To those of you who already saw my original post and commented, thanks. BUT, my friend whose son wrote the letter asked that I even more greatly cut out the major parts of it for privacy sake........We're sorry, but it has to be cut down to only the quotes below...
Friends and family, ...............deleted...
The insurgency has pretty much had the shit kicked out of it over the last year. To put the final nail in the coffin, we need to get the Iraqi economy back on track and start to turn over more control to the Iraqi security and government services. If we do this in a slow, patient manner, and demonstrate a resolve to stay as long as necessary,there is a better than half chance that Iraq can succeed as a nation without us.
(Z: HERE is the most important sentence of the whole thing:)
Basically, if we want to leave soon, we should say we plan on staying forever. If we want to be stuck here forever we should say we plan to leave as soon as possible.
My overall assessment of this war is that we are slowly winning it, but there are many potential obstacles which could reverse all the gains we've made in the last year.
We take what we learn and use it focus (deleted) in areas where they can have the greatest positive effect.
The soldiers and marines here are much different than when I left. They are young, motivated, and bad-ass. This has been a long, tough, war and most of the fair weather fans are long gone. Everyone under the age of 23 (at least 50%) volunteered after 9/11 with virtual certainty that they would be sent to war.The troops all believe in General Patraeus and they have an incredibly intelligent grip on the complexities of counterinsurgency. They still write stupid rude comments on the walls of the porta-johns, and they still show more venom for whoever their rival unit is than for the enemy.(porta-john comments include 'F the *th Cavalry and their oversized patch.From *th Infantry!' 'How can I F * Cavalry I'm too busy F'ing your Mom!!!' 'Chuck Norris can divide by zero.' 'Army sucks! From USMC 'Hey Marines, thank us for cleaning out Ramadi for you Dickheads! From Army' 'Wash hands before returning to war'!
What we are doing is very useful and is making a difference. Not 'I think it's all worth it, or I feel like we're making a difference.' I KNOW we are. I can physically see the difference in the cities here.
Being here sucks. I hate it when people I know get killed. I hate wearing tons of body armor and constantly scanning people for signs of having a suicide vest. I hate operating on the assumption that every Iraqi I talk to is lying. I hate the culture shock of going from being a ....deleted.... to being (in the) Army. I hate that third world mix of dust, sewage, smashed up concrete, broken industrial landscapes, hopeless urchins playing in the rubble, arrogant gunmen, and burning trash. I hate waking up in the morning. All in all,though, I really am glad I came here...deleted....... This is the most fascinating job I've ever had and it eclipses everything else I've done in life. (My life before was hedonistic and was exactly in line with my core ideals, and I intend to return to that after I finish my current business in Iraq.)
Love, X
(Z: Dear X, I could just HUG you forever, and might when you get home, after your Mom ever lets go!)
God bless my friend's son...and all the guys in Iraq and Afghanistan who feel exactly like he does and all who don't. And, please, some day, let the American media be honest enough to publish something like this instead of constantly publishing things like this link about the dreadful lives of soldiers and their families. (take the time to read it....America just can't do ANYTHING right). Pertaining to the link, I wonder how our poor families did during WWII without email or easy letter service or phone calls. Make America tough enough again, God...we need it. And, with kids like the writer of the letter above, we have a chance.
I hope you all are happy to have read this....I sure am.
JUST IN: From a dear friend in Olympia, Washington who read the above: I don`t remember, did I tell you about a neighbor who just got back from Iraq?? He basically said the same thing ...without all the strong language because he`s an Army Chaplain. He said for me to tell everybody the truth, that we are winning the war, that we are going to be there for awhile yet, AND the people want us there and are grateful that we are. I told him how much I appreciated him telling me everything so willingly, without my asking. He was adamant about telling the people the truth and for us NOT to be afraid
.....WE ARE WINNING! All the neighbors around his house , put little American flags all over his lawn and on the trees and flower beds, welcoming him back. I thanked him profusely and told him how much we appreciate all he and his Buddies are doing for all of us. This was his third tour. xxx ooo AG
z
26 comments:
This is AWESOME, my friend, and so poignant. How compelling is this? How important is it for us to stay the course and get this right? You can see that this man is helping and changing the minds of people there and also see that this war and his job there is changing him as well. Making him stronger and better.
thanks to you, I got the idea to post it....You're the only one who saw the original!
thank YOU, my friend. xx
Nice.
Thanks for publishing and sharing. God bless him.
Encouraging, vivid, touching and real. Charming even. Thanks.
P.S.
Of course people everywhere are praying for our troops and for the nation, but I'd like to include here a link to Kay Arthur's call to Christians for weekly prayer for revival in the nation. It seems like a good idea for as many of us as possible to be praying in the same way at the same time. She spells out the grassroots plan here:
http://www.precept.org/site/PageServer?pagename=gen_PrayerForOurNation
A CALL TO CORPORATE PRAYER ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
This is so terrific Z. A peek into the real world in Iraq as seen through the eyes of a battle-toughened soldier that is committed to the larger vision of the assigned mission.
My God he makes me proud, and gives me hope in our young people who have the guts to serve in the face of great odds.
This young man is candid and under no illusions. He understands the stakes and is determined to see it through.
As I search for words to express my gratitude to such a fine man, and his fellow soldiers, I come back to what I always do. God bless him. God bless them all.
Z, FYI, during WWII, even though I was a little girl, I still remember my Grandmother running to the mailbox, hoping for a letter from my uncle. Mail was delivered twice a day, and even on Sunday. And another memory, long waits.
Pris
Pris...did you find the time to click on the link I added at the end? We have gone soft, Pris.......and our media does stories to make sure we STAY soft.
I bleed for those families, but so many, even those in terrible shape, are so proud of their soldier. ANd we do them this dishonor of using their troubles to disagrace the cause, undermine America, make America look as bad as possible......
Also...we DO have to do more for our military families.....who better than McCain?
Anybody who can honestly say "OBAMA CAN" with a straight face needs help. And a better character compass.
How wonderful beautiful this is. Thank you for sharing this with us Z.
Blessings to you and yours.
"Basically, if we want to leave soon, we should say we plan on staying forever. If we want to be stuck here forever we should say we plan to leave as soon as possible."
Ya' know, you can almost apply this quote to anything in everyday life!
the soldier with his boots on the ground is the one who sees what is really happening. We should listen to him.
Some things never change. Love the way different branches of the military knock the others..always have, always will.
I have never doubted we would win, but real wars are not like tv or the movies.
It takes a while to obtain the objectives.
WVDOTTR
It's our job now to ensure that our soldiers get the time they need to finish their work.
What a fantastic young man (despite all the 'strong language'). I see so much courage and manliness there. Young men like him make the 'metrosexuals' of the cities sitting back home in their designer outfits look pretty silly to put it mildly.
By the way, hello to Olympia Washington. That's my family's home town, z! It's a really beautiful place (or so I remember it from my childhood...It's been a long time).
over and over the courage of these men and women should never be forgotten. They have stood up to an invisable enemy that has no ethics and no code. Yet, they maintain a sense of dignity (no crime in bathroom humor) of the ages.
Aurora, I'll tell my friend in Olympia! It is beautiful; we were there 2 summers ago.
What struck me most about the soldier's letter is the TIME aspect....we need TIME and could win. America's aren't getting immediate gratification or understanding the benefits of having won there.
Edge...I'm not quite there with you on that...'splain, Ricky!
I have several family members who have been there more than once and they all say things are so much better but that we must stay until it's done. Let's pray they get to do that so we do not end up sending more of our soldiers back in a few years to try and finish this business.
Absolutely wonderful read, Z!
This is wonderful... the son of a friend was also in Iraq for a while, and said the same thing.. he painted a much rosier picture than the media, at the time. But that's typical.
Though I agree, in the eyes of many, American can't do anything right,and we are... however, we are failing the vets here, and that is shameful. when they get home. working on a post about that.
Incog...tell it like it is. We are doing a disservice to our soldiers, in some cases, and they deserve better. They deserve the best.
They did take this job knowing what could happen to them and their families, nobody pushed them into it, but we MUST take care of these people...
My friends that are still in the service have been telling me this for years. NO ONE was listening and the MSM was ignoring them while they reenlisted in droves and kept going back over there.
This is the most fascinating job I've ever had and it eclipses everything else I've done in life.
Dear Lord I miss that!
Thanks for the voice of experience... a healthy perspective amongst all the abstract demagoguery!
Thanks for coming by yesterday. You know Z I always appreciate your thoughts and views.
Thanks for coming by, everyone..it means a lot to me.
Elbro...I can only imagine how much that statement resonated with you. You can't take the Navy out of the guy, can you...and you wouldn't want to xxx
Ox, WELCOME! (let me know when you live down to your screen name; never happen!)
Layla, it's always an honor to read your posts and have you here. I thank God for that situation we got through and are so much better for, right? I am!!
xxx
This reminds me of an article by Thomas Sowell and an episode of Family Guy. Sowell has written about the media's portrayal of the military. He points out that soldiers are rarely portrayed as heroes to be honored but as victims whom we should pity.
And the Family Guy tie-in? The wheelchair-bound Joe Swanson became the next-door neighbor of the Griffins. Peter Griffin quickly became jealous of the wheelchair-bound policeman with a proclivity for saving lives. Peter complained, "Cripples aren't supposed to be heroes. They're the people you're supposed to feel sorry for." I'll leave it up to the reader to complete the analogy.
--Tio Bowser
"Basically, if we want to leave soon, we should say we plan on staying forever. If we want to be stuck here forever we should say we plan to leave as soon as possible."
100% correct, Bush refused to cut and run, and yet soldiers are being pulled out now because they are no longer needed.
"WE ARE WINNING!"
And hence the ever more desperate attempts are trying to cut & run by those on the left.
Those are powerful words! G-d bless and keep his brave soul, he's wise beyond his years.
Morgan
So good to read this, Z!!!
He doesn't blow smoke and make things sound ideal, but it's so good to know that he has hope.
Hope is everything for our soldiers.
Thanks, Z.
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