THE FEDAYEEN ROD AND GUN CLUB

To the west of Abu Ghraib, on the road to Fallujah, there was an open air market where one could buy anything, including weapons. Of course, no self-respecting terrorist would shell out serious money for an AK-47 without trying it out. This made American soldiers somewhat nervous. There was always gunfire coming from that market; you just never knew if you were getting attacked or an Iraqi was merely checking out the merchandise.

Another disconcerting habit of the Iraqis was the practice of firing weapons in the air at weddings and other celebrations. Whatever happened to the Dollar Dance?!