BAGHDAD, 19 July 2005 — Interpreters working for US forces in Iraq say they are well-paid but live in fear of their lives, both on- and off-duty.
Like all his colleagues, “Astro,” a podgy 26-year-old who looks at least 10 years older, just goes by a nickname. It makes it simple for US soldiers to remember and helps keep his identity secret.
“Most of the other interpreters don’t know my name, and I don’t know theirs, which is a good thing, because the enemy is invisible and could be anywhere,” he said.
Astro, sporting a moustache and short hair, has been working for four months for the US army and freely admits to doing it just for the money.
“I make money here to get a good life for my family. About $1,000 a month,” he said.
For those lucky enough to find work in this war-torn country, monthly wages typically average $200 to $300.
A former student of English, Astro first worked as a teacher.
“But the salary was cheap, so I became a taxi-driver to make more money,” he said.
Nearly every day he goes out with the third battalion of the US 256th Infantry Brigade, a unit of the Louisiana National Guard, on patrols, house searches or vehicle checkpoints.
“Sometimes it’s exciting, but I’m always afraid. A car bomb can explode at any moment, or a sniper can target me,” he said.
Too many times, he said, he has seen Iraqi civilians killed in explosions that targeted US military vehicles in which he was also traveling.
Like most other interpreters, he wears a mask when he works so as not to be recognized.
“We work in Amariyah (a Baghdad district), close to my home. If someone sees me, my family or I could get killed,” he explained.
Astro works seven days in a row before taking a day off to see his family.
“When I go out of the camp, I’m afraid somebody will be waiting for me at the gate” to kill him, he said.
The rest of the time he lives in an air-conditioned tent in the huge Camp Liberty on the outskirts of town, sleeping on a bunk bed next to 20 other interpreters.
Relations with Iraqi soldiers, many of whom are majority Shiites, can sometimes be difficult, he confesses.
“Some of them like us because they understand we are the joint between Americans and Iraqi army. Others think we are betrayers because we work for the Americans,” he said.
He also accuses his employers of providing interpreters with bulletproof jackets that are inferior in quality to those given to the US military.
He has to renew his contract every three months, but doesn’t think he’ll stick with his job for too long.
“Like most of the other interpreters, I want to make good money and quit,” he said.
“I want to do something else. I’m waiting for a civilian company to work with as an interpreter. This is less dangerous and you can go home every day.
“Later, I want to start a new company, a business contracting company, with my friend ‘John’,” he said, pointing to another Iraqi interpreter.
