Ed. note: Adam Allington, who grew up in Northport, is a reporter for Public Radio station KWMU in St.. Louis. He recently spent some time in Iraq to report on the war, and provided his observations at the request of the Enterprise.

Adam AAllington of Northport reports from Iraq.

By Adam Allington

I became interested in Public Radio because I saw it as a great way to tell stories with a real sense of community and place.  Ever since I was a student back in Northport, I carried a belief that northern Michigan – and Leelanau in particular – was a special place with a unique identity.

I still feel like that sense of community affects my work in St. Louis.  The Iraq project in particular was an opportunity to reach out and bring in voices and sounds from Missouri men and women serving in Middle East.

My impression of Iraq is that the country seems to be entering yet another transition phase.  For the most part, insurgents have been pushed out of urban centers and the level of violence is decreasing.  The soldiers who I was traveling with were Psychological Operations (“PsyOp”) troops.  At this point, their job is to convince Iraqis to adopt a western-style system of Democratic governance.

The success of that mission is still very much undetermined.  Imagine trying to convince Iraqis with no electricity and no money that they should take their problems to what amounts to a corrupt township board, or a dysfunctional regional government.  It’s a hard sell, especially considering the fact that Iraq has no history with the kind of civic governance that we have in Michigan, or the United States.  Many of the Iraqis I spoke with expressed outright skepticism of the benefits of democracy.

I am sure there are plenty of people from around Leelanau County who have their own experiences in Iraq. From my perspective, where I was in Anbar Province, everything appeared the exact opposite of what I experienced growing up Leelanau … no trees, no hills, no water … and cities destroyed by bombs and riddled with bullet holes.  It was an eventful experience; I hope to go back again in the near future.