  Using x-ray absorption and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering, charge
dynamics at and near the Fe $L$ edges is investigated in Fe pnictide materials,
and contrasted to that measured in other Fe compounds. It is shown that the XAS
and RIXS spectra for 122 and 1111 Fe pnictides are each qualitatively similar
to Fe metal. Cluster diagonalization, multiplet, and density-functional
calculations show that Coulomb correlations are much smaller than in the
cuprates, highlighting the role of Fe metallicity and strong covalency in these
materials. Best agreement with experiment is obtained using Hubbard parameters
$U\lesssim 2$eV and $J\approx 0.8$eV.
