Letters from Soldiers on the Ground in Iraq
Letter to the American people from a soldier in Iraq,
The 1st debate in the campaign for presidency of the United States raised some crucial issues that are still a cause for confusion to the American people. I decided it’s time for a viewpoint from someone who is in the middle of this war and has no room for debating this issue.
I have been in Iraq almost 9 months and I have seen the good and the bad of this war. Terrorists from other regions have been “pouring over the borders”, but certainly not for the first time. They are making contact with other members of Al Qaeda and other terrorist supporters on the inside of Iraq.
There are many tribes in the Sunni Triangle that openly invite foreign terrorists and provide refuge to those who join and help them. Tribes that are so dedicated to their cause of preventing a free Iraq, a Middle Eastern US ally, that even amid extreme impoverished living conditions, they will not respond to rewards offered for key Al Qaeda leaders.
25 million US dollars for Zarqawi should be enough to influence someone to provide information on his whereabouts, but apparently it’s not. The roots of terrorism run deep with some tribes in the Sunni triangle in Iraq. Terrorism was not born when the US rolled in on March 19th, 2003! Terrorism has been networked across the globe, and Iraq has been a major hub for terrorist activity long before we arrived.
The 1st debate between Bush and Kerry has highlighted a chasm between the two campaigns, more importantly, the two men regarding the question of Iraq and its role in terrorism. This is a split that is impossible to comprehend from where I stand!
Of course the war in Iraq is part of the war on terror! When Senator John Kerry said “the president made a colossal error of judgment by diverting attention from the war on terrorism and the hunt for terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden”, he could not be more wrong.
When Senator Kerry said that “Mr. Bush was not candid with the public about his reasons for invading Iraq or the difficult fight ahead”, besides exhibiting a poor memory, he showed an incredible lack of ability to see that no mission will ever go exactly as you plan it.
A candidate for the US presidency ought to know that your enemy is going to have something to say about how the fight is fought. The enemy is going to do the unexpected, and plans will change. I am sorry that it’s not an ideal scenario for Senator Kerry, but no war is.
I am repeatedly asked what the soldiers feel about the war in Iraq. Soldiers in the US armed forces come in all shapes and sizes… and viewpoints. I don’t pretend to speak for all soldiers, but I do believe that most men and women in today’s military share something very close to these same beliefs.
Most soldiers here believe in the mission in Iraq. They know, like I do, that the former regime in Iraq was an important component in the war on Terror. There is no doubt that terrorist cells have been allowed to operate within these borders for some time, and that Hussein’s regime most likely provided financial support as well!
Do the soldiers want to be here? I have not met a soldier yet that does not want to come home, who wouldn’t? But they do believe in this mission. Most soldiers believe that it is imperative to keep the mission going at least until security is established in Iraq.
There is no greater dishonor to the 1350 plus coalition and contractor deaths, and over 7,000 wounded men and women, than to plan a retreat before a reasonable assurance for the success of the new Iraqi government can be attained.
I don’t know where this concept of get in and get out was started, but sometimes wars are not accommodating to that theory. The United States has earned a poor reputation for resolve to finish the job, and it’s time the proponents of that trend, like Senator Kerry, realize it and correct it by stopping their efforts to politicize our mission.
Kerry’s message to the troops was, “Help is on the way!” In what form Senator Kerry?
You have alienated the coalition countries that we fight beside every day. You cannot articulate a plan for success, and you have no grasp that this war was even necessary. Thanks, but no thanks!
"Wrong War, Wrong Place, Wrong Time?" You tell that story to the millions of impoverished, and persecuted Iraqi people who for the past generation have lived with the fear of being marched out into the desert and shot for their beliefs.
You tell that story to the families of those bodies recovered from the dozens of mass graves throughout Iraq. Try to sell that load of bull to the little kids who were denied access to their water in the Marshlands of Iraq and left to starve to death. Sell it to someone else, but not me!
Senator Kerry sent a message to the American people in his closing remarks that said that he will “get your kids home and get the job done and win the peace”.
I am a 38 year old man who joined the military 18 years ago, and I have yet to find a “kid” in Uniform from the United States. I have however found many good young men and women who are proudly serving their country.
Men and Women from all over the United States have joined the military of their own free will, knowing that one day they may be asked to put their lives in harms way. Very few of these men and women want to be here, it’s just a commitment that we made, and one that we intend to honor.
I sincerely hope that you enjoy your moment in the spotlight Senator Kerry! I know that in the end, the bull that you have been selling to the American people will be recognized and that the voters will let you know what they think of it come November.
American’s need a president who will make sound decisions, and not be afraid of what the global community thinks. That man is already in office, and will remain in office for four more years!
Captain R H (names removed to protect the soldiers and their families)
US Army, Iraq
This is a letter from, a medic in the Iowa Army National
Guard, serving in Iraq:
As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay
in Iraq, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not
believe the media. They have done a very poor job of
covering everything that has happened. I am sorry that I
have not been able to visit all of you during my two week
leave back home. And just so you can rest at night
knowing something is happening in Iraq that is
noteworthy, I thought I would pass this on to you. This
is the list of things that has happened in Iraq recently:
(Please share it with your friends and compare it to the
version that your paper is producing.)
* Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
* School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.
* Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the
weapons stored there so education can occur.
* The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be
off-loaded from ships faster.
* The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of
oil in August.
* Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for
the first time ever in Iraq.
* The country now receives 2 times the electrical power
it did before the war.
* 100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed,
compared to 35% before the war.
* Elections are taking place in every major city, and
city councils are in place.
* Sewer and water lines are installed in every major
city.
* Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
* Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing
the country.
* Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets
side by side with US soldiers.
* Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time
ever.
* Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing
techniques to prevent the spread of germs.
* An interim constitution has been signed.
* Girls are allowed to attend school.
* Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools
for the first time in 30 years.
Don't believe for one second that these people do not
want us there. I have met many, many people from Iraq
that want us there, and in a bad way. They say they will
never see the freedoms we talk about but they hope their
children will. We are doing a good job in Iraq and I
challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me on these facts.
If you are like me and very disgusted with how this
period of rebuilding has been portrayed, email this to a
friend and let them know there are good things happening.
SFC Iowa Army National Guard
234th Signal Battalion
The 1st debate in the campaign for presidency of the United States raised some crucial issues that are still a cause for confusion to the American people. I decided it’s time for a viewpoint from someone who is in the middle of this war and has no room for debating this issue.
I have been in Iraq almost 9 months and I have seen the good and the bad of this war. Terrorists from other regions have been “pouring over the borders”, but certainly not for the first time. They are making contact with other members of Al Qaeda and other terrorist supporters on the inside of Iraq.
There are many tribes in the Sunni Triangle that openly invite foreign terrorists and provide refuge to those who join and help them. Tribes that are so dedicated to their cause of preventing a free Iraq, a Middle Eastern US ally, that even amid extreme impoverished living conditions, they will not respond to rewards offered for key Al Qaeda leaders.
25 million US dollars for Zarqawi should be enough to influence someone to provide information on his whereabouts, but apparently it’s not. The roots of terrorism run deep with some tribes in the Sunni triangle in Iraq. Terrorism was not born when the US rolled in on March 19th, 2003! Terrorism has been networked across the globe, and Iraq has been a major hub for terrorist activity long before we arrived.
The 1st debate between Bush and Kerry has highlighted a chasm between the two campaigns, more importantly, the two men regarding the question of Iraq and its role in terrorism. This is a split that is impossible to comprehend from where I stand!
Of course the war in Iraq is part of the war on terror! When Senator John Kerry said “the president made a colossal error of judgment by diverting attention from the war on terrorism and the hunt for terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden”, he could not be more wrong.
When Senator Kerry said that “Mr. Bush was not candid with the public about his reasons for invading Iraq or the difficult fight ahead”, besides exhibiting a poor memory, he showed an incredible lack of ability to see that no mission will ever go exactly as you plan it.
A candidate for the US presidency ought to know that your enemy is going to have something to say about how the fight is fought. The enemy is going to do the unexpected, and plans will change. I am sorry that it’s not an ideal scenario for Senator Kerry, but no war is.
I am repeatedly asked what the soldiers feel about the war in Iraq. Soldiers in the US armed forces come in all shapes and sizes… and viewpoints. I don’t pretend to speak for all soldiers, but I do believe that most men and women in today’s military share something very close to these same beliefs.
Most soldiers here believe in the mission in Iraq. They know, like I do, that the former regime in Iraq was an important component in the war on Terror. There is no doubt that terrorist cells have been allowed to operate within these borders for some time, and that Hussein’s regime most likely provided financial support as well!
Do the soldiers want to be here? I have not met a soldier yet that does not want to come home, who wouldn’t? But they do believe in this mission. Most soldiers believe that it is imperative to keep the mission going at least until security is established in Iraq.
There is no greater dishonor to the 1350 plus coalition and contractor deaths, and over 7,000 wounded men and women, than to plan a retreat before a reasonable assurance for the success of the new Iraqi government can be attained.
I don’t know where this concept of get in and get out was started, but sometimes wars are not accommodating to that theory. The United States has earned a poor reputation for resolve to finish the job, and it’s time the proponents of that trend, like Senator Kerry, realize it and correct it by stopping their efforts to politicize our mission.
Kerry’s message to the troops was, “Help is on the way!” In what form Senator Kerry?
You have alienated the coalition countries that we fight beside every day. You cannot articulate a plan for success, and you have no grasp that this war was even necessary. Thanks, but no thanks!
"Wrong War, Wrong Place, Wrong Time?" You tell that story to the millions of impoverished, and persecuted Iraqi people who for the past generation have lived with the fear of being marched out into the desert and shot for their beliefs.
You tell that story to the families of those bodies recovered from the dozens of mass graves throughout Iraq. Try to sell that load of bull to the little kids who were denied access to their water in the Marshlands of Iraq and left to starve to death. Sell it to someone else, but not me!
Senator Kerry sent a message to the American people in his closing remarks that said that he will “get your kids home and get the job done and win the peace”.
I am a 38 year old man who joined the military 18 years ago, and I have yet to find a “kid” in Uniform from the United States. I have however found many good young men and women who are proudly serving their country.
Men and Women from all over the United States have joined the military of their own free will, knowing that one day they may be asked to put their lives in harms way. Very few of these men and women want to be here, it’s just a commitment that we made, and one that we intend to honor.
I sincerely hope that you enjoy your moment in the spotlight Senator Kerry! I know that in the end, the bull that you have been selling to the American people will be recognized and that the voters will let you know what they think of it come November.
American’s need a president who will make sound decisions, and not be afraid of what the global community thinks. That man is already in office, and will remain in office for four more years!
Captain R H (names removed to protect the soldiers and their families)
US Army, Iraq
This is a letter from, a medic in the Iowa Army National
Guard, serving in Iraq:
As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay
in Iraq, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not
believe the media. They have done a very poor job of
covering everything that has happened. I am sorry that I
have not been able to visit all of you during my two week
leave back home. And just so you can rest at night
knowing something is happening in Iraq that is
noteworthy, I thought I would pass this on to you. This
is the list of things that has happened in Iraq recently:
(Please share it with your friends and compare it to the
version that your paper is producing.)
* Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
* School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.
* Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the
weapons stored there so education can occur.
* The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be
off-loaded from ships faster.
* The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of
oil in August.
* Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for
the first time ever in Iraq.
* The country now receives 2 times the electrical power
it did before the war.
* 100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed,
compared to 35% before the war.
* Elections are taking place in every major city, and
city councils are in place.
* Sewer and water lines are installed in every major
city.
* Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
* Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing
the country.
* Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets
side by side with US soldiers.
* Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time
ever.
* Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing
techniques to prevent the spread of germs.
* An interim constitution has been signed.
* Girls are allowed to attend school.
* Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools
for the first time in 30 years.
Don't believe for one second that these people do not
want us there. I have met many, many people from Iraq
that want us there, and in a bad way. They say they will
never see the freedoms we talk about but they hope their
children will. We are doing a good job in Iraq and I
challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me on these facts.
If you are like me and very disgusted with how this
period of rebuilding has been portrayed, email this to a
friend and let them know there are good things happening.
SFC Iowa Army National Guard
234th Signal Battalion
posted by Tess at 10/06/2004 08:42:00 AM
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