Facts about Iraq; Good Info

[falcon]

Thought I would share this with the group, it's nice to have good news. It is up setting that our news media is not telling us what is going on, but then thats the liberal/commie way.

Subject: de facts
Did you know that 47 countries have reestablished their
embassiesin Iraq?
Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2
million Iraqi people?
Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364
schoolsare under rehabilitation, 263 schools are now under construction and 38 newschools have been built in Iraq?
Did you know that Iraq's higher educational structure
consists of20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, allcurrently operating?

Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United
Statesin January 2005 for the reestablished Fulbright program?

Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational? They have
five100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantryregiment.

Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three
operationalsquadrons, which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transportaircraft (under Iraqi operational control) which operate day and night, andwill soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and four Bell Jet Rangers?

Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a
Commando Battalion?


Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000
fullytrained and equipped police officers?
Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that
produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?
Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going
onin Iraq? They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electricalfacilities.

Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5
havereceived the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?

Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in
primary school by mid October?

Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers
inIraq and phone use has gone up 158%?

Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists
of75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?

Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of2004?

Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential
electionhad a televised debate recently?

OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW!

WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW? OUR MEDIA WOULDN'T TELL US!
Instead of reflecting our love for our country, we get photos
offlag burning incidents at Abu Ghraib and people throwing snowballs at thepresidential motorcades.

The lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves two
purposes. It is intended to undermine the world's perception of the UnitedStates thus minimizing consequent support, and it is intended to discourageAmerican citizens.

---- Above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense
website.

[Brian Baldwin]

Good article Falcon. But understandably I would like to see the figures of offset also to go along with those stats. That's how you get a true picture of condition. While it's a breath of fresh air to finally hear things that aren't negative over there, I still want to know what the true status is.

Regardless, keep the good news rolling in.

[Brian Baldwin]

You know... I like this thread's purpose so much for the fact its not negative news that eats at our minds and souls. I've decided to make it sticky so it's always at the top of this forum. I encourage everyone to post good news from family and friends and media sites that concern the war.

[Ryan Ruck]

Soldiers On Patrol Find, Save Infant's Life

Senior Airman Christine Noldee, an aerospace medical technician with the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Operations Group at Balad Air Base, Iraq, feeds a baby who was found on a patrol.

Soldiers from Logistical Support Area Anaconda in Balad saved the life of an abandoned, near-death baby June 9.

Staff Sgt. Donald White, patrol leader 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers, and his team came across a box on the side of the road while on patrol.

Initially, he thought it was an improvised explosive device until he heard crying coming from the box. White made sure there were no wires protruding from the box and made sure it was not booby trapped. Then he picked it up.

“I ran as fast as I could, snatched the box off the ground and kept on running, thankfully nothing blew up,� White said.

White then asked Spc. John Sullivan, healthcare specialist, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery, to evaluate the child and assess its medical needs.

The skin was literally hanging off the child and we could see it was massively dehydrated and malnourished. Sullivan told me we needed to get the child to a hospital right away and we jumped into the trucks and drove to the hospital as fast as we could, Smith said.

In transit to Balad Air Base hospital, Sullivan turned the air conditioning vents in the baby's direction so the air would cool the child.

I was nervous because I have never had to professionally treat a sick child before, Sullivan said. “(He) did not cry at all in the vehicle but his eyes rolled in the back of his head and I thought ‘oh my goodness he is starting to die on me.'�

By the time the patrol made its way to the Balad Air Base hospital the staff was already waiting for them when the vehicles pulled up. The Air Force medical staff treated the child by putting a feeding tube into him to replenish lost fluids. After a while the baby regained its strength and was in stable enough condition to be released. A civilian liaison with the Iraqi hospital in Balad was called and the child was released to hospital care.

White credits the success of the rescue to the members of his patrol, not just himself and Sullivan.

In all this mess of arresting people, killing people and getting blown up, finally something good has come out of it, Smith said. Hopefully as a result, God will bless us for the next few months we are here.

The baby was reunited with his mother June 19. The mother of the child told Iraqi Police she left the child in her daughter's care. The daughter was carrying the baby on the road near the LSA when she was chased by wild dogs and left the baby so she could run faster, according to reports given to Capt. Lance Awbrey, commander, Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery.

[Joey Bagadonuts]

This article seems to qualify for this thread....in a roundabout way....(because i had no idea where else to put it.)

I have no use for 99% of Hollywood celebrities, thats why when some of them do something good for our troops its newsworthy.

A "Caddyshack" movie reunion is being held this weekend on a Chicago golf course and the proceeds are being used to assist Illinois military families!
Some of the stars of that 1980 comedy are teaming up with some Illinois professional athletes and some other TV and movie stars and a couple of "oldies" music stars, for a charity fundraiser.
It's nice to see some famous folks actually doing something nice and not just telling you that you need to give.




Here's the link:


http://www.cindy-morgan.com/golf%20t...roduction.html

[Sean Osborne]

To All:
I don’tI am sending this email out to several hundred of my closest friends, family and associates. We recently had a Washington Post reporter over here visiting us in Iraq. Below is a letter to the editor from my boss Major General William McCoy. It is well worth reading, for I am not sure if the Washington Post will print it or not. I would ask that you send it to your friends and family to assist in sharing of this information. Thanks for all the support and God bless,

vr,
CSM William D. McDaniel Jr.
USACE, Gulf Region Division (Iraq)
Division Command Sergeant Major


From: CEGRD-Announcements (Do Not Reply)
Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2006 2:27 PM
To: DLL-CEGRD-Baghdad; PCO_All
Subject: CG's Letter to the Editorof the Washington Post

All:

With respect, I asked you to please read Major General McCoy’s accompanying letter which he, earlier today, sent to the editor of the Washington Post.

Any who wish are urged to share this with family members, friends, neighbors, local print and broadcast media representatives, and their elected officials. It is a message that needs to be heard.

Tragically, too few of the world’s public are being afforded a free, honest and un-politicized picture of what is being accomplished here in Iraq.

To the best of my awareness, never have individuals of consequence or authority here in Iraq claimed to have not made mistakes nor asked for only the “good news activities� to be promulgated. All that is sought is balanced, unbiased reporting so folks back home can see, hear and read an unvarnished, slanted version. To those who have striven to do so – thank you. For those who have not, I respectfully ask that they read – and think about – the General’s letter.

From: McCoy, William MG GRD
Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2006 11:48 AM
To: 'letters@washpost.com'
Subject: Letter to the Editor

I am submitting this as a Letter to the Editor based on the terrible, and largely inaccurate, article I read by Andy Mosher. he knows there is a good side to the story of Reconstruction in Iraq; he saw it! yet he chose to write a negative story based on old SIGIR findings. Why? Don't you want the American people to know the truth?

Why Won’t They Tell You the Truth?

After spending almost three days traveling with and being interviewed by one of the co-writers of a very poorly written article (“Much Undone in Rebuilding Iraq, Audit says�, Washington Post, August 2, 2006), I’m astounded at how distorted a good story can become and what agenda drives a paper to see only the bad side to the reconstruction effort here in Iraq. Instead of distorting the facts, let’s get to the truth.

There is no flailing reconstruction effort in Iraq. The United States has rightfully invested $20 billion in Iraq’s reconstruction - in the opinion of many here, we should do more. This massive undertaking is part of a wider strategy for success in Iraq that involves the establishment of a democratic government, the development of professional Iraqi Security Forces, and the restoration of basic essential services and facilities to promote the sustained economic development of this new country.

Yes, this reconstruction effort has been challenged occasionally by security, poor materials, poor construction program management practices, and in some cases poor performance by contractors for a variety of reasons. The Department of State and Defense professionals over here, many of them civilian volunteers, and the Iraqi associates who risk their lives every day to have a future that approximates what America has today, continuously see the challenges and develop and implement solutions. This is a core part of managing construction anywhere in the world and, while somewhat more complex here, it is successfully being accomplished. Have we been guilty of poor planning and mismanagement? The answer to that is, at times, yes. But professionals constantly strive to overcome challenges that arise and we are succeeding and making Iraq better every day!

The heart of the article rests on several old statements by the Special Investigator General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) which infer these are recent or recurring problems. The SIGIR knows that, in fact, program management, construction quality, progress, and accountability have all improved significantly since the early days of the effort some three years ago. Yet, the reporters’ “project problems� comments infer that these are recent issues. Such actions inflame public opinion in the United States and create resentment by the very people so many conscientious Americans over here are trying to help here in Iraq and worse, embolden our very enemies.

When I arrived here a year ago we planned to complete 3,200 reconstruction projects. Today we are focusing on the completion of 3,700 projects. We’ve started 3,500 of those projects and completed almost 2,800…and work is continuing! This is not a failure to meet our commitment to the Iraqi people as the article states. In some cases we are not executing the same projects�we have changed to meet new priorities of three government changes in Iraq since our arrival�but in all cases, rest assured, these projects will be completed. We discussed this at length with the reporter…and he was taking notes and recording our conversations.

We told the reporter that, while 141 health clinic construction projects were taken away from a U.S. contractor who failed to perform, they were re-awarded to Iraqi contractors who are already demonstrating progress, have improved quality and shown their great desire to work with the United States to help Iraq improve…and they are doing so phenomenally! We did talk to the reporter about on electricity. Three-quarters of Iraq gets twice as much electricity today as they did before the war. Furthermore, we are working with the Minister of Electricity to improve the situation in Baghdad daily and have doubled the hours of power from four to eight in the capitol in the last six months in spite of the fact that demand is markedly increased with Iraqis’ new ability to buy personal electrical products. What is truly amazing to me is that we took the reporter to the Nasiriyah prison project and, while it is true that we terminated the prime U.S. contractor for failure to perform, the Iraqi sub-contractor continues to work there (now directly for us) and his progress and quality have improved significantly...and he saw that! We are not turning unfinished work over to the Iraqis as he stated in his article; we are fulfilling the U.S. commitment to the people of Iraq and using Iraqis to do it!

The reporter didn’t tell you about the hundreds of dedicated military and civilian professionals he saw over here working to make Iraq better, or the Iraqis who come to work every day at their own peril because they believe in what we, and they, are accomplishing together. He failed to tell you about Aseel or Salah who worked for the Corps of Engineers since we arrived in 2003, because they wanted to make their country like ours, but who were recently brutally murdered in the streets because they worked for the Americans. He never wrote about the Water Treatment Plant he visited that will provide fresh potable water to over half a million people in southern Iraq in just two more months, or the one in northern Iraq that is providing water for the 330,000 citizens of Irbil. He never told folks back home about the thousands of children that are now in 800 new or rebuilt schools, or about oil production now being back to pre-war levels and getting better everyday, or raw sewage being taken out of the streets and put back in the pipes where it belongs, or about the thousands of miles of new roads, or post offices, police stations or courthouses or… well, he just left a great deal out now, didn’t he?

Why? Perhaps it’s because some in the press don’t want the American people to know the truth and prefer instead to only report the negative aspects of the news because “it sells papers.� We deserve better from those who claim the protection of the Constitution we are fighting to support and defend. America, don’t give up. You are doing much better over here than all too many of your press will tell you. If you are tired of fighting for freedom and democracy for those who so strongly long for the country we have, then think of the alternatives for a moment. Iraq will be better for our efforts and so will the world. And you are making it happen. Be proud and keep supporting this vital effort. It is the most important thing America can do.

Thank you. I invite you and your staff to come over at any time to get the facts. I took a risk with Mr Mosher and obviously got what I consider to be a very unbalanced representation of what he saw, personally. But I still believe in general in the press and will always be open to helping you tell a balanced story.

Essayons! Deliverance!

MG Bill McCoy
CG, Gulf Region Division/Dir, Project and Contracting Office
Multi-National Force-Iraq

>>
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED >>
Caveats: NONE>>

[Sean Osborne]

This is great, absolutely great truth telling.


Subject: Letter from the Front Lines

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

All: I haven't written very much from Iraq. There's really not much towrite about. More exactly, there’s not much I can write about because practically everything I do, read or hear is classified military information or is depressing to the point that I’d rather just forget about it, never mind write about it. The gaps in between all of that are filled with the pure tedium of daily life in an armed camp. So it's a bit of a struggle to think of anything to put into a letter that's worth reading. Worse, this place just consumes you. I work 18-20-hour days, every day. The quest to draw a clear picture of what the insurgents are up to never ends. Problems and frictions crop up faster than solutions. Every challenge demands a response. It's like this every day. Before I know it, I can't see straight, because it's 0400 and I've been at work for twenty hours straight somehow missing dinner again in the process. And once again I haven'twritten to anyone. It starts all over again four hours later. It's notreally like Ground Hog Day, it's more like a level from Dante's Inferno.

Rather than attempting to sum up the last seven months, I figured I'd just hit the record setting highlights of 2006 in Iraq. These are among the events and experiences I'll remember best.

Worst Case of DéjÃÂ* Vu - I thought I was familiar with the feeling of déjÃÂ* vu until I arrived back here in Fallujah in February. The moment I stepped off of the helicopter, just as dawn broke, and saw the camp just as I had left it ten months before - that was déjÃÂ* vu. Kind of unnerving. It was as if I had never left. Same work area, same busted desk, same chair, same computer, same room, same creaky rack, same . . everything. Same everything for the next year. It was like entering a parallel universe.Home wasn't 10,000 miles away, it was a different lifetime.

Most Surreal Moment - Watching Marines arrive at my detention facility and unload a truck load of flex-cuffed midgets. 26 to be exact. I had put the word out earlier in the day to the Marines in Fallujah that we were looking for Bad Guy X, who was described as a midget. Little did I know that Fallujah was home to a small community of midgets, who banded together for support since they were considered as social outcasts. The Marines were anxious to get back to the midget colony to bring in the rest of the midgetsuspects, but I called off the search, figuring Bad Guy X was long gone on his short legs after seeing his companions rounded up by the giant infidels.

Most Profound Man in Iraq - an unidentified farmer in a fairly remote area who, after being asked by Reconnaissance Marines (searching for Syrians) if he had seen any foreign fighters in the area replied "Yes—you."

Worst City in al-Anbar Province - Ramadi, hands down. The provincial capital of 400,000 people. Killed over 1,000 insurgents in there since we arrived in February. Every day is a nasty gun battle. They blast us with giant bombs in the road, snipers, mortars and small arms. We blast them with tanks, attack helicopters, artillery, our snipers (much better than theirs), and every weapon that an infantryman can carry. Every day.

Incredibly, I rarely see Ramadi in the news. We have as many attacks out here in the west as Baghdad. Yet, Baghdad has 7 million people, we have just 1.2 million. Per capita, al-Anbar province is the most violent place in Iraq by several orders of magnitude. I suppose it was no accident that the Marines were assigned this area in 2003.

Bravest Guy in al-Anbar Province - Any Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician (EOD Tech). How'd you like a job that required you to defuse bombs in a hole in the middle of the road that very likely are booby-trapped or connected by wire to a bad guy who's just waiting for you to get close tothe bomb before he clicks the detonator? Every day. Sanitation workers in New York City get paid more than these guys. Talk about courage and commitment.

Second Bravest Guy in al-Anbar Province - It's a 20,000 way tie among all the Marines and Soldiers who venture out on the highways and through the towns of al-Anbar every day, not knowing if it will be their last - and for a couple of them, it will be.

Best Piece of U.S. Gear - new, bullet-proof flak jackets. O.K., they weigh 40 lbs and aren't exactly comfortable in 120 degree heat, but they've saved countless lives out here.

Best Piece of Bad Guy Gear - Armor Piercing ammunition that goes right through the new flak jackets and the Marines inside them.

Worst E-Mail Message - "The Walking Blood Bank is Activated. We need blood type A+ stat." I always head down to the surgical unit as soon as I get these messages, but I never give blood - there's always about 80 Marines in line, night or day.

Biggest Surprise - Iraqi Police. All local guys. I never figured thatwe'd get a police force established in the cities in al-Anbar. I estimated that insurgents would kill the first few, scaring off the rest. Well, insurgents did kill the first few, but the cops kept on coming. The insurgents continue to target the police, killing them in their homes and on the streets, but the cops won't give up. Absolutely incredible tenacity. The insurgents know that the police are far better at finding them than we are. - and they are finding them. Now, if we could just get them out of the habit of beating prisoners to a pulp . . .

Greatest Vindication - Stocking up on outrageous quantities of Diet Coke from the chow hall in spite of the derision from my men on such hoarding, then having a 122mm rocket blast apart the giant shipping container that held all of the soda for the chow hall. Yep, you can't buy experience.

Biggest Mystery - How some people can gain weight out here. I'm down to 165 lbs. Who has time to eat?

Second Biggest Mystery - if there's no atheists in foxholes, then why aren't there more people at Mass every Sunday?

Favorite Iraqi TV Show - Oprah. I have no idea. They all have satellite TV.

Coolest Insurgent Act - Stealing almost $7 million from the main bank in Ramadi in broad daylight, then, upon exiting, waving to the Marines in the combat outpost right next to the bank, who had no clue of what was going on.

The Marines waved back. Too cool.

Most Memorable Scene - In the middle of the night, on a dusty airfield, watching the better part of a battalion of Marines packed up and ready to go home after six months in al-Anbar, the relief etched in their young faces even in the moonlight. Then watching these same Marines exchange glances with a similar number of grunts loaded down with gear file past - their replacements. Nothing was said. Nothing needed to be said.

Highest Unit Re-enlistment Rate - Any outfit that has been in Iraqrecently. All the danger, all the hardship, all the time away from home, all the horror, all the frustrations with the fight here - all are outweighed by the desire for young men to be part of a 'Band of Brothers' who will die for one another. They found what they were looking for when they enlisted out of high school. Man for man, they now have more combat experience than any Marines in the history of our Corps.

Most Surprising Thing I Don't Miss - Beer. Perhaps being half-stunned by lack of sleep makes up for it.

Worst Smell - Porta-johns in 120 degree heat - and that's 120 degrees outside of the porta-john.

Highest Temperature - I don't know exactly, but it was in the porta-johns. Needed to re-hydrate after each trip to the loo.

Biggest Hassle - High-ranking visitors. More disruptive to work than a rocket attack. VIPs demand briefs and "battlefield" tours (we take them to quiet sections of Fallujah, which is plenty scary for them). Our briefs and commentary seem to have no affect on their preconceived notions of what's going on in Iraq. Their trips allow them to say that they've been to Fallujah, which gives them an unfortunate degree of credibility in perpetuating their fantasies about the insurgency here.

Biggest Outrage - Practically anything said by talking heads on TV about the war in Iraq, not that I get to watch much TV. Their thoughts are consistently both grossly simplistic and politically slanted.

Best Intel Work - Finding Jill Carroll's kidnappers - all of them. I wasmighty proud of my guys that day. I figured we'd all get the ChristianScience Monitor for free after this, but none have showed up yet. Talk about ingratitude.

Saddest Moment - Having the battalion commander from 1st Battalion, 1st Marines hand me the dog tags of one of my Marines who had just been killed while on a mission with his unit. Hit by a 60mm mortar. Cpl _____ was a great Marine. I felt crushed for a long time afterward. His picture now hangs at the entrance to the Intelligence Section. We'll carry it home with us when we leave in February.

Biggest Ass-Chewing - 10 July immediately following a visit by the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Zobai. The Deputy Prime Minister brought along an American security contractor (read mercenary), who told my Commanding General that he was there to act as a mediator between us and the Bad Guys.I immediately told him what I thought of him and his asinine ideas in terms that made clear my disgust and which, unfortunately, are unrepeatable here.I thought my boss was going to have a heart attack. Fortunately, thetranslator couldn't figure out the best Arabic words to convey my meaning for the Deputy Prime Minister. Later, the boss had no difficulty in convening his meaning to me in English regarding my Irish temper, even though he agreed with me. At least the guy from the State Department thought it was hilarious. We never saw the mercenary again.

Best Chuck Norris Moment - 13 May. Bad Guys arrived at the government center in the small town of Kubaysah to kidnap the town mayor, since they have a problem with any form of government that does not include regular beheadings and women wearing burqahs. There were seven of them. As they brought the mayor out to put him in a pick-up truck to take him off to be beheaded (on video, as usual), one of the bad Guys put down his machinegun so that he could tie the mayor's hands. The mayor took the opportunity to pick up the machinegun and drill five of the Bad Guys. The other two ran away. One of the dead Bad Guys was on our top twenty wanted list. Like they say, you can't fight City Hall.

Worst Sound - That crack-boom off in the distance that means an IED or mine just went off. You just wonder who got it, hoping that it was a near miss rather than a direct hit. Hear it every day.

Second Worst Sound - Our artillery firing without warning. The howitzers are pretty close to where I work. Believe me, outgoing sounds a lot like incoming when our guns are firing right over our heads. They'd about knock the fillings out of your teeth.

Only Thing Better in Iraq Than in the U.S. - Sunsets. Spectacular. It's from all the dust in the air.

Proudest Moment - It's a tie every day, watching my Marines produce phenomenal intelligence products that go pretty far in tearing apart Bad Guy operations in al-Anbar. Every night Marines and Soldiers are kicking in doors and grabbing Bad Guys based on intelligence developed by my guys. We rarely lose a Marine during these raids, they are so well-informed of the objective. A bunch of kids right out of high school shouldn't be able towork so well, but they do.

Happiest Moment - Well, it wasn't in Iraq. There are no truly happymoments here. It was back in California when I was able to hold my family again while home on leave during July.

Most Common Thought - Home. Always thinking of home, of Kathleen and the kids. Wondering how everyone else is getting along. Regretting that I don't write more. Yep, always thinking of home.

I hope you all are doing well. If you want to do something for me, kiss a cop, flush a toilet, and drink a beer. I'll try to write again before too long - I promise.

Semper Fi,

[Joey Bagadonuts]

Great letter!

The part about rounding up and hauling in 26 flexcuffed midgets had me laffing out loud here. For some reason I imagined their arrests being somewhat like one of those contests where ya have to catch a small greased pig and ya run around diving at him as he squeals. HAHAHAHAHA
( I know...VERY un-politically correct...but so funny)

The mayor who picked up the machine gun and waxed those dirtbags? Now THERE'S a guy I want to vote for!
And the Iraqi cops who appear to some to be a tad uhhh "overzealous"? ...

Now, if we could just get them out of the habit of beating prisoners to a pulp . . .

May I offer this bit of wisdom, It is not "beating the pulp" out of the insurgents. It's an accepted psychological tenchique called ....."Behavioral Modification Through Impact Therapy".


Sean, when I read something like this Marine's letter...I see America's best and it gives me hope for our future. It makes me proud of our people in uniform and proud to be an American. Thanks for the post and the feeling.

***

[Sean Osborne]

Hiya Joey,

You're most welcome... I'll be posting more of these.

It's an awareness thing. If we don't stop these nutcases over there the same scenes this Marine officer describes will eventuaklly occur here in the USA.

[Sean Osborne]

Iraqi Tribes Turn on al Qaeda

September 22, 2006: Coalition forces in Iraq have suddenly received the manpower equivalent of three light infantry divisions. They did not suffer any repercussions in domestic politics as a result, and now have a huge edge over al-Qaeda in al-Anbar province. How did this happen? Tribal leaders in the largely Sunni province on the Syrian border got together and signed an agreement to raise a tribal force of 30,000 fighters to take on foreign fighters and terrorists.

These leaders have thrown in with the central government in Baghdad. This is a decisive blow to al Qaeda, which has been desperately trying to fight off an Iraqi government that is getting stronger by the week. Not only are the 30,000 fighters going to provide more manpower, but these tribal fighters know the province much better than American troops – or the foreign fighters fighting for al Qaeda. Also, this represents just over 80 percent of the tribes in al-Anbar province now backing the government.

The biggest gain for the coalition is that they will now have forces on their side that know the terrain in al Anbar province. This is a very big deal in a campaign against the terrorists. When a force knows the terrain, it can make life miserable for its enemies. Just ask any Army unit that has gone through the National Training Center at Fort Irwin. The OPFOR (Opposing Force) has fought there for so long that they know all the good ambush sites. Units coming there for a training session don't have that knowledge – and they pay the price in the exercises held there.

This is just one sign that the tide is turning in favor of the coalition in Iraq. Many of the Sunni leaders have decided that the Shia-dominated Iraqi government is not going away any time soon, nor is the democratic process. As such, the tribal leaders have now decided that it is better to be on their good side rather than to be seen as uncooperative. Constant Arab casualties in al Qaeda attacks – and al Qaeda's desire for a caliphate – have not helped matters any, either.

On the other hand, by signing up with the government, these tribal leaders will hasten the construction of government services, and gain something else just as valuable – the government's gratitude. In essence, the tribal leaders have slowly been won over by a combination of coalition perseverance and al Qaeda strategic ineptness.

This agreement, if it holds, is a win for the United States, which is looking for measurable progress. It is a win for the Shia-dominated Iraqi government, which will now have an easier time in that province. It is a win for the tribal leaders, who will get a few markers they can call in down the road from the government for their assistance. For al Qaeda, now facing the equivalent of three additional light infantry divisions composed of people who will have knowledge of al Anbar province, it is a huge loss. The major downside is that many of the tribesmen still support al Qaeda, and will defy their tribal leaders by continuing to work with the terrorists, or by not being very enthusiastic in fighting the terrorists. – Harold C. Hutchison (haroldc.hutchison@gmail.com)

[Ryan Ruck]

'Normalcy' In Baghdad Astounds TV Producer

Independent television producer Don Wood held up a photo of an Iraqi schoolboy to illustrate what he learned during 85 days in Baghdad.

Despite the violence, the boy and his schoolmates are walked to school every day by their mothers, and Iraqi parents are "good people who are crazy about their kids," Wood said Thursday.

Wood, an independent producer in Baghdad for NBC News, described his experience in Iraq at the Clearwater Main Library for about 50 people, including members of Leadership Pinellas, from which he graduated in 1998.

Wood, 53, of Clearwater declined to discuss politics, and his observations overall were optimistic.

"I was astounded by the normalcy of Baghdad when I arrived," he said. "Iraqi shopkeepers open their stores for business every day, and commuters make the daily drive into the city."

On the other hand, "kidnapping for ransom is a big problem," Wood said. "If I walked out of a secure area, I'd be shot dead or kidnapped immediately, as would my Iraqi aide if it were known he worked for Americans."

While in Iraq, Wood and his associates traveled with a lot of security in plain sedans with bullet-resistant glass. Wood said many Iraqis working for American companies are being paid well enough to send their families out of Iraq.

Baghdad has businesses, hotels, high-rise apartments and condos, Wood said. There are few single-family homes. Except for a chronic dusting of desert sand that turns all the buildings dirt brown, Baghdad is much like any major metropolis, right down to the consumer goods coming in, Wood said.

"There is chaos in Baghdad," he said, "but also good things going on. The basics are available, including fresh produce, free-range beef ... even beer and wine."

"Iraqis love dollars," Wood told the group, explaining that one U.S. dollar is worth 1,500 dinars. Because of the high exchange rate, U.S. dollars are readily accepted in Baghdad. Wood observed that many Iraqis, including those making good wages from contract rebuilding work, spend their money on items that make their home life more comfortable. The reason for this, he said, is that Iraqis don't want to venture outside their homes in the evening.

Wood said Iraqis told him they see growing stability.

"More money being spent in Iraq will help rebuild the economy," he said. "The key will be getting business from other countries to come in." Asked if he thought Iraq was close to civil war, he said no. He quoted the dictionary definition of civil war and pointed out that it differed from the "revenge violence" perpetrated between sects. He cited the neighborhood pacification efforts of the 172nd Striker Brigade Combat Team of Alaska as having a positive effect on security in the region.

The power situation in most of Baghdad is still sporadic, with "three hours on, three hours off," with generators picking up the slack during the down time, he said. Some wealthy areas of the city do have power around the clock, he said.

Asked if he felt the Iraqis could achieve their independence if the United States pulled out of that country, Wood suggested he was fairly certain the U.S. is prepared to stay for a while. He cited the 14 new military bases built in the last three years.

Wood went on to show another photo, a skeleton of a 20-year-old woman with a bullet hole in her skull. Beside her was the tiny skeleton of an infant. These photos, he said, were part of an investigation to help prove Saddam Hussein guilty of atrocities. The bodies were removed from a massacre site on the outskirts of Baghdad.

"Once the Iraqi people are able to try those responsible for these crimes, they can finally move ahead toward their future," he said.

Toward the end of the program, the room quieted as someone asked Wood what had been the most surprising change he experienced since returning from Baghdad.

"To really cherish every day on the planet," he said.

[Ryan Ruck]

Top Army NCO: Soldiers See Duty as ‘Badge of Honor’

The morale of American GIs serving in Iraq continues to be high, regardless of the danger, difficult conditions and family sacrifices they face, the Army’s top enlisted leader said yesterday. In a joint interview with the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston recalled the stoic attitude displayed by soldiers and family members of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, after learning the unit’s Iraq tour was being extended.

Preston, the senior enlisted advisor to Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, said the 172nd’s soldiers were nearing the end of a one-year tour in Iraq when they were tapped for a four-month extension of duty.

Nearly 400 of the brigade’s soldiers had already redeployed to Alaska in June and July, Preston said, but some 300 of their number were ordered to return to Iraq to help stem a spike in insurgent violence in and around Baghdad.

Yet, during a recent meeting with 400-500 family members at Fort Wainwright, Preston noted, “Not one question came up, not one issue, pertaining to the 120-day extension.”

Preston credited the impact of a special Army personnel team that was sent to Wainwright to assist family members in adjusting to the extension. He also praised the family members, noting they’ve taken down “Welcome Home” signs and are now waiting patiently for their loved ones to return home in December.

“That’s a direct reflection of our soldiers’ and our families’ commitment across the board,” Preston said. After officials had explained the need for the extension, the 172nd’s family members “understood why the decision was made by the secretary of defense to keep that brigade there for a while longer,” he said.

The 172nd was already noteworthy for achieving a 61 percent retention rate among its soldiers, the highest of all the Army’s brigade combat teams, Preston said.

He acknowledged that some 172nd soldiers and family members were likely very upset about the unit’s extension. But, he added, that unit was the only experienced brigade available to take up a very important mission.

“They really look at it as a badge of honor,” the sergeant major said.

Preston saluted soldiers performing field duty worldwide. Those soldiers wear helmets and body armor and carry weapons, he said, often while enduring irritating heat that causes perspiration to “soak through your clothing and everything else.”

Army-taught self-discipline and training are two attributes GIs employ to carry out missions in trying conditions, Preston said.

Good leadership also assists soldiers, he said. NCO-supplied motivation and caring keeps soldiers focused, regardless of the challenges, he added.

Some 258,000 U.S. soldiers are deployed overseas in 128 different countries, Preston said, noting thousands of others are now training up to deploy over the coming year.

“For them, and all their families out there, we’re all very, very proud of their contributions and their sacrifices,” he said.

[Sean Osborne]

Who wants to go on a mission in the Sandbox with Marines from F Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5?

Lock n load.




U.S. Marine Sgt. Stewart D. Brown, a platoon sergeant from Yorktown, Va., assigned to F Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, provides security from the top of a nearby home as his fellow Marines search a house for weapons and bomb-making material, Sept. 29, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran





U.S. Marines from F Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, make their way to a home to conduct a search for weapons and contraband after they received sniper fire, Sept. 29, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran





U.S. Marine Cpl. Cody D. Lowry, a team leader from Clear Spring, Md., assigned to F Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, tries to break a lock on a garage door as they search a home for weapons and improvised explosive devices materials, Sept. 29, 2006.U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran





Two boxes of cell phones, which are often used to remotely trigger roadside bombs, are found at an Iraqi home during a search, Sept. 29, 2006. Marines from F Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, confiscated improvised explosive devices materials. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran


Now, about these cells phones, and the company that makes them...

Senao International is a Taiwanese wireless communications company which does a lot of middle east business through its Dubai-based subsidiary, Senora Trading LLC. and manufactures the wireless phones and other digital data equipment at Port Jebel Ali, Dubai. Also according to its web page SENAO has five service centres in Dubai, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Russia.

[Joey Bagadonuts]

If this story doesn't get to ya.....you're not human.

...and I know there's an extra hot place in hell just waiting for the bastards that shot this little girl.

"Religion of peace"......my ass!




***

[samizdat]

Nice photo. Good job Sarge!

[Ryan Ruck]

I'm looking forward to Ms. Couric's piece on this fascinating story!

[Sean Osborne]

http://breakingnews.redstate.com/blo...ve_already_won



Mr. President, we’ve already won


In the Oval Office Wednesday afternoon President Bush spoke to a group of conservative journalists and expressed his frustration at the perception of the progress of the war in Iraq. Byron York has an article about it on the National Review’s website. From reading the article, it appears that the massive and endless onslaught by the America haters, European appeasers, liberals, elites, and their mindless little Goebbels in the MSM has finally taken its toll on the man. I can’t blame him; it would have crushed a lesser man long ago. The President is seeking empirical, quantifiable evidence to show the American people that we are winning the war in Iraq. President, I’m telling you we have already won.

First, the greatest fighting force in the history of mankind toppled the fascist Saddam regime in less than a month. Second, the most important objective and the one that is patently evident, is that the battle ground in the war on terror has been shifted. It has been shifted from the skies over New York and Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania to the desert in Iraq where the barbarians are not slaughtering our civilians as they did on 9/11, they are fighting and getting routed by our brave and well trained men and women in the United States armed services. Mr. President that is VICTORY!

The extended war on terror is far from over, however; the war in Iraq is a clear cut win for good over evil. I think reminding the American people of the objectives, i.e. the shift in battle grounds and expediting the complete victory over terror by a forceful and unrestrained show of American might would go a long way in shifting public opinion and would strike the fear of GOD into the cold hearts of our enemies.

[Ryan Ruck]

In Iraqi Villages, Troops See Strides And A Big Challenge

MUSTAFAR, Iraq — The smell of baking bread wafted over the dusty central square as children clamored to get closer to the U.S. troops and their hulking armored vehicles. Lt. John Sirhal tried fruitlessly to keep order among a group of boys waiting for M&Ms, while Capt. Adam Sawyer calmly walked up to businessmen hawking their wares.

Samir Hassan, a 53-year-old shopkeeper, said he was happy with the U.S. forces who have maintained peace around his home. But the Iraqi police who have set up a checkpoint at the entrance to Mustafar have made the residents uneasy, he said, as have the Shiite militias that operate just miles away.

"We feel safe here," Hassan said, waving his arm at the throngs of people in the streets on a recent day. "But now we can't go to Baghdad. We need to have security in Iraq. The government has no control, and I don't trust the Iraqi forces."

It is in small villages like these that U.S. soldiers say they are making their biggest strides but also face their biggest challenges. Commanders in Iraq say they can win any battle against armed insurgents and conduct any military operation successfully, but persuading Iraqis to believe in Iraq could end up being the most difficult battle in this war.

There are places in Iraq where U.S. troops are greeted with suspicion. And there are others where they confront grave danger. More than 90 American servicemen have been killed in hostile action across Iraq this month.

But in some of the small towns that ring the southern edge of Baghdad, the situation is quite different. For many residents, the daily dose of roadside bombs and gunshots that plague the capital is glimpsed only on television. Here, U.S. forces work to provide more electricity, to ensure water supplies are clean and to fix roads. The locals appear to appreciate it, but they also appear to genuinely fear what could happen if U.S. forces leave.

Lt. Col. Mark Suich, commander of the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, is on the leading edge of the campaign to win over a swath of land south of Baghdad that includes Mustafar. He said the key to success in Iraq is to hand over control to the Iraqis, but that doing so could take time.

"Ultimately, they need to see the government functioning, especially in the area of security," said Suich, 42, of Greenville, Pa. "It's a long process to make people change their minds. It's stuff you can't do overnight."

In Mustafar, residents are just beginning to trust the Iraqi police, a ragtag group that periodically makes the short trek from its checkpoint into town to buy lunch or gifts. So far, no one has tried to sneak weapons past the checkpoint, and there has been no violence in the village for weeks.

It has also been peaceful in nearby Abu Hillan, a tiny collection of houses of Sunni Arabs along a strip of dirt road. Residents there recently teamed with a neighboring town and with U.S. soldiers to tap into an electrical substation, boosting their daily availability of electricity from about two hours to more than 20.

"We're happier now," said Othman Ibrahim, 23, a fireplug of a farmer with coarse hands and soft eyes. "We like the U.S. soldiers because they came in and made things better. But we don't trust the Iraqi army, and while there are still militias, we're never going to trust them."

Ibrahim also has difficulty trusting the government. Though he likes the idea of democracy, he said, he isn't sure what difference it has made or will make.

"We are farmers, and we know nothing about democracy," he said, shaking his head. "We see no changes because of it."

Sawyer, who commands the regiment's C Troop and spends much of his time working to improve services in the region, said it could be years before large-scale improvements are made.

"I can't fix electricity overnight, but we can come in and do the little things, and those little things do matter," Sawyer said, shortly after surveying a vacant building he hopes to turn into a medical clinic. "You will gain more from these things than you can possibly gain from using your weapon. It's all about taking baby steps."

Suich acknowledges that his squadron is fighting two main battles, one with armed insurgents and one with the idea of a new Iraq. He said he plans to build locals' trust of Iraqi troops by gradually dispatching them on joint patrols with their U.S. counterparts.

"We have to be patient, we have to be persistent, and we have to go back to them and go back to them," Suich said.

At a compound for Special Operations forces near Baghdad, civil affairs officers are working to speed things up by offering medical services and interest-free business loans.

On a recent afternoon, dozens of families lined up to see doctors and to receive gifts such as shoes, school supplies and board games.

"There's no doubt in my mind that we have terrorists coming through the gate here, and we help them, too," said Maj. Stephen Przybelski, a civil affairs officer from Green Bay, Wis. "Maybe we'll turn someone. I don't know how many we can turn, but if we can turn one or two, how many people's lives have we saved?"

One of the clinic's main forces is Dr. Turki, an Iraqi American who lives in Centreville, Va., and returned to Iraq to help her country. Turki, who didn't want to give her full name for security reasons, said she treats many Iraqis who are afraid to be seen with U.S. forces but really want their help.

She said she has high hopes.

"It's so hard these days, and I feel so sad for what is going on here," she said. "I wish one day to open my eyes and see peace all over Iraq."

After Sirhal, the lieutenant, handed out candy to children in Mustafar, he paused and looked out over the villagers who were smiling and waving.

"This really does make me proud," said Sirhal, 27, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "You see how they are here? It could be like this everywhere. We just have to be patient."

[Ryan Ruck]

Iraqis Display Courage Under Fire

The commander of a U.S. Army brigade that partners with and trains Iraqi Soldiers and police in Iraq’s Diyala province today praised the recent actions of local security forces and civilians there.

Terrorists in Diyala province continue to try to destabilize the democratic Iraqi government through the use of improvised explosive devices, snipers, kidnappings and threats to innocent Iraqis, Col. David Sutherland, commander, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, told Pentagon reporters during a satellite news conference from his headquarters in Baqubah, Iraq.

“However, it does not mean that they have won the battle there; in fact, far from it,” Sutherland said of the terrorists’ efforts in his area of operations.

Iraqi Soldiers and Police in his area aren’t being cowed by the terrorists’ actions, Sutherland said.

“The Iraqi people are responding with great courage,” he said, noting he’d recently witnessed bravery by a detachment of Iraqi police at a checkpoint who came under insurgents’ small-arms fire.

“These men were low on ammunition, food and water, but they did not break,” Sutherland said of the Iraqi Police. “They stood their post, stood their post diligently.”

Since assuming responsibility for security operations in Diyala province in early November, Sutherland said, his Soldiers have been busy training Iraqi Soldiers and Police while taking the fight to extremists.

“Second, we are conducting stability and reconstruction operations to help the people of Iraq build a new life and a stable and secure environment,” the colonel said.

Sutherland said his troops work closely with Iraqi Police and Soldiers. “This is a cooperative relationship. Coalition Forces provide assistance and planning, logistics and operations, but increasingly, it is the Iraqi Security Forces that are in the lead,” he said.

Diyala province is about the size of Maryland and has an ethnically-mixed population of about 1.5 million people, Sutherland said. The province is so ethically diverse that it is known as “Little Iraq.”

Agriculture is the province’s main industry, he said, noting the region’s date harvest was up 75 percent from a year earlier, while its rice production jumped 50 percent from a year ago.

Baqubah’s open-air markets are open for business, Sutherland said, adding that the provincial government is functioning and doing its work. A notable provincial government program actively seeks to more fully engage the area’s various tribal and ethnic groups in the political process. “This sort of initiative is critical to the long-term stability of the province,” Sutherland said.

Iraqi security forces are developing new tactics to use against terrorists operating in the province, Sutherland said, while his troops continue to train local police and Iraqi soldiers. “We are dedicated to helping the Iraqi security forces become a professional force that treats people with respect and enforces the rule of law, a force that is non-sectarian, professional and devoted to the safety and security of all Iraqis in the province,” Sutherland said.

Developing a multi-ethnic, democratic culture in a land that’s only known dictatorship for decades isn’t an easy task, and it will take time, the colonel said.

Yet, despite challenges, he said, the 3rd BCT’s troops are working hard in Diyala province, teaching Iraqi Army and Police leaders “how to be good representatives working on behalf of their people.”

[Sean Osborne]

A U.S. Marine reports from Iraq


http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20051121-093501-9601r.htm


A Marine reports from Iraq

By An anonymous Marine
Published November 22, 2005

---

Editor's note: There's nothing like word from the field to know what works, what doesn't and how the enemy's tactics are affecting our soldiers in battle. Below is one U.S. Marine's take on those questions, verified and relayed to us through his father, a retired Marine. We've withheld the Marine's name and his father's to spare them the inevitable political or institutional flap. Among the most interesting tidbits: Our Marine reports that servicemen are shocked at negative press coverage of the war, and they believe the United States is winning decisively -- but that the number of troops in the field should be bolstered. On equipment, our Marine thinks the older, battle-tested parts of the U.S. arsenal are the most useful equipment in the fight against insurgents. M-16s aren't much good, but "Ma Deuce" is, and the .45 pistol is highly coveted. Body armor has plusses and minuses.


Hello to all my fellow gunners, military buffs, veterans and interested guys. A couple of weekends ago I got to spend time with my son... [He] spent seven months at "Camp Blue Diamond" in Ramadi, a.k.a. "Fort Apache." He saw and did a lot. The following is what he told me about weapons, equipment, tactics and other miscellaneous information which may be of interest to you. Nothing is by any means classified. No politics here, just a Marine with a bird's eye view's opinions.

•The M-16 rifle: Thumbs down. Chronic jamming problems with the sand over there, which is like talcum powder. The sand is everywhere. You feel filthy two minutes after a shower. The M-4 carbine version is more popular because it's lighter and shorter, but it also has jamming problems. Marines like the ability to mount the various optical gunsights and weapons lights on the picatinny rails, but the weapon itself is not great in a desert environment. They all hate the 5.56mm (.223) round. Poor penetration on the cinderblock structure common over there and even torso hits cannot be reliably counted on to put the enemy down. Fun fact: Random autopsies on dead insurgents shows a high level of opiate use.

• •The M243 SAW (squad assault weapon) .223 cal: Big thumbs down. Drum-fed light machine gun. Universally considered a piece of s***. Chronic jamming problems, most of which require partial disassembly. That's fun in the middle of a firefight.
  •The M9 Beretta 9mm: mixed bag. Good gun, performs well in a desert environment, but everyone hates the 9mm cartridge. The use of handguns for self-defense is actually fairly common. Same old story on the 9mm: Bad guys get hit multiple times but are still in the fight.
  •Mossberg 12ga. Military shotgun: Works well and is used frequently for clearing houses, to good effect.
  •The M240 Machine Gun: 7.62 Nato (.308) cal belt-fed machine gun: Thumbs up. Developed to replace the old M-60 -- what a beautiful weapon that was -- it is accurate, reliable and the 7.62 round puts 'em down. Originally developed as a vehicle-mounted weapon, more and more are being dismounted and taken into the field by infantry. The 7.62 round chews up the structure over there.
  •The M2 .50 cal heavy machine gun: Thumbs way, way up. "Ma deuce" is still worth her considerable weight in gold. The ultimate fight-stopper, puts their d**** in the dirt every time. The most coveted weapon in-theater.
  •The .45 pistol: Thumbs up. Still the best pistol round out there. Everybody authorized to carry a sidearm is trying to get their hands on one. With few exceptions, it can reliably be expected to put 'em down with a torso hit. The special-ops guys -- who are doing most of the pistol work -- use the HK military model and supposedly love it. The old government model .45s are being re-issued en masse.
  •The M-14: Thumbs up. It is being re-issued in bulk, mostly in a modified version to special-ops guys. Modifications include lightweight Kevlar stocks and low-power red dot or ACOG sights. Very reliable in the sandy environment, and people love the 7.62 round.
  •The Barrett .50 cal sniper rifle: Thumbs way up. Spectacular range and accuracy and hits like a freight train. Used frequently to take out vehicle suicide bombers -- we actually stop a lot of them -- and barricaded enemies. Definitely here to stay.
  •The M24 sniper rifle: Thumbs up. Mostly in 308 but some in 300 win mag. Heavily modified Remington 700s. Great performance. Snipers have been using them heavily to great effect. Rumor has it that a Marine sniper on his third tour in Anbar province has actually exceeded Carlos Hathcock's record for confirmed kills with over 100.
  •The new body armor: Thumbs up. Relatively light at approximately six pounds and can reliably be expected to soak up small shrapnel and even stop an AK-47 round. The bad news: Hot as s*** to wear, almost unbearable in the summer heat, which averages over 120 degrees. Also, the enemy now goes for head shots whenever possible. All the bull**** about the "old" body armor making our guys vulnerable to improvised-explosive devices was a non-starter. The IED explosions are enormous and body armor doesn't make any difference at all in most cases.
  •Night Vision and Infrared Equipment: Thumbs way up. Spectacular performance. Our guys see in the dark and own the night, period. Very little enemy action after evening prayers. More and more of the enemy are being whacked at night during movement by our hunter-killer teams. We've all seen the videos.
  •Lights: Thumbs up. Most of the weapon-mounted and personal lights are Surefires, and the troops love 'em. Invaluable for night urban operations. [Name redacted] carried a $34 Surefire G2 on a neck lanyard and loved it.

I can't help but notice that most of the good fighting weapons and ordnance are 50 or more years old. With all our technology, it's the World War II- and Vietnam-era weapons that everybody wants. The infantry fighting is frequent, up close and brutal. No quarter is given or shown.


Bad guy weapons:

• •Mostly AK47s. The entire country is an arsenal. Works better in the desert than the M16 and the .308 Russian round kills reliably. PKM belt-fed light machine guns are also common and effective. Luckily, the enemy mostly shoots like s***. Undisciplined "spray and pray"-type fire. However, precision weapons are more and more common, especially sniper rifles. Fun fact: Captured enemy have apparently marveled at the marksmanship of our guys and how hard they fight. They are apparently told in jihad school that the Americans rely solely on technology, and can be easily beaten in close quarters combat for their lack of toughness. Let's just say they know better now.
  •The RPG: Probably the infantry weapon most feared by our guys. Simple, reliable and as common as dog****. The enemy responded to our up-armored Humvees by aiming at the windshields, often at point blank range. Still killing a lot of our guys.
  •The improvised-explosive device: The biggest killer of all. Can be anything from old Soviet anti-armor mines to jerry-rigged artillery shells. A lot found in [name redacted]'s area were in abandoned cars. The enemy would take two or three 155mm artillery shells and wire them together. Most were detonated by cell phone, and the explosions are enormous. You're not safe in any vehicle, even an M1 tank.

Driving is by far the most dangerous thing our guys do over there. Lately, they are much more sophisticated "shape charges" (Iranian) specifically designed to penetrate armor. Fact: Most of the ready-made IEDs are supplied by Iran, the country which is also providing terrorists, Hezbollah types, to train the insurgents in their use and tactics. That's why the attacks have been so deadly lately. Their concealment methods are ingenious, the latest being shape charges in Styrofoam containers spray-painted to look like the cinderblocks that litter all Iraqi roads. We find about 40 percent before they detonate. The bomb-disposal guys are unsung heroes of this war.

•Mortars and rockets: Very prevalent. The Soviet-era 122mm rockets, with a range of 18 kilometers, are becoming more prevalent. One of [name redacted]'s NCOs lost a leg to one. These weapons cause a lot of damage "inside the wire." [Name redacted]'s base was hit almost daily his entire time there by mortar and rocket fire, often at night to disrupt sleep patterns and cause fatigue (it worked). More of a psychological weapon than anything else. The enemy mortar teams would jump out of vehicles, fire a few rounds and then haul *** in a matter of seconds.


Bad guy technology is simple yet effective. Most communication is by cell and satellite phones and also by email on laptops. They use handheld Global Positioning System units for navigation and "Google Earth" for overhead views of our positions. Their weapons are good, if not fancy, and prevalent. Their explosives and bomb technology is top of the line. Night vision is rare.
They are very careless with their equipment, however, and the captured GPS units and laptops are intelligence treasure troves when captured.


Who are the bad guys? Most of the carnage is caused by the Zarqawi al Qaeda group. They operate mostly in Anbar province -- Fallujah and Ramadi. These are mostly "foreigners," that is, non-Iraqi Sunni Arab jihadists from all over the Muslim world and Europe. Most enter Iraq through Syria -- with, of course, the knowledge and complicity of the Syrian government -- and then travel down the "rat line" which is the trail of towns along the Euphrates River that we've been hitting hard for the last few months. Some are virtually untrained young jihadists who end up as suicide bombers or are used in "sacrifice squads."


Most, however, are hard-core terrorists from all the usual suspects -- al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Hamas. These are the guys running around murdering civilians en masse and cutting heads off. The Chechens, many of whom are Caucasian, are supposedly the most ruthless and the best fighters. In the Baghdad area and south, most of the insurgents are Iranian inspired and led Iraqi Shi'ites. The Iranian Shia have been very adept at infiltrating the Iraqi local government, police and army. Since the early 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war, they have had a massive spy and agitator network there. Most of the Saddam loyalists were killed, captured or gave up long ago.


Bad guy tactics: When the enemy is engaged on an infantry level they get their a**** kicked every time. Brave, but stupid. Suicidal banzai-type charges were very common earlier in the war and still occur. They will literally sacrifice eight-to-10 man teams in suicide squads by sending them screaming and firing AKs and RPGs directly at our bases just to probe the defenses. They get mowed down like grass every time -- see the M2 and M240 above. [Name redacted]'s base was hit like this often. When engaged, the enemy has a tendency to flee to the same building, probably for what they think will be a glorious last stand. Instead, we call in air and that's the end of that, more often than not.


These hole-ups are referred to as "Alpha Whiskey Romeos" ("Allah's Waiting Room"). We have the laser-guided ground-air thing down to a science. The fast movers, mostly Marine F-18s, are taking an ever-increasing toll on the enemy. When caught out in the open, the helicopter gunships and AC-130 Spectre gunships cut them to ribbons with cannon and rocket fire, especially at night. Interestingly, artillery is hardly used at all. Fun fact: The enemy death toll is supposedly between 45,000 and 50,000. That is why we're seeing fewer and fewer infantry attacks and more improvised-explosive devices, suicide bomber s***. The new strategy is simple: attrition.


The insurgent tactic most frustrating is their use of civilian non-combatants as cover. They know we do all we can to avoid civilian casualties, so therefore schools, hospitals and especially mosques are locations where they meet, stage for attacks, cache weapons and ammo and flee to when engaged. They have absolutely no regard whatsoever for civilian casualties. They will terrorize locals and murder without hesitation anyone believed to be sympathetic to the Americans or the new Iraqi government. Kidnapping of family members, especially children, is common to influence people they are trying to influence but cannot otherwise reach, such as local government officials, clerics or tribal leaders, etc.
The first thing our guys are told is, "don't get captured." They know that if captured they will be tortured and beheaded on the Internet. Zarqawi openly offers bounties for anyone who brings him a live American serviceman.


This motivates the criminal element who otherwise don't give a s*** about the war. A lot of the beheading victims were actually kidnapped by common criminals and sold to Zarqawi. As such, for our guys, every fight is to the death. Surrender is not an option.
The Iraqis are a mixed bag. Some fight well, others aren't worth a s***.


Most do okay with American support. Finding leaders is hard, but they are getting better. It is widely viewed that Zarqawi's use of suicide bombers, en masse, against the civilian population was a serious tactical mistake.


Many Iraqis were galvanized and the caliber of recruits in the Army and the police forces went up, along with their motivation. It also led to an exponential increase in good intelligence because the Iraqis are sick of the insurgent attacks against civilians. The Kurds are solidly pro-American and fearless fighters.


According to [name redacted], morale among our guys is very high. They not only believe they are winning, but that they are winning decisively. They are stunned and dismayed by what they see in the American press, whom they almost universally view as against them. The embedded reporters are despised and distrusted. They are inflicting casualties at a rate of 20-1 and then see s*** like "Are we losing in Iraq?" on television and the print media.
For the most part, they are satisfied with their equipment, food and leadership. Bottom line, though, and they all say this: There are not enough guys there to drive the final stake through the heart of the insurgency, primarily because there aren't enough troops in-theater to shut down the borders with Iran and Syria. The Iranians and the Syrians just cannot stand the thought of Iraq being an American ally -- with, of course, permanent U.S. bases there.
That's it, hope you found it interesting, I sure did.