by Suzanne Walker
posted August 4, 2005

Chattanooga Times Free Press Staff Writer Lee Pitts told the Chattanooga Rotary Club about his experiences as an embedded reporter in Iraq on Thursday. Mr. Pitts spent six months writing stories about the 278th Regimental Combat Unit at Camp Caldwell.

Mr. Pitts said he wanted his stories to be "snapshots" of what was going on, creating a "word scrapbook" about soldiers. About 4,000 of the soldiers in the 278th regiment are from Tennessee.

Mr. Pitts said he was glad that he was able to spend time in rural parts of Iraq. He said most journalists focus on “chasing bombs” in Baghdad. He said this causes "readers back home to get a distorted view." This is similar to "reading about the south side of Chicago and thinking it stands for all of America," he said.

Camp Caldwell is the main operation base for the 278th regiment, he said. He said the base provided many amenities. The base has a $5 million gym that most soldiers use in their free time, he said. He said each soldier is provided with a laptop. Mr. Pitts said he was impressed with the quality of the food, especially the weekly steak and lobster dinner.

Mr. Pitts said he had many opportunities to exit the gates of the base and see what life is like in Iraq. He noted that traveling is always dangerous because of roadside bombs.

Mr. Pitts said he has been asked many times if he was scared. He said he felt safe with the 278th soldiers. Furthermore, he noted that the "technical superiority and advanced weaponry" of the American soldiers does not even compare.

Mr. Pitts told the Rotary Club about one raid he was involved in. He said one night soldiers stealthily surrounded a village of mud huts and captured insurgents without firing a shot. He said many raids were done without firing, but unfortunately not all of them.

Many of the soldiers have been teaching the Iraqi people English, Mr. Pitts said. "A lot of Iraqis are learning English with a southern accent," he said.

"The Iraqi children have won the hearts of soldiers," the speaker said. He said many soldiers are always excited to see the children, because they provide hope.

He said many soldiers are concerned with "fostering too much dependency for the people." The people are so needy, but many believe that the Iraqi people need to be less dependent on soldiers, he said.

Soldiers are also concerned that "adults don’t know how to act and take the initiative” in "city management," "urban planning," "voting," and other areas, Mr. Pitts said. Efforts are being made to teach the people how to take the initiative, he said.

Mr. Pitts said the election was a success despite setbacks. On their way to vote, he saw many Iraqis pass a site in which a suicide bomb killed eight of their people the previous day, he said.

Mr. Pitts said Iraq was like "stepping into history." There are people "riding mules, outdoor markets, shepherds, no electricity, and mud huts."

He said he spent his last night in Iraq in Saddam Hussein’s palace. The palace was a “stark contrast” from the mud huts he had seen. He said staying there "answered a lot of questions about what we’re doing over there. The disparity of wealth is overwhelming. There is no middle class."

Mr. Pitts thanked the Rotary Club and the Chattanooga community for reading his stories. He said he was grateful for all the emails he received. He also noted that his boss did not send him to Iraq, but he volunteered.

Mr. Pitts said his next assignment will be in Washington.

Photo by Suzanne Walker - Lee Pitts told the Chattanooga Rotary Club about his experiences as an embedded reporter in Iraq on Thursday.

Story Copyright to Chattanooga.com