Reflections from 36,000ft
En route Tbilisi – You never leave a war zone … in my work, I depart one conflict and prepare for another.
In fact, between live shots the other day, I went down to the hotel gym to find Correspondent Steve Harrigan working out as well.
“Here we find ourselves in a war zone, training for the next one”
The next one being Afghanistan, in a few weeks time where I have a three to four week assignment coming up, to coincide with the U.S. Elections.
The last two weeks in Georgia have been physically draining, long hours , little sleep and the constant threat of danger. It is the danger you do not see that worried me the most. Isolated roads and ethnic tensions, add to that alcohol and guns and a lethal cocktail is created.
Who started the war in Georgia will be debated, Why Russia invaded can be argued from many viewpoints. I have no doubts that they had been planning this invasion for a long time.
I have learnt that you should never take sides and you cannot hate one side or the other. The secret is to simply despise both sides equally and be nice to the man with the gun or tank you are standing next to at the time. It is somewhat hard to explain what it feels like to drive across frontlines, one minute you are with one army the next with the other side with guns and artillery pointed at where you have just been and where you will be going too.
War is often not a constant Rambo’esque blaze of gunfire from the hip, but a slow calculated chess game, where moves are often made when the pieces are in place. And then the secret is not to be in the no man’s land
The one thing I dread about going home is the fact that I know that in the next few days, I will go through, what I call the “wakes in the night.” Where I will suddenly wake up and not know where I am in the dark, and it will take a few seconds to register where I am and the fact that I am not in a conflict zone. That is never pleasant and will take a week to get over.
The Afghanistan trip next month will be hard, and already not two hours out of Georgian War. My planning has begun already.
Finally after two weeks my beard is at the stage that the itching is beginning to drive me crazy, what is worse though is the amount of less than dark hairs that seem to populate my natural color.
Mal James is a FOX News Channel international cameraman, based out of London. He most recently reported on the Russia-Georgia conflict with FNC reporter Steve Harrigan. In the past, Mal has traveled across the globe to cover the war in Iraq; to North Korea to visit the N.Y. Philharmonic during its historic trip; and Jerusalem to visit the purported King Herod's tomb. 
It looks like there are signs of pullback by Russian forces in Georgia, because Russian military convoys rolled out of three key positions in Georgia and headed toward Moscow-backed separatist regions Friday in a significant withdrawal two weeks after thousands of troops roared into the former Soviet republic.
Mal,
I’m truly happy you are out of Georgia. Not so much that you are headed to Afganistan in a few weeks. I guess when you are the best at covering the tough stuff that’s what they will send you to cover. I hope you can enjoy some time decompressing before you go. I will watch for you and I look forward to your reports. I have especially appreciated your blogs during your time in Georgia and I hope you will continue with them through Afganistan. They really help us get a full picture of what is going on….along with the great camerawork. You know a graying beard will make you look like the great artist you are with that camera.
Thank you,
Neatie H
Mr. James,
This blog very much resembles a press release from a political campaign. Are you perhaps seeking public office?
Don
Since you don’t take sides, does that mean you will regard NATO and the Taliban as equal evils in Afganistan? (Don’t forget “Fair and Balanced”).
So the trick in Afghanistan wil be to despise both sides equally! Don’t worry, Ernie Pyle your not….
Well, since you’re not on either side and it is all a calculated chess game, you really have nothing to worry about. Hell, you’re not even on a side. Why should you worry about anything? The Army guys in forward operating bases wearing actual uniforms are the people that should worry.. and what are you training for, exactly? You just watch things happen.
What ever happened to rational thinking, Mr. James. Do these commenters above not realize that as a news cameraman recording what is happening on both sides of a war you cannot go out there waving a Georgian or a Russian flag around or you will get your camera….confiscated and your rear shot. I am sure you have learned to keep your opinions to yourself, and your camera rolling. It is wise to trust nobody and to smile at the man pointing a gun at you. From all your film footage of war and the great reporters who have put words to them it is obvious what side you are on. You have made us proud of our Military men by reporting acurately on them, showing their bravery and great character. Makes you wonder whose side the above comments are on, Mal. It does look like ignorance is reaching critical mass in this country sometimes. We understood you perfectly. It appears this young liberal crowd can’t read a paragraph and understand what they have read. Education isn’t what it used to be. Great job and keep up the great work. People like to find fault where there is none and don’t even know where they stand themselves. They spout propaganda lines without even knowing what they are saying. We’ll be watching for you in Afghanistan. You are appreciated by people who can read, even with your Australian accent.
The people who think that they are above taking sides are taking sides: that of the oppressor, the murderer, the rapist. If you are not willing to fight for your ideals, you have no ideals.
Is writing “bland paragraphs” your career?
You did not speak out, up, for, down or not even around the subject; with any substance.
Perhaps you should be re-imaged as a breakfast cereal.
It looks like most of these commenters neither know this blog writer’s history nor do they understand what he is saying. Funny….with the mess we have going on in America, with more than half the people wanting to surrender to the enemy and a man who has no alligence to anyone but himself and his communist ways about to be elected President and only a few brave men defending our country while the rest go about their self centered ways I wonder where these brave commenters really stand. They don’t seem to have made much of a stand here at home with their brave talk. It might suit them better to stand up and be counted themselves than to obviously band together in a cowardly little group behind a computer and ridicule and misrepresent a man who has spent years risking his all to bring us the truth of war. I smell something fishy, like a bunch of liberals who in reality wouldn’t defend their own grandmothers against a foe who are trying to belittle Fox News, the only news that isn’t just a propaganda machine. Well, Mr. James, you and the others working for Fox and faithfully bringing us these war reports, no matter who the waring countries are, should be proud of your work. You know that when you tell the truth you have many enemies, all of them cowards with no great acts of courage or good works to present for themselves. You are a victim of blog trolls…congratulations, Mal. Great work over there and we are glad that you have sense enough to know how to survive and get great images out to us. You are the best. Real patriots are getting fed up with trolls. They have no imagination and in truth are very boring fellows. Thanks Mr. James for all the years of great work. We know whose side you are on by the way.