This is info that Dan Rather and Peter Jennings does not want you to hear about:
>Subject: FW: The Rest of the Story 82nd Airborne Bulletin | Sept 2003
>
>The following is an excerpt from a paper distributed by the 82d Airborne
>Division. It's a report by a Brigade Commander (Colonel) for the folks back
>home. This is not a picture that emerges on CNN or the New York Times.
>
>Rip another page off your calendars! August was a tough month for the
>Regiment and we're glad to have it over with. The troopers who were here
>will never forget the heat of 6-12 August when thermometers pegged out at
>136 degrees on the 10th and averaged 133 the whole period. It was a mistake
>to let bare skin touch metal - you would come away with a blister. Even so,
>the little Iraqi children cheerfully scurried across the blacktop in their
>bare feet. The kids are something. They are always smiling and waving.
>Troopers get a kick out of them running to the street and saying 'Hey
>mister, mister, chocolate - you give me chocolate'. Of course, they have
>already learned GI slang and some of the boys practice spitting to imitate
>paratroopers.
>
>It will probably have US troops there for at least another couple of years,
>so the Army has decided to spruce it up. We are going to throw up barracks
>(with flush toilets even!) and then build up quality of life additions
>around ourselves.
>
>Part of 2nd Battalion will remain in a Ba'athist compound that they are in
>now - at least for a while. We may turn that spot into a recreation area
>later.
>
>I wanted to take a few lines and explain the big picture of this operation
>as I see it. Our nation has asked the US military to do some seriously
>heavy
>lifting - with the help of some staunch coalition partners. The global War
>on Terror is an extremely ambitious undertaking on par with liberating the
>continent of Europe while simultaneously defeating the Japanese in the
>Pacific during WW II.
>
>This war is about ending terrorism and the culture that breeds it. To do
>that, we had to come to the source. Some say that there was absolutely no
>connection between terrorism and Saddam's regime. If that's so, how did Abu
>Nidal, the most notorious terrorist of the 80's and 90's, find sanctuary
>here in Baghdad until he died last year? How did Ansar Al Islam, a radical
>surrogate of Al Queda, operate training camps in Northern Iraq until 83 of
>them were killed by US Special Operation Forces. How was it that our forces
>found Al Queda training materials including recipes for bio toxins here?
>Who
>bombed the Jordanian embassy, the UN building, and the Shia mosque in Al
>Najaf?
>
>In spite of what you hear from the hyped up election year media, we are
>winning this fight. At the tactical level, your loved ones are conducting
>operations every night that directly target the remains of Saddam's
>murderous regime, along with those who seek to prolong the post-combat
>chaos
>in Baghdad for their own personal gain.
>
>We have hired almost 2000 Iraqis who are working alongside of our troopers
>every day to preserve security and protect critical infrastructure. We have
>recruited and are now training the first members of the Iraqi Civil Defense
>Corps and the new Iraqi Army.
>
>There are now almost 6000 Iraqi policemen in Baghdad and training will
>continue until there are 16,500. In AO Falcon, we have also started our own
>security force called Neighborhood Watch. We recruited men from each
>neighborhood to protect their families and property from criminals and
>enemy
>fighters. There are now over 1300 men who prevent evil doers from entering
>the Al Rasheed community. We have also formed both Neighborhood and
>District
>Advisory Councils made up of Iraqi citizens who support our cause and they
>are beginning to take charge of their own affairs. The fledgling
>representative government is taking shape and the Iraqis are learning that
>freedom, prosperity and Islam can in fact co-exist. Each of these groups is
>beginning to understand that the propaganda being spread by the
>anti-coalition media is simply not true.
>
>We are not here for their oil, or to destroy their religion or install a
>Jewish government. They now understand that what was caused by 35 years of
>neglect and decay cannot be repaired overnight. They have come to know our
>Troopers for what they are: decent, caring, honorable people who treat
>everyone with dignity and respect unless given reason not to. They also
>realize this - the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to them is
>to
>have American Paratroopers as their enemies.
>
>The Iraqis of our district are learning that they can trust us.
>Consequently, they are no longer afraid to approach us with the information
>we need to eliminate the resistance fighters. The Iraqi people remain our
>best sources of intelligence. Because of this, we have transitioned from a
>strategy of near continuous presence on the streets to one of precision. We
>are no longer alienating innocent Iraqis by conducting searches of entire
>city blocks. Instead, we wait until we know for sure, and then strike
>quickly to snatch our enemies from their hiding places.
>
>Every hospital and clinic in Baghdad is now operating. The coalition is
>printing 5 million new textbooks, handing out school supplies to 1.2
>million
>children and rehabilitating 1000 schools. Iraq is producing over 1 million
>barrels of oil a day. For the first time in history, Baghdad has a garbage
>collection service. Power production has jumped from 300 mega-watts per day
>after liberation to 3300 mega-watts per day. There are 1.3 million Iraqis
>drawing salaries, 92,000 receiving social security payments, and 90,000
>working to clear irrigation canals of obstructions.
>
>So the next time you listen to the presidential contenders and media - with
>their predictions of another Viet Nam, failure and hysteria, you know the
>real deal. Military campaigns are never easy - and replacing a tyrannical
>dictatorship with a democracy where one has never before existed is
>especially difficult. But, our troopers are making it happen and making it
>matter.
>
>We will not fail and with the help of the Iraqi people, we will finish this
>fight and head on home.
>
>Let's Go!
> |
