happiness kills

Last night I went outside after work and watched the Olympics. I meant to just pass thru but wound up staying for an hour because eit was really entertaining. I watched womens’ pole vault (fascinating how the stick bends and they don’t fall off), womens’ swimming, and womens’ running. There was a mens’ running event as well but I wouldn’t give you fifteen cents to watch mens events. Sort of like I watch baseball sporadically but I remember one time really getting into the womens college softball championship a few years ago…I don’t know why, I just do.
So apparently the Iraqi soccer team was playing and winning at the same time. They must have won. Around ten o’clock the sky over the compound lit up with tracers streaking thru the sky, the air snapping and popping with the sound of jubilant AK-47’s. Celebratory fire…fairly common lately. Most of us sat out watching the fireworks and continuing to watch the games but I noticed the fire was coming from all directions and converging over our heads. These Iraqis’ were happy but they must have some idea that happiness kills so from around the city they aimed for our compound.
I stood out with a major who was trying to catch the streaking sky on his digital camera but decided I’d walk on back to my hooch and change clothes and maybe come back out when all this was over. The Giant Voice switched on: WE HAVE REPORTS OF CELEBRATORY FIRE – ALL PERSONNEL ARE ADVISED TO TAKE IMMEDIATE COVER. I continued walking. Then in thesand five four feet to my right I heard a dull thud. I little cloud of sand swirled a foot above a small hole. I looked up and thought maybe it was a date. But I pulled out my minimag flashlight and found the projectile from an AK-47 round. It was half an inch long, copper or brass, scraped by the rifling on the barrel. Good souvenir.
I never thought about how dangerous a falling bullet was before I got to Iraq. I figured they just fell. But then I talked to people who’ve had rounds fall into their trailers. That means it pierced a thin metal roof and particle board ceiling before plopping down on someone’s bed. Thin metal and particle board aren’t much of a barrier but then neither are our bare heads. One specialist came running by me last night to take cover. In June a falling round went through his cell phone and hit him in the face. When I went back out last night showing off my near miss one lady told me the success of the Iraqi soccer team had put nearly fifty people in the hospital due to celebratory fire. And its simple really – just remember your physics: terminal velocity for falling objects is 32 feet per second (sq?). Not nearly so fast as they fire out of a weapon but plenty fast none the less.
So I’m not terribly excited about this good Iraqi soccer team. I hope they do well, give a destroyed country something to rally around. But I temper that with the thought that happiness kills.