The Tripod

Nathaniel Fick, U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Captain, New York Times best-selling author, and CBS News military affairs expert spoke last Thursday in Vernon Social Center to a captive audience of faculty, students, and guests on the Iraqi War and Middle East conflict.

This year's Annual Clement Lecture was hosted by St. Anthony's Hall (The Hall) and the History Department, and organized by Lila Claghorn '08. The Annual Clement Lecture series which is sponsored by the The Hall's Literary Society, brings to Trinity College prolific writers and journalists from all backgrounds and expertise.

Fick served as a marine officer in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2001-2003, serving both in times of peace prior to the conflict and as an instructor and advisor in the years following his official tours of duty.

Nate Fick joined the Marines after attending Officer Candidate School following his junior year at Dartmouth College. Upon graduating Dartmouth with high honors in Classics he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the USMC. September of 2001 found Fick on a peacetime cruise with his troops through the Pacific. The tragedies of September 11, 2004 were watched from a small TV behind the bar in northern Australia. The next morning Fick's troop was shipped off to Afghanistan.

Fick's 45-minute talk provided intimate details of the climate throughout his tours, the Iraqi people met, and the challenges faced. Fick even providing maps of his route taken from Afghanistan, through southern Iraq, and up into Baghdad. Fick spoke of the initial enthusiasm of the Iraqi people, and of the southern Iraqi troops surrendering for free meals, prior to American arrival further north. He spoke of the transition from peace to hostility, and the conversion of the enemy from uniformed soldiers to military disguised as civilians, and, in many cases, civilians themselves.

Perhaps the most gripping aspect of Fick's talk was the analysis of the period following the fall of Baghdad. The U.S. invasion was initially greeted with general approval and even exultation from the Iraqi people. However, when necessities such as electricity, rations, and employment failed to follow, the U.S. troops ended up subjects of frustration and resentment, the personification of broken promises for many. This has been, more or less, the state of the War the last four years; the U.S. trying desperately to gain control of a state that is divided, and resistant to hand control over to a world superpower.

In the hour-long question and answer session following the talk, Fick fielded inquiries such as if he thought the U.S. entered Iraq knowing full well there were no WMDs to be found. The fact alone that the entire party in attendance remained for over an hour solely to ask questions speaks volumes for Fick's resolute ability to connect to his audience.

Following the lecture, Nate joined the Hall brothers, as well as faculty and guests, to a reception and dinner on Ogilby Quad hosted by the Literary Society. The Quirks performed, and later Fick continued to engage in conversation throughout the evening.

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