Defusing the Enemy

The thumbtacks number in the hundreds. Blue. Yellow. Red. Green. White. They cover a large white map of Baghdad’s southwest side like some creation Picasso might have made on a child’s Lite-Brite toy.

Red tacks are the favorite for dirty, worn thumbs that must press them into the map. Each time a member of the Air Force explosive ordnance disposal team at Sather Air Base, Baghdad, Iraq, pushes one in, it means they destroyed another Improvised Explosive Device that could have potentially killed someone.