Letter from a friend (updated 12/8/05)

Coleman · **Letter from a friend (updated 12/8/05) -** 09-14-2005, 09:06 AM

Here's a letter from my dad's close friend that is over in Iraq. I thought I'd post it, not necessarily as a political statement, but for more of just an interesting short read about a real person that I know.

[quote:65dba]Subject: Update from Iraq (the REAL WORLD according to Josh Watson)

Update from Iraq

All,

The dust is still here, but the temperature is starting to drop - fall is
coming. There is no change in foliage because there is no foliage, but you
can definately tell the difference. There are even clouds in the air every
now and then. I am not sure what the temperature is at night or early
morning, but it is a big enough change compared to what we have had.

Things started to get a bit squirly a few days ago. A local member of the
town came up to an Iraqi check point and told them that there was an IED
(Improvised Explosive Device) placed on the road near the south side of
town. As it turns out, the IED they saw was a "dummy" and there was a
secondary charge nearby that was real. Fortunately the US soldiers found
them both and blew them up.

The next day, another local told the Iraqi Army that there was an IED near
the north side of town. The US went out and detonated that one as well.

Then, two nights ago an Iraqi Army patrol saw two men out in the streets
after curfew. When they were stopped and asked what was going on, they ran
and one threw a remote detonator. When it hit the ground, an IED went off.
The Iraqis caught and detained the two insurgents and we have been
questioning them since. Yesterday I went out into town with the US/Iraqi
patrol looking for a weapons cache based on info from the two insurgents -
found nothing.

This is acutally all very good news:
1. The local towns people are telling us things.
2. The locals are mad at the insurgents.
3. The Iraqi Army is doing a very good job.
4. The insurgents that are here right now do not seem to be that smart.
5. The US folks are top notch.

Bottom line, the US is training the Iraqi Army. The Iraqi Army is catching
the bad guys, and the locals are assisting us all. This is the way to
victory here. I am glad that I am here and a part of it.

Attached is a picture that I took when we were leaving Kuwait to come up
here to Iraq. It struck me as quite perfect (no it was not staged). Here
is the ruck of a soldier getting ready to go to Iraq at the call of his
country and he has a constant reminder of home.

Staying safe.

Josh[/quote:65dba] the picture that he attached was a picture of a teddy bear attached to his rifle. It was really huge, and I didn't feel like resizing it.

Art Attack · 09-14-2005, 12:23 PM

Nice letter, reading that makes me think of the tv show "over There", post the picture.

Coleman · 09-14-2005, 01:46 PM

[quote="Art Attack":7de5a]Nice letter, reading that makes me think of the tv show "over There", post the picture.[/quote:7de5a]I'll resize it when I get back to my dorm tonight.

Edit: Fudge, I deleted it from my webmail cuss: Maybe I can get my dad to send it to me again.

rdeyes · 09-14-2005, 08:11 PM

its good to hear the the iraqi's are finally getting sick of these fucking terrorists murdering innocent people.

Coleman · 09-26-2005, 05:45 PM

update. Another letter sent to our family:

[quote:99cfb]Duane,

Glad that you are still enjoying the pictures.

I have been having some very interesting discussions with some of the folks
I deal with: ie interpreters, Iraqi officers etc.

One of the interpreters fled Iraq back in the early 90's after the failed
uprising in southern Iraq (you know, when the US didn't support them) and is
now a truck driver in Salt Lake City Utah. He is married with 2 kids and
wanted to come back here to Iraq to help his country get started. He says
that where he is from (in the south) has changed for the better and can see
change in other places as well. He truely believes that this will work and
that it will take a while of course. He is always talking with the Iraqi
soldiers about how nice life can be with freedom of choice and how they can
better thier lives if they just try. He also does not understand why folks
in the US do not support the "war effort" as much anymore as he knows that
this is a part of history and that giving freedom to folks is a gift not to
be taken likely. He does admit that it will take a while because "... if
you free a bird that has been caged for most of its life, it will not fly
right away.
It has to leard how to fly and will fall some times." None of the
interpreters tell the Iraqi soldiers where they are from here in Iraq as the
insurgents want to kill all interpreters (50 or so killed last year).

Talking with the Iraqi Commander that I am advising is a different take. He
was an Armor officer in the Army under Saddam and tells stories of how the
pay was bad (couldn't even afford cigarettes), the food was bad when the got
it, the training was bad and all around it was not good. His face changes
when he talks about these times and when he talks about the palaces that
Saddam built. All the soldiers in the Army (definately the officers) do not
tell anyone outside of their family that they are in the Army because the
insurgents will hurt their families. This shows that they are in it for the
right reasons.

Needless to say, this is a unique experience for me.

Josh[/quote:99cfb]

Coleman · 09-27-2005, 10:54 AM

another one:

[quote:a76b6]Duane,

Trust me when I say that it is no trouble or obligation to write back to you. I want to make sure I share my experiences with as many people as possible. Only through sharing the experiences will word spread of what is really happening. As we know, the news agencies are all focused on the major headlines (ie negative issues) as apposed to the deep down messages and beliefs that are out there. I believe that if more people in the US understood what was truely going on at the individual / personal level here (apposed to all the attacks and bombings you hear about) more folks would be willing to support the efforts. This truely is a historical event that is occuring (similar to when France and Germany assisted the Colonies against the British - HMMMM we were also writing our first constitution around then too!) and everyone who has liberties and freedom should make an effort to allow others to have it.[/quote:a76b6]

Art Attack · 09-27-2005, 11:19 AM

Awesome letters coleman! I suggest to you that you pick up the book "The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell" it's about a soldier from the Flordia National Guard who gets sent to Iraq and it's about his expirences in Iraq, amazing book.

imported_Fluffy_Bunny · 09-27-2005, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coleman

another one:

[quote:d29f3]Duane,

Trust me when I say that it is no trouble or obligation to write back to you. I want to make sure I share my experiences with as many people as possible. Only through sharing the experiences will word spread of what is really happening. As we know, the news agencies are all focused on the major headlines (ie negative issues) as apposed to the deep down messages and beliefs that are out there. I believe that if more people in the US understood what was truely going on at the individual / personal level here (apposed to all the attacks and bombings you hear about) more folks would be willing to support the efforts. This truely is a historical event that is occuring (similar to when France and Germany assisted the Colonies against the British - HMMMM we were also writing our first constitution around then too!) and everyone who has liberties and freedom should make an effort to allow others to have it.

[/quote:d29f3]

bloody colonials...

Coleman · 09-27-2005, 10:19 PM

happy: fluffy beer:

ninty · 09-27-2005, 10:24 PM

Nice letters, but it would seem to me that the reason that some don't support the war was that it was based on fale pretences.

What the US is doing there now may be all well and good, but was that their motive? Did the US go to Iraq to bring freedom to the people? And don't get me started on the Iraqi constitution.

Anyway, I won't ruin the topic.

Coleman · 10-11-2005, 03:09 PM

[quote:a4165]The latest from Josh...

Subject: On the road!!!!

Sorry about being out of the net for a bit.... not much was happening and
didn't have much to convey.

We did a convoy down into Mosul today from Al Kaisik to get some equipment
installed on our humvees - my first time there. We went through the middle
of town and it was an interesting ride to say the least. It was very busy -
cars, trucks, people, donkeys, dogs, sheep and even cows in and out of the
traffic (try doing that with 11 vehicles in convoy going 40mph or higher!!).
More than one thing to focus on! Anyway, don't let anyone fool you - if a
person is stationed at FOB Diamondback / Marez in Mosul, they are living
large compared to Al Kaisik, and I won't even try to compare it to Biaj.
That FOB in Mosul is HUGE and they have just about everything there. Must
be nice to be in the rear - of course they would argue that point. That is
truely one of the things that has been reinforced and beaten into my head
about this tour - life is all about experiences. Because of where I am
stationed here, Mosul is living large. However, if I were stationed at
Mosul I am sure th
at I would think differently as I would not have seen where I am now.

Biaj was quiet the last couple of weeks, but is starting to heat up now with
a mortar attack and IED in town recently. It is most likely due to 1. the
start of Ramadan and 2. the upcoming referendum election.

Most of the Iraqi citizens and soldiers that I have talked to are planning
on voting.... lets hope so! This vote will be about their constitution. It
is strange, but I am reading a book about Alexander Hamilton and his
exploits during the Revolutionary War, his participation in the formation of
our government and the issues that were going on as our nation was forming -
there are many similarities: diferent ideals colliding (sometimes
violently); negative press; support from a foreign "super power"; support
for the military and its soldiers; "political" partisenship at the expense
of the soldiers and so on. But one of the biggest similarities is the hope
of the people - for a better way of life, for freedom, for a sense of
ownership etc. For people that think the Iraqi conflict is all about oil or
Isreal, think again. While it maybe part of it (as France supported us
because we had natural resources and growing marketplace, and we disliked
the British at the time), the
Freedom that we are assisting in establishing is what it is all about.
Freedom and Democracy take a while to put in place where there was nothing
like it before - it was many years after the Declaration that the US
actually had a functioning gov't.......

The picture that I have attached was one that I took during a convoy at
sunset. We had just left Tal Afar (the operation was still on going) and
were taking a logistics convoy west to Sinjar. I was able to get a decent
picture as we were only going 15mph due to a Turkish contractor vehicle!!!
Not a good feeling to be in a large convoy in the evening going that
slow....

I finally have the cable for my camera so I will be able to send more
pictures.... if you don't want them, let me know (I will not be hurt)!!![/quote:a4165]

[url=http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=biaj0655la.jpg:a4165][img]http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9843/biaj0655la.th.jpg[/img][/url:a4165]

Himmler · 10-13-2005, 11:26 AM

nice letters. it reminds me too of the show over there, but in that show the locals dont help the us army for shit, they just try to kill them too. i think the show is not even close to what is happening over there, but i still like to watch the show because it has some good action imo.

Coleman · 10-13-2005, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Himmler

nice letters. it reminds me too of the show over there, but in that show the locals dont help the us army for shit, they just try to kill them too. i think the show is not even close to what is happening over there, but i still like to watch the show because it has some good action imo.

yeah, i just watched that show the other night for the first time. It was very interesting.

Art Attack · 10-13-2005, 12:12 PM

Awesome Coleman, I'd give anything to be a photographer over there right now.

Crazy Canadian · 10-13-2005, 02:36 PM

you guys know that over there is just propaganda to make you feel sorry for the soldiers right? like in that one episode, american soldiers shoot a mother and child but wait one of the soldiers mom had a stroke! the shows still interesting though