This is a bit old, but reading some of the threads in here I thought it might do some good. It was sent to me on Oct 7
It's amazing that Baghdad never had garbage collection before we came. I wonder how they survived this long.
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The following is an excerpt from a military flier and paper distributed by
the 82d Airborne Div. It is about as factual as one could ever find. You
know, from the Horses mouth, etc.
Falcon Flyer
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 round ourselves.
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 SOF? 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!
It's amazing that Baghdad never had garbage collection before we came. I wonder how they survived this long.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following is an excerpt from a military flier and paper distributed by
the 82d Airborne Div. It is about as factual as one could ever find. You
know, from the Horses mouth, etc.
Falcon Flyer
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 round ourselves.
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 SOF? 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!
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