posted on June 30, 2004 07:43:00 PM new
The message below is a letter from a local soldier that is stationed in Iraq. Under her message I have copied the email response I received from a friend of mine to whom I email her letter.
I know those of you who are opposed to our presence in Iraq will NOT understand any of it.
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Soldier says Iraq coverage is one-sided
By: Lorie Bright June 28, 2004
Editor's Note: The following is a letter written by Army Specialist Lorie Bright to several Houston television stations. Bright, originally from Cleveland, is now stationed in Kirkut, Iraq.
The Courier invites Montgomery County soldiers serving in Iraq to e-mail their reports on their observations in Iraq to [email protected].
Hello, my name is Lorie Bright, and I am a proud member of the United States Army. I am a Civil Affairs Specialist with the 451st Civil Affairs Unit out of Pasadena, Texas.
At twenty years old, I am overseas in Iraq presently, and have been here for four months. I am stationed in Kirkuk and I work on the Public Education and Public Health team.
The other soldiers in my unit work with the Iraqi police, the water, electric, and sewage team, the Project Coordination's Cell, the Business and Employment Agency, and various other sectors of the government.
In the time I have been here, and even long before I came, I have seen nothing on the news except derogatory and wrongful stories about what we are doing over here.
I must say that it bothers me a lot, for me to be here giving my life just so the people back home can talk about the few things that are going wrong versus the millions of things going right.
There are thousands of soldiers over here that miss their families, wives, husbands, kids, parents, and unborn children.
We miss births in the family, deaths of loved ones, and our children growing up. We come home to find that our spouses have left us, our pets have died, or all our money was stolen by our ex.
However, WHY do we have to see all the bad things going around -- it is the same thing daily -- when we are doing so much good here? Why don't we see the numbers and how they have changed since Saddam was captured?
Like how many places have clean drinking water, or how many schools have been rebuilt so that children can learn better, or how many projects are being funded to fix hospitals, schools, and government offices. Why don't we see the gradual change in technology here? Or how the children's textbooks no longer talk about Saddam?
Why don't we see that America has mended a broken country? Why don't we see that a soldier from America and a civilian in Iraq, who do not understand each other's language, are working together and understanding with a simple smile?
Why don't we see that the country is doing better now, than it has in decades? Why must I be sitting in the chow hall eating with my local interpreters and Iraqi body guards, and be embarrassed to look at the T.V. to see some stupid soldiers who thought it would be funny to take pictures with a naked detainee?
Why should I feel that shame when I have done nothing wrong?
I know as a news station, you have to put what the people want to see, but don't you think, for every one soldier out here, there are at least five people back home waiting on them.
If you use just the number five, which we know is much higher in most cases, and do the math times how many soldiers are here, then you will see that there are many people back home that would love to hear about the good things we do.
I, for one, am not here because of anything to do with politics, nothing to do with oil, and nothing to do with any other reason that the news stations or the president might say.
I am here for our children. For the children of America, for the children of Iraq, for the children everywhere, and the children that are not even born yet.
I am here in hopes that they may never have to be here in my place, I am here in hopes that one day our children and children from all countries may be able to play together, work together, and be together.
I am not a prejudiced person and I do believe that we should all get along.
I may not be a genius, but I know what is right. I do the best I can everyday to do all I can in my line of work and make a difference in someone's life.
However, I want you to know that the things shown all the time on the news does not make it easier for us to do our job, and it definitely makes it harder for us to come home any sooner.
Every day I wake up is a day closer to going home for me, but every time I see something on the news about wrong-doing here in Iraq and around the world by Americans, is another week that we, as Americans, will be overseas. It's another person dead because what they heard or saw made someone mad. It's another car bomb or IED attack that will hurt an American's life.
If you do nothing more than read this, I thank you. Many of my fellow soldiers here feel exactly as I do. We could tell you story after story of good things we have done ourselves, seen someone else do, or heard of someone else doing.
We could send you hundreds of pictures to show you what we do, and give proof to what we do. You can talk to the Army Times and any other newspaper that is in conjunction with the military and they can give you great stories. I just do not understand the need to report on the things going wrong, when so much good is being done.
If you would like to contact me, you can email me at [email protected].
A friend sent me a copy of your letter which appeared in the Montgomery County, TX "COURIER" 0f June 28, 2004. They provided your e-mail address for replies, so I decided to send you a reply. Hopefully I can address your concerns adequately. . . .
Having spent a career in the Navy Submarine Force, I understand all the sacrifices of which you speak. I also know that the military people learn to be the most dedicated and highly educated people in our nation. Since education can mean the difference between Life and Death, it is something that we take quite seriously and diligently. We are truly a national resource.
But, we often remain unappreciated. And that is the problem. Many people see the military NOT for its true purpose. They do not understand the mission of the US Armed Forces is to preserve life by virtue of our strength and our willingness to fight to the death for our freedom, if we must (after all, that is the only thing any enemy will really ultimately respect.)
Instead, there are many others with a narrow and selfish world-view themselves, that have the mistaken opinion that we exist primarily to destroy life. And even MORE unfortunate, they HOLD that erroneous view, refuse to see it any different, and try to manipulate everyone else to seeing it that way, too. Their perspective is wrong, it is not, and never has been the case - including Vietnam - and it is wrong for them to pester the rest of us into seeing it their way, too. You and I know that their perspective is not the case at all.
The great things you do over there bear themselves out daily. And look at the number of people that are now more free in the Middle East for all your efforts. . . .between Iraq and Afghanistan, it is about 40 - 50 million people that have freedom - and it is theirs now, to try and KEEP! That is the population of Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Miami, combined! WOW! And how many Americans were lost in this effort? About one thousand? Never have the lives of SO FEW, purchased SO MUCH, for SO MANY!
Lorie, there is a battle going on over here, as you probably know. Many liberals and Democrats don't like our President. But I like him, and I honor him, and I would serve him again in a heartbeat! I served most of my years under President Reagan. He was also a President that was beloved by his military. You and I know that Bush supports whatever we NEED To WIN. So if we live, we LIVE in HONOR, or if we die, we DIE in HONOR! ( Wow, we don't even have OVER THAT HERE at home! ! ) Better yet, the murder rate is less over there in the entire nation of Iraq, than it is in the City of Los Angeles per year. I looked it up! If you have the Internet, check it out! And yet, I haven't heard about a single one of THOSE meaningless deaths in Los Angeles on the media. Add to this ALL the other cities in the Nation, and it looks like OUR HOUSE is burning down over here daily, while we are "in a daze" sitting and watching you folks are build a house over there!
I think that MOST Americans know that things are going good over there. Letters like this, that we can send out certainly help. And I believe YOU a lot more than Dan Rather, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw - I don't listen to them. Thank God for the Internet, and for e-mail. Most media - except for FOX News and Geraldo - don't want to report on the many good things that are happening over there, because they don't like Bush, it is obvious that they are LOATHE to report anything over there that looks good. They want to make this look like a quagmire, and Bush to look like a loser. They don't quite understand, that with troops like you out there, there is NOTHING that they can truthfully say or do to make him look like a loser, because the WIN they would keep from us, actually belongs to the AMERICAN PEOPLE, not JUST the MILITARY, nor just the President. They do the ENTIRE NATION a disservice. And instead of bringing joy to many people by reporting our accomplishments, they seize on a few negative things and throw their hands up in despair! But we know what is going on, by what they are NOT reporting, and by what you ARE reporting.
So you can rest assured, that many of us will NEVER LET those on the LEFT, and in the selfish media, who do not like the President, take away OUR WIN - the WIN of the AMERICAN PEOPLE ! And you will always be instrumental in that WIN. Forever you will have had a part in that WIN, as I did in the WIN of First Gulf War. And WE will support you in spirit and in truth. As you work over there to represent the BEST of the AMERICAN PEOPLE, we will work over HERE to represent the BEST in the effort of our TROOPS. I am going to include some friends on this, too. They will also pass the word, and help. They are called, "The Friends of the USA".
God Bless You, and Keep You Safe,
From Poulsbo, Washington State
"The natural family is a man and woman bound in a lifelong covenant of marriage for the purposes of:
*the continuation of the human species,
*the rearing of children,
*the regulation of sexuality,
*the provision of mutual support and protection,
*the creation of an altruistic domestic economy, and
*the maintenance of bonds between the generations."
[ edited by Bear1949 on Jun 30, 2004 07:46 PM ]
posted on June 30, 2004 08:15:11 PM new
This is one woman's opinion that the American press is presenting a negative view of the war in Iraq. Please don't try to twist my reply by telling me that I don't support the troops. Yesterday, I posted a very good article in support of the troops who are doing the best that they can under terrible circumstances...soldiers that we can all be proud of. But think of the thousands of wounded soldiers whose health will be affected for the rest of their life and the hundreds killed. Those numbers of killed and wounded will continue rising for years. How on earth can you try to paint this war as wonderful. Maybe this particular soldier has had a good experience but the majority have not. These troops deserve not only recognition for their sacrifice and positive contributions but they also deserve good leadership which they do not have.
posted on June 30, 2004 09:21:54 PM new
Bear, The 22 year old Marine I have been working with lately tells me this. This Marine says that "in the beginning most of his fellow Marines were all for Bush and the Iraq war. Now, after they have found out that Bush lied to them about the war, most of his fellow Marines don't like Bush very much now". He went on to say that if a Marine got interviewed by a reporter that Marine "would be stupid" to say anything bad about the war for fear of reprisal from his commanding officers. After spending the last 4 years in the Marines, this soldier was Honorably discharges 2 months ago. Yes, this young man loves his country dearly. He can be called back to active duty anytime up to 3 years and said he would go because its "his duty."
One thing both you and I can agree on is both the soldier you wrote about and the soldier I wrote about are both HERO'S of their country.
I know those of you who are opposed to our presence in Iraq will NOT understand any of it.
"The natural family is a man and woman bound in a lifelong covenant of marriage for the purposes of:
*the continuation of the human species,
*the rearing of children,
*the regulation of sexuality,
*the provision of mutual support and protection,
*the creation of an altruistic domestic economy, and
*the maintenance of bonds between the generations."
posted on June 30, 2004 11:52:04 PM new
Bush Cuts Funds for Veterans' Health Care
Learn more Bush Cuts Funds for Veterans' Health Care
Service Members and Their Families Face Devastating Cuts
Bush Mistreats Iraq Troops
Tell a Friend
Bush VA Spending Fails To Grow With Health Care Costs
Despite Bush's claims, "the annual percentage increase it requested for veterans' health care is 5.4 percent -- hardly a windfall considering that the consumer price index for medical care was 13 percent during fiscal year 2002. VA officials have testified that it would take a 13 to 14 percent hike in the VA's health care budget just to maintain the status quo." [Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL) Op-Ed, The Hill, 9/17/03]
Veterans Forced To Wait Months For Initial Visits to VA Doctors
At least 230,000 veterans are being forced to wait over six months for their initial visit to a doctor at the VA medical facilities. In some parts of the country veterans are waiting nearly two years for those visits. Bush's VA Secretary Anthony Principi has acknowledged the danger in these delays, stating "I'm concerned [the delays are] causing quality to be degraded."
The "Independent Budget," an analysis of the VA budget provided by veterans groups, has said "The Department of Veterans Affairs health care system is in critical condition." Meanwhile, the Bush administration opposed a Senate addition to the Iraq supplemental bill that would have added $1.3 billion to veterans' health care. [Air Force Magazine, 10/02; http://www.pva.org/independentbudget/pdf/IB_04excsum.pdf; OMB Director Joshua Bolton to Rep. David Obey (D-WI), 10/21/03]
Bush Administration Is Closing Seven Veterans Hospitals
In early August 2003, the Bush administration announced it was closing hospitals in its efforts to "restructure" the Department of Veterans Affairs. The administration is closing hospitals in:
Canandaigua, N.Y.
Pittsburgh
Lexington, Ky.
Brecksville, Ohio
Gulfport, Miss.
Livermore, Calif.
Waco, Tex.
Joy Ilem, assistant national legislative director for Disabled American Veterans, "questioned the need for closures and other cutbacks. 'Everyone is aware of the difficulty VA has meeting demand,' Ilem said. 'When we have hundreds of thousands of veterans on waiting lists (for medical appointments), we don't want to see facilities closed due to fiscal problems.'" There are currently 163 VA hospitals in the US. [Associated Press, 8/4/03, 10/28/03; Department of Veterans Affairs]
In mid-August, as Bush vacationed in Texas, a thousand veterans and supporters rallied in Waco, Texas to protest the closing of that VA hospital. The protestors met at the Waco School District football stadium parking lot "for a rally before driving the 22 miles to Crawford," where Bush was vacationing. "Veterans of Foreign Wars State Commander Ron Hornsby told the stadium crowd that the VA commissioner looking at closing hospitals could harm veterans all across the country, not just in Waco. 'We can never repay the veterans -- we hear those words a lot,' Hornsby said. 'At times like this, those words become very hollow, very meaningless.'" More than 1,500 vets joined a similar October rally to protest a VA closing in New York. [San Antonio Express-News, 8/17/03; Associated Press, 10/20/03, 10/28/03]
Bush Proposed Doubling Costs Of Prescription Drugs For Veterans
This year Bush proposed increasing prescription drugs costs for veterans. The Bush plan would have included a new $250 enrollment fee and a co pay increase from $7 to $15 for veterans earning over $24,000. On July 21, the House Appropriations Committee agreed to a Democratic amendment to reject the Bush fee increases and recoup the $264 million in costs by reducing administrative funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs. [Reuters, 7/14/03; Washington Post, 7/22/03]
Bush Decided To Cut Benefits For Middle-Income Veterans
On January 16, 2003, the Bush Administration announced it would cut access to health care benefits for 160,000 middle-income veterans due to budget constraints. John Pettyjohn, an Oklahoma veteran who served in Vietnam, said of the cuts, "On one hand, we're sending our sons and daughters out to war and possibly to die, yet on the other hand we're punishing a certain class of veterans who've made money in their lives. The government made a promise to us. What they're doing now is wrong." [Associated Press, 1/16/03; The Daily Oklahoman, 1/18/03]
Your writer is stationed in Kirkuk..In Kirkuk, guerrillas detonated a roadside bomb as a senior Kurdish policeman was passing. It killed one of his guards and wounded him. The police in Kirkuk are dominated by the Kurds, even though the city is 2/3s non-Kurdish (Turkmen and Arabs make up one third each of the city's population.
Reality for the last couple of days in Iraq
3 US Marines Killed, 2 Injured; 2 Police Officers Killed in Continued Iraq Violence on Tuesday
The Associated Press reports:
Guerrillas killed three U.S. Marines and wounded two others with a roadside bomb in southeast Baghdad on Tuesday, damaging their Humvee.
Also in Baghdad, guerrillas attacked a US patrol in the upscale Sunni Azamiyah district. They appear not to have hurt any US soldiers, but they killed a civilian bystander, according to an anonymous source in the Iraqi ministry of the interior,
In Mahmudiyah, 20 miles south of Baghdad, guerrillas attacked a police station. They killed one police officer and one civilian, reciting verses from the Koran before firing small arms and rpgs at the police station. This detail suggests that the guerrillas are radical Salafi Sunnis. Salafis are Sunni Muslims dedicated to going back to the practice of the "pious ancestors" (al-salaf al-salih), sort of like Protestants in Christianity. They want to slough off medieval practices and commentaries. Most are peaceful, but some Salafis have turned radical and take up arms, just as there were violent Lutheran peasant rebellions in early modern Europe.
In Kirkuk, guerrillas detonated a roadside bomb as a senior Kurdish policeman was passing. It killed one of his guards and wounded him. The police in Kirkuk are dominated by the Kurds, even though the city is 2/3s non-Kurdish (Turkmen and Arabs make up one third each of the city's population.
Iraq Reports today...
.
The Associated Press reports that guerrillas pounded a U.S. base near Baghdad airport with mortar shells, wounding 11 US soldiers. The shelling started a fire on base that burned for an hour.
In the southern city of Samawah, guerrillas detonated a car bomb outside the police HQ. They wounded two persons and set two cars ablaze.
On Tuesday, police discovered a car bomb packed with 150 pounds of explosives in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, averting a massive explosion. In response, they announced a curfew from 9 pm until 6 am. There was also more trouble in Najaf between the followers of Muqtada al-Sadr and Najaf police. When the police arrested two members of the Mahdi Army militia loyal to Muqtada, the militiamen riposted by taking 25 policemen hostage. They released 16 of them on Wednesday. One Al-Sadr spokesman, Ahmad al-Shibani, asserted that all the police hostages had been released.
posted on July 1, 2004 07:52:23 AM new
Wow Bear you sure pegged this one... negative nellies that don't have clue and wouldn't have one even if bit in the a$$..
posted on July 1, 2004 08:32:44 AM new
Twelve, they have NO idea what "Duty, Honor Country" means. All give some, Some give all & Freedom isn't free.
"The natural family is a man and woman bound in a lifelong covenant of marriage for the purposes of:
*the continuation of the human species,
*the rearing of children,
*the regulation of sexuality,
*the provision of mutual support and protection,
*the creation of an altruistic domestic economy, and
*the maintenance of bonds between the generations."
posted on July 1, 2004 08:49:27 AM new
"Duty, Honor Country" - doesn't mean lying about reasons to invade and occupy a country, and pursuing corporate interests has nothing to do with "country".
posted on July 1, 2004 09:00:54 AM new
Nothing is changing for the better, bear. The handover ceremony was only a symbolic exchange of sovereignty... signifying nothing. The violent insurgency remains unchanged. After such massive destruction of the country reconstruction will be delayed indefinitely because working conditions are so insecure.
Iraq could still become a dictatorship or civil war could erupt. Bush will not be able to handover the responsibility for that.
posted on July 1, 2004 09:37:26 AM new
Bear, your fantasy that you and Twelvepole are the only posters on this thread who can appreciate and understand the concepts of duty, honor and country is typical, unjustified arrogance. People all over the world understand these concepts...not just the U.S. military. The Iraqis in Kirkuk with "Lorie Bright" understand them too.
posted on July 1, 2004 10:51:00 AM new
I find it highly amusing that people against the war and President Bush will go to any extremes to state their half-truths.
What happened to Japan after WWII? Or how about West Germany? Or many of the other countries we went through during WWII? WE REBUILT THEM!!
I have several friends that are serving in Iraq now, and they all tell me the same thing: it is for the best that they are there, and so much good is being done. The infrastructure is being rebuilt, people are free from tyranny, and things are changing for the better.
The liberals do not seem to understand: pacifying monsters in power only leads to our destruction. This is a different type of war: the terrorists enjoy support from these nations, and we must put a stop to it. You will not change their minds with a flower: sometimes you must use a gun as well.
The liberal press is doing it's best to destroy President Bush and our military. I think they want nothing better then to return to the Carter days, when everything was blamed on President Nixon. And we gave in to terrorists freely, even when they attacked out sovereign soil. (For those wondering about that, and U.S. Embassy is U.S. soil).
There is a season for war, and a season for peace: right now we are in a season of war. We must do what we can to restore as much peace in this world, and protect our way of life.
Bear, liberals will be liberals: unless it supports their cause, it's wrong.
In Christ,
Rick
Romans 8:16
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I do not accept His claim to be God." That is one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic....or else he would be the devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."
C.S. Lewis: "Mere Christianity"
July 1, 2004 — By Lin Noueihed
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein stands accused of gassing Iraq's Kurds, crushing its Shi'ites and condemning thousands to death in his dreaded torture chambers, but some Iraqis still want him back as president.
"I don't know why they are trying Saddam. He is guilty of nothing," said Ahmed Abdallah, a student from Baghdad's Sunni Muslim Adhamiya district, once favored by Saddam.
"If it were up to me, I would bring him back as president today, not tomorrow."
Downcast but defiant, a thinner Saddam arrived at a courthouse in handcuffs and chains on Thursday to hear the charges against him.
The images, the first since U.S. forces found him hiding in a hole near his home town of Tikrit in December, stung the pride of some Iraqis who saw his public disgrace as a slap in the face for all Arabs.
"He was a president, an Arab leader. I feel all Arabs are humiliated when I see him as a prisoner like this, no matter what he did," said Faleh Jasem, a driver who was watching the first footage of Saddam facing an Iraqi judge.
"I would feel so hurt if they executed him, because he took a heroic position. He stood up to America and that makes him a real man in my eyes."
"HE WILL ALWAYS BE IN OUR HEARTS"
Many Iraqis want Saddam to be executed, some say they would rather he suffer a more protracted punishment for 35 years of Baathist brutality that saw Sunni Muslim Arabs favored at the expense of the Shi'ite majority and the minority Kurds.
Iraq's interim government is considering restoring the death penalty, suspended during the U.S.-led occupation, but those who benefited from his rule hailed him as a strongman who only crushed bad apples.
"Saddam was our president and we were happy with him so who are these infidels to take him away?" said Hana Majid, whose eldest son lost his job as a senior officer when the United States dissolved the army after last year's war.
"All those people in mass graves were just rabble who deserved everything they got."
In the first step toward a trial that may not start for months, Saddam was accused of suppressing Kurdish and Shi'ite revolts after the 1991 Gulf War, massacring Kurds, killing religious leaders and political figures over three decades.
"The Americans are punishing Saddam for standing up to them," said Mohammed al-Sammaraei, who runs a music shop in Adhamiya, where pictures of the former ruler still take pride of place in some living rooms.
"Under Saddam, I used to work in the government. Now I am sitting at home," said Abdallah, another Adhimiya resident who declined to give his full name.
"Saddam was a part of us for 35 years. He will always be in our hearts," he said touching his chest.
posted on July 1, 2004 11:12:37 AM new
Mental health warning on US soldiers
By Victoria Griffith in Boston and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington
Published: June 30 2004 21:55 | Last Updated: July 1 2004 0:16
One in five US soldiers returning from Iraq suffers serious mental health problems associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to research by the US Army.
A paper to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine today says 19.5 per cent of troops who served in Iraq had moderate or severe mental health problems. If milder symptoms such as anxiety are included, the number rises to 27.9 per cent.
A Pentagon spokesman said the study was the first comprehensive evaluation of the impact that major ground combat and hazardous duty has on soldiers. More than 330,000 US troops have been deployed in Iraq since the start of the invasion. The spokesman said some troops diagnosed with the disorder had subsequently returned to Iraq after treatment.
The UK Ministry of Defence told the FT last night it was collating a study of PTSD among more than 8,000 British soldiers in Iraq but expected to find fewer than 50 cases.
Advances in technology and battlefield medicine have reduced the casualties from military action in Iraq. But mental illness is higher than in earlier conflicts such as the first Gulf war, the US study claims.
Indeed, low casualty rates disguise the number of "close calls, such as having been saved from being wounded by wearing body armour", which the report notes can cause trauma.
To be diagnosed with PTSD, a soldier must exhibit mental health problems that affect his ability to function normally in society.
Yet as few as a quarter of soldiers with mental disorders seek help, according to the report from the Walter Reed Army Institute, and the most serious cases are least likely to be addressed.
The study assessed the mental health of 784 soldiers who had returned from active service in Iraq. It found that 153 had moderate or severe mental disorders, such as depression.
Rates of PTSD in the US adult population are 3-4 per cent. In the first Gulf war 2-10 per cent of veterans suffered from the condition.
Studies on Vietnam veterans were conducted years after their service ended, after PTSD had been recognised by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980. Even though Vietnam was a bloodier war, fought by a largely conscript army, they found that 15 per cent of veterans suffered from PTSD. "You take men - angry, young, strong, trained killers - and suddenly expect them to abide by the rules back home, and you're asking for trouble," said Shad Meshad, president of the National Veterans Foundation, a Vietnam veteran.
posted on July 1, 2004 11:38:41 AM newI find it highly amusing that people against the war and President Bush will go to any extremes to state their half-truths.
You mean like the lies and half-truths that Bush used to get us into this unnecessary war ?
How about the $45 a case for coca cola for our troops that Cheney and Haliburton supplies through an unbid contract ?
posted on July 1, 2004 11:48:00 AM new
A Soldier's Father Speaks Out
this comes from NewsMax.com.
A gentleman from Virginia, proud parent of a decorated Army officer serving in Iraq, writes to us, "I am so fed up with the anti-American propaganda coming from some Americans that I wrote the open letter below. I will appreciate it very much if you include it": [text of letter follows]
An open letter to some political partisans, especially certain politicians and people in the media: I have a son who is an American soldier in Iraq.
I care very much about what affects him and his comrades in arms.
I am not fooled, when you partisans spew propaganda that helps our enemies and harms our soldiers, then tell us you support our troops.
I am not fooled, when you focus on, highlight, and exaggerate the negative things that happen in Iraq, while ignoring our positive accomplishments, then tell us you support our troops.
I am not fooled, when you focus attention on American soldiers killed and wounded in Iraq, to use these brave patriots as an anti-Iraq-war political football, then tell us you support our troops.
I am not fooled, when you keep criticizing why and how we invaded Iraq - that is done; our troops are there - then tell us you support our troops.
I am not fooled, when you engage in constant, carping criticism of what the U.S. has done and is doing in Iraq, then tell us you support our troops.
I am not fooled, when you search for and trumpet to the world anything that will diminish respect for our soldiers and their leaders - even when it endangers greatly their lives, then tell us you support our troops.
I am not fooled, when you tell our soldiers and the rest of us that they are stuck in a "quagmire" and will suffer a Vietnam-type defeat, then tell us you support our troops.
I am not fooled, when you spout propaganda that undermines the morale of our soldiers and the American public and boosts the morale of our enemies, then tell us you support our troops.
You are giving aid and comfort to our nation's deadly enemies! They know they cannot defeat us militarily in Iraq. However, you cause them to think they can win here politically by breaking our will, if they kill and wound enough of our soldiers.
You despicable partisans! You are stimulating our enemies to attack our soldiers and the people working with them. The blood of many Americans and Iraqis is already on your hands. And your hands collect more blood every day!
You are determined to regain the political power you have lost, and you believe your presidential candidate and congressional candidates will win, if the U.S. fails in Iraq.
If your anti-American propaganda contributes to the deaths of many Americans and Iraqis, that is a price you are willing to make them pay. You are pathetic and dangerous!
I am not fooled, when you contemptible politicians and other political partisans, including many in the media, tell us you support our troops. I know that is a lie!
I am not fooled, when you claim spreading your pernicious, divisive, anti-American venom makes you patriotic. I know it does not - and I know you are not!
-----------------
That's the same way I see those who continually supposedly 'support our troops'.
posted on July 1, 2004 12:07:51 PM new
The press is working for George Bush, like another arm of the government. It's corporate owned and administered to publish Republican propaganda. Who do you think spread the message that Weapons of Mass Destruction were poised and ready to fire in 45 minutes from Iraq? What happened to investigative reporters?
Any liberal journalists have a tough time going up the ladder of success today.
BTW...As some have stated here, The New York Times is not a liberal newspaper.
posted on July 1, 2004 12:41:08 PM new
How sad that a Commander is forced to take time away from his job because all those who supposedly 'support our troops' in the media are putting things in such a negative light...they feel they have to DEFEND what they're doing to the American public.
If they truly supported our troops THEY would be pointing out all the good that our troops are doing....along with their accomplishments.
---------------
Commander of Galva Unit Feels the Whole Story isn't Being Told
By Dave Clarke Regional Coordinator
CAMP VICTORY NORTH, Baghdad, Iraq ? June 7, 2004
Major Mike Kessel is apparently fed up with the way the news media is covering the war in Iraq.
Kessel is commander of our boys in Baghdad, Foxtrot Battery of the 202nd Field Artillery, Illinois National Guard, out of Galva.
Earlier this week, he fired off an e-mail with attached photo in a one-soldier effort to present a more balanced picture of what our troops are doing in Iraq to counteract nightly photos on the TV news of the bloody aftermath of car bombs and the seemingly endless need to show naked Iraqi prisoners stacked like cord wood.
"In an effort to get the truth out about what is going on in Iraq, not the garbage that is being put out on a daily basis, I want to begin sending you pictures of what my soldiers are doing," Kessel bluntly wrote.
"Basically, in a nutshell, there are a lot of good things over here that are just not getting the press they deserve," said Maj. Kessel. "There are many things our soldiers are doing that would, in my opinion, change many people's minds about the war," he said.
As an example, Maj. Kessel e-mailed a photo of an Iraqi boy whose mobility was restricted by a birth defect who now has a new wheelchair, thanks to the efforts of Battery F's Third Platoon.
"Through the efforts of 3rd Platoon, El Salem Fadel Hadad Al-Jabouri now has a brand new wheelchair which will give him newfound mobility," said Maj. Kessel.
"In addition to the combat patrols we conduct 24 hours a day, throughout the F/202 ADA sector, we work daily on various civil-military operations and other humanitarian projects."
"With that said, I will now get off my soapbox," said Kessel, who, in civilian life is a stockbroker from Champaign.
The commander said he will make an effort to send more about the positive accomplishments in Iraq by the troops of the Galva, Kewanee and Dixon National Guard members serving in Battery F. "II will try to send you something every week," said Kessel. "It's not all about prisoner abuse."
We hear you louod and clear, major, and appreciate that you are taking the time to make sure this part of America finds out what our troops are really doing over there!
As we receive the material, it will be featured in the Star Courier's "News from the Front" series.
Families and friends of the soldiers risking their lives every day over there for our freedom are eager for any news about what our unit, specifically, is doing -- and how they are doing.
We had the honor of talking briefly with SSG Larry Comer, home on leave from Iraq, at the Galva Memorial Day service, Monday, and were told that members of the Galva National Guard have "the best living conditions possible" in the air-conditioned, dorm-style trailers, in spite of heat which now reaches 120 degrees some days.
He said they live constantly with the chance their camp may be the target of a mortar attack, or they may be shot at while on patrol, but overall, things are going well for the 120 men of Battery F.
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