It is all so sad. Our American government always has good intentions that get lost in the mud of war. I spent close to 3 years in Laos and Nam in the 1970s during the war years. I witnessed the same events as we have experienced in Iraq. Some things never change and we never learn from out own history. 50,000 American lives lost in Nam. Now we are trading partners and it's all hug and kisses. In Iraq, we attempted the same deal of forcing democracy into a country that was not ready. Democracy comes from withing not from external sources. So we have lost over 5000 fine young men in Iraq whose voices we can listen to and feel the horrors. But we go back to our TVs as usual and let the government continue its' misguided policies of saving the world at great cost to we Americans. It only becomes a reality when someone in the family is blown to pieces by some terrorist in a foreign land. Keep our boys home to protect our land. Keep our boys home to protect our families. There is very little we can do when fighting in the terrorist own backyards. Too many to deal with and ultimately our Military will take the brunt of our governments misguided policies on how to wage a current day war against terrorists. Israel seems to be the only country to get it right. Eye for an Eye!!!
Things Fall Apart
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Lynn,
I just shot out the normal long email, but will fill in the gaps. First, for the day of the bombing. One of our [platoons] found the Mahdi [Army] killing locals just outside the FOB. A small firefight ensued and the Mahdi got the worst of it. They killed between 5-7 [militiamen], wounded probably [twice] that many and captured four. I ended up getting the mission to transport the prisoners later on that night along with my normal patrol. Two of them were IP. I wonder if they will get fired or promoted because of the incident. Since then the number of bombings in our area has taken off. We are seeing them every other day at least, and the route into work is not improving. They blew the s--t out of an M1 yesterday right outside of the FOB. [ ... ] We are waking up to explosions every morning at this point.
Bock, 24, was killed by an IED in Baghdad on Oct. 23.
Army Capt. Blake Russell
Mar. 13, Baghdad area (instant-message exchange)
BELLINDA (9:18:14 AM) How do you feel about those Mahdi guys?
BELLINDA (9:18:26 AM) Good thing? Bad thing?
BLAKE (9:18:38 AM) I hate them
BLAKE (9:18:43 AM) They are a cancer
BELLINDA (9:19:07 AM) Are they just like a big gang or something?
BELLINDA (9:19:30 AM) Going only after the Sunni?
BLAKE (9:19:32 AM) Yes









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