do such evil and not even care one least bit and go on with their lives!.. I pray for this child and many others who even to this day die for Allah and many Muslim countries who are engaged in a war of religion and ideologies that cannot be won!..

• Pros:Mogadishu may one day live up to its name!
• Cons:Meanwhile 200 + Clans are still fighting a cause no one will win!
• In a nutshell:Mogadishu to me was the land God forgot!..and Still is!