BS: Letter from Iraq

Subject: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: kendall
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 07:25 PM

Has anyone received a letter from some Lt. Colonel in Iraq who calls war protesters every foul name in the book? A friend of mine sent it to me via e mail, and it looks bogus to me.


> > Here is an email from guy on the ground in Baghdad. Lengthy, but good.
> > Steve
> > >
> > >Hey Guys, sorry it's been so long since I've sent anything but a quick
>note
> > >to you individually. However things have been pretty hectic since the
>end
> > >of hostilities and the start of the real war. Despite what the
>assholes
>in
> > >the press like to say over and over:
> > >1) We did expect some armed resistance from the Ba'ath Party and
>Feydaheen;
> > >2) It isn't any worse than expected;
> > >3) Things are getting better each day, and
> > >4) The morale of the troops is A-1, except for the normal bitching and
> > >griping.
> > >
> > >My brief love affair with the press, especially the guys who had the
> > >cajones
> > >to be embedded with the troops during the fighting, is probably over,
> > >especially since we are back being criticized by the same Roland Headly
> > >types that used to hang around the Palestine Hotel drinking Baghdad
>Bob's
> > >whiskey and parroting his ridiculous B.S.
> > >
> > >I'm in Baghdad now, since SpOpComm 5 relocated here from Qatar. It
>looks,
> > >sounds and smells about the same but at least you can get Maker's Mark
>at
> > >the local OC. We came up in mid-June to help set up operation Scorpion
>and
> > >Sidewinder. It represents a major (and long overdue) shift in tactics.
> > >Instead of being sitting ducks for the ragheads we now are going after
>the
> > >worthless pieces of fecal matter. [OD NOTE: VERY understated!]
> > >
> > >I'm no longer baby-sitting the pukes from CNN and the canned hams from
>the
> > >networks, but have a combat mission coordinating a bunch of A teams,
> > >seeking, finding and rooting out the mostly non-Iraqis that are
>well-armed,
> > >well-paid (in U.S. dollars) and always waiting to wail for the press
>and
> > >then shoot some GI in the back in the midst of a crowd.
> > >
> > >The only reason the GIs are pissed (not demoralized) is that they
>cannot
> > >touch, must less waste, those taunting bags of gas that scream in their
> > >faces and riot on cue when they spot a camera man from ABC, BBC, CBS,
>CNN
> > >or
> > >NBC. If they did, then they know the next nightly news will be about
>how
> > >chaotic things are and how much the Iraqi people hate us.
> > >
> > >Some do. But the vast majority don't and more and more see that the
>GIs
> > >don't start anything, are by-and-large friendly, and very
>compassionate,
> > >especially to kids and old people. I saw a bunch of 19 year-olds from
>the
> > >82nd Airborne not return fire coming from a mosque until they got a
>group
> > >of
> > >elderly civilians out of harms way. So did the Iraqis.
> > >
> > >A bunch of bad guys used a group of women and children as human
>shields.
> > >The GIs surrounded them and negotiated their surrender fifteen hours
>later
> > >and when they discovered a three year-old girl had been injured by the
>big
> > >tough guys throwing her down a flight of stairs, the GIs called in a
>MedVac
> > >helicopter to take her and her mother to the nearest field hospital.
>The
> > >Iraqis watched it all, and there hasn't been a problem in that
>neighborhood
> > >since. How many such stories, and there are hundreds of them, ever get
> > >reported in the fair and balanced press? You know, nada.
> > >
> > >The civilians who have figured it out faster than anyone are the local
> > >teenagers. They watch the GIs and try to talk to them and ask
>questions
> > >about America and now wear wrap-around sunglasses, GAP T-shirts,
>Dockers
> > >(or even better Levis with the red tags) and Nikes (or Egyptian
>knock-offs,
> > >but with the "swoosh") and love to listen to AFN when the GIs play it
>on
> > >their radios. They participate less and less in the demonstrations and
> > >help
> > >keep us informed when a wannabe bad-ass shows up in the neighborhood.
>The
> > >younger kids are going back to school again, don't have to listen to
>some
> > >mullah rant about the Koran ten hours a day, and they get a hot meal.
>They
> > >see the same GIs who man the corner checkpoint, helping clear the
> > >playground, install new swingsets and create soccer fields. I watched
>a
> > >bunch of kids playing baseball in one playground, under the supervision
>of
> > >a
> > >couple of GIs from Oklahoma. They weren't very good but were having
>fun,
> > >probably more than most Little Leaguers
> > >
> > >The place is still a mess but most of it has been for years. But the
> > >Hospitals are open and are in the process of being brought into the
>21st
> > >Century. The MOs and visiting surgeons from home are teaching their
>docs
> > >new techniques and One American pharmaceutical company (you know, the
>kind
> > >that all the hippies like to scream about as greedy) donated enough
> > >medicine
> > >to stock 45 hospital pharmacies for a year.   Safe water is more
>available.
> > >Electricity has been restored to pre-war levels but saboteurs keep
>cutting
> > >the lines. And The old Ba'ath big shots are upset because they can't
>get
> > >fuel for their private generators. One actually complained to General
> > >McKeirnan, who told him it was a rough world.
> > >
> > >The MPs are screening the 80,000 Iraqi police force and rehabbing the
>ones
> > >that weren't goons, shake-down artists or torturers like they did in
>East
> > >Berlin, Kosovo and Afghanistan. There are dual patrols of Iraqi cops
>and
> > >U.S./U.K./Polish MPs now in most of the larger cities. Basra has 3.5
> > >million inhabitants. Mosul is a city of 2 million. Kirkuk has 1
>million.
> > >How many and hundreds of other small towns have not had riots or
>shootings?
> > >The vast majority.
> > >
> > >The six U.K. cops were killed in a small Shiite town by the ex-cops
>they
> > >were re-habbing. According to a Royal Marine colonel I talked to, the
>town
> > >now has about twenty permanent vacancies in its police force. Mick,
>he's
>a
> > >big potato eater from Belfast named Huggins and knows how to handle
> > >terrorists after twenty years fighting with the IRA. He sends his
>regards
> > >and says he'd love to have you here. Thinks you'd make a great police
> > >chief, even though the cops would be more frightened of you than the
>local
> > >hoods (then he laughed)
> > >
> > >I heard one doofus on MSNBC the other night talk about how "nearly 60"
>GIs
> > >have been killed since 01 May. The truth is that 21 GIs have been
>killed
> > >in
> > >combat, mostly from ambush, from 01 May through 30 June, Another 29
>have
> > >been killed by accidents or other causes (two drowned while swimming in
>the
> > >Tigris).
> > >
> > >The [MSNBC turd] is the same jerk who reported on the air that "dozens
>of
> > >GIs" were badly burned when two RPGs hit a truck belonging to an
>Engineer
> > >Battalion that was parked by a construction site. The truck was hit
>and
> > >burned, three GIs received minor injuries (including the driver who
>burnt
> > >his hand) and three warriors of Allah were promptly sent to enjoy their
>72
> > >slave girls in Paradise. Hell of a way to get laid.
> > >
> > >A mosque in that shithole Fallujah blew up this morning while the local
> > >imam, a creep named Fahlil (who was one of the biggest local loudmouths
> > >that
> > >frequently appeared on CNN) was helping a Syrian Hamas member teach
>eight
> > >teenagers how to make belt bombs. Right away the local Feyhadeen
> > >propaganda
> > >group started wailing that the Americans hit it with a TOW missile (If
>they
> > >had there wouldn't have been any mosque left!) and the usual suspects
>took
> > >to the streets for CNN and BBC. One fool was dragging around a piece
>of
> > >tin
> > >with blood on it, claiming it was part of the missile.
> > >
> > >The cameras rolled and the idiot started repeating his story, then one
>of
> > >my
> > >guys asked him in Arabic where he had left the rag he usually wore
>around
> > >his face that made him look like a girl. He was a local leader of the
> > >Feyhadeen. We took the clown in custody and were asked rather
>indignantly
> > >by the twit from BBC if we were trying to shut up "the poor man who had
> > >seen
> > >his mosque and friends blown up."   I told the airy-fairy who the
>raghead
> > >was and if he knew Arabic (which he obviously didn't) he'd know he was
>a
> > >Palestinian. I suggested we take him down to the local jail and we'd
>lock
> > >him and his cameraman in a cell with the "poor man" and they could
> > >interview
> > >him until we took him to headquarters. They declined the invitation.
> > >Guess
> > >what played on the Bullshit Broadcasting System that evening? Did the
> > >Americans blow up a mosque? See the poor man who is still in a state
>of
> > >shock over losing his mosque and relatives? Yep. Our friend the
> > >Palestinian.
> > >
> > >Our search and destroy missions are largely at night, free of reporters
>and
> > >generally terrifying to those brave warriors of Allah. The only thing
>that
> > >frightens them more is hearing the word "Gitmo". The word is out that
>a
> > >trip to Guantanimo Bay is not a Caribbean vacation and they usually
>start
> > >squealing like the little mice they are, when an interrogator mentions
> > >"Gitmo". No wonder the International Red Cross, the National Council
>of
> > >Churches and the French keep protesting about the place. They know it
>has
> > >proven to be very effective in keeping several hundred real fanatical
> > >psychopaths in check and very frankly would rather see them cut loose
>to
>go
> > >kill some more GIs or innocent Americans, just to make W. look bad.
> > >
> > >We have about 200 really bad guys in custody now and probably will park
> > >them
> > >in the desert behind a triple roll of razor wire, backed up by a couple
>of
> > >Bradleys pointed their way, if they decide to riot. Maybe a few will
>get
> > >to
> > >Gitmo but most are human garbage that wouldn't take on your five-year
>old
> > >grandson face-to-face. The more we go after them and not vice-versa I
> > >think
> > >we will see the sniper attacks go down. Yeah, they'll get lucky now
>and
> > >then, but it's showtime, fellows.
> > >
> > >Our first objective is to get the die-hards off the street (or make
>them
> > >too
> > >scared to come out in them) and destroy their caches of weapons (we
>have
> > >collected more than 227,000 AK-47s and that is only the tip of the
>iceburg;
> > >Curly bought nearly a million of them from our pal Vladimir), then cut
>off
> > >their money supply, mostly from Syria and Lebanon. We must continue to
>get
> > >public services up and running, so the local families can get water,
>sewage
> > >and garbage service; electricity, public transportation; oil fields and
> > >refineries working and a dinar that won't halve in value every month.
> > >
> > >It's going to be a long haul (remember it took 10-15 years in Japan and
> > >West
> > >Germany) but if we don't stick with it, nobody else will, and we'll
>have
> > >some other looney running the place again.
> > >
> > >This place has greater potential than Saudi Arabia (bunch of
>goat-herders
> > >who struck black gold) or Iran (weird dudes who can't run a rug bazaar
>much
> > >less a major country).
> > >
> > >I keep telling myself even the Democrats can't be that
>self-destructive.
> > >But then I look at the current line-up. The cream of the crap. If
>that
> > >lying lesbian bitch ever gets elected we're really in trouble. [OD
>NOTE:
> > >AAAAMEN!!! Very precise & correct description of the scummy Sen from
>NY.]
> > >By we, I mean the whole world. She'll slide just plain Bill in as the
> > >Secretary-General of the U.N. and then the whole world will be trying
>to
> > >take our great country . . . the greatest ever (and that's coming from
>an
> > >ex-Canuck) . . . down and civilization with it.
> > >
> > >Armageddon, here we come. Remember, it's located on the outskirts of
> > >Jerusalem.
> > >
> > >Enough of that cheery speculation. The good news is that General
> > >Schoonmaker
> > >is going to appointed Chief Army and the old man is coming to Tampa to
>run
> > >the SpOps desk at CentComm. He's tops and will be getting his second
>star.
> > >To me it means that SpOps will be more predominant in future operations
>and
> > >after 18 years as a GB maybe I'll have a shot at a bird-level combat
> > >command. The old man asked me to come to MacDill and be his ACS but I
>told
> > >him after I spent four months changing the diapers of the media types,
>I
> > >wanted to go back to action. Hence, my current gig. As the movie
>quoted
> > >old General Patton, "God help me, I love it."   I do. Nothing more
> > >satisfying than working with the BEST damn soldiers in the world,
>flushing
> > >real human poop down the drain and giving some folks a chance at trying
> > >freedom for a change. They may learn to like it and then my
> > >great-great-grandson won't have to worry about some maniac trying to
> > >destroy
> > >the planet.
> > >
> > >Now about that Maker's Mark. God Bless America Mark.
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
> > The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE*
> > http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
> >
>
>

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 07:53 PM

"Ragheads" etc.? Gee, what an ambassador for his country. It's too bad that Muslims are against pork -- this man is a pig.

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: John Hindsill
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 08:44 PM

Kendall, if this letter seems bogus to you (and I tend to agree), why did you pass it on? Why give the idiot who wrote it his 15 seconds of infamy here?

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: kendall
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 09:13 PM

Because I want to know if anyone else has received it, and if it is bogus, I want to shove it down the throat of the person who sent it to me as genuine.

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: Rapparee
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 09:19 PM

What's the "OD Note" business? Officer of the Day? If so, why is s/he reading the mail of a light colonel? And why injecting their own notes?

From actual, bona fide letters I've seen they're not censoring the mail any more than was done in Vietnam or Gulf I, i.e., not at all.

*IF* this letter is genuine, and I have my doubts, the LTC's buddies have done him one helluva disservice. The last thing the military needs is to have this kind of thing all over the Internet, and LTC's career will take a nosedive if the powers that be find out who was stupid enough to write it.

I did some checking: the abbreviation used by the US Army for Special Operations is NOT "Sp Op Com" but "SOC" -- Special Operations Command. The first sound like the Navy: BuPers, BuShips, etc. Either the LTC is making up his or her own abbreviations, the guy's in the Navy, or whoever wrote it doesn't know the military.

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: Greg F.
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 10:25 PM

Of course its bogus. Its anonymous net bullshit. The onus is on the person claiming it's genuine to prove its legit.

And what if by some miracle it IS legit? Simply the ramblings of one more ignorant racist dickhead.

The kind of thing that maked one "proud"(?) to be an American, isn't it?

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: LadyJean
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 10:56 PM

Has anyone sent this letter to Snopes?

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: Amos
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 11:48 PM

Well, I find it has a certain ring of reality -- meaning it sounds like a letter that a Marine on the ground might well write.   The racism is pretty limited and not atypical of military men engaged in life-threatening situations. If his description of the forces in play -- media, Palestinians, Iraqis and US forces -- is correct, it certainly does sound different than CNN makes it sound. The guy sounds like a sincere if perhaps shortsighted and quite frustrated soldier would sound. That dooesn't mean he is one.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: katlaughing
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 12:12 AM

LadyJean, good idea. I had searched snopes, earlier, today, but didn't find anything likely. So, I just sent it to them. I'll let ya'll know if I hear back from them.

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: artbrooks
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 12:19 AM

Odd...I was in the Army for a number of years, and never heard anyone, officer or not, call soldiers "GIs."

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: Teribus
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 02:23 AM

Sounds phoney to me, but it might have that balance of bullshit mixed with fact.

What is most alarming is that the sentiments expressed are exactly those that lost "hearts and minds" in S.E Asia under Westmoreland.

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: Greg F.
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 12:25 PM

On second reading this is almost certainly the production of a group that's performed here before: Steve "Norton" Neff and the Knuckle Walkers.

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: mg
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 10:56 PM

go to the drudge report, click on Andrew Sullivan, and it is quoted there...it's going around. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: Greg F.
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 11:07 PM

Right you are- if its on Drudge's unsubstantiated gossip/fantasy sheet, its got to be legit.

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 03:06 AM

She didn't claim it was legit, Greg, just that it was there. FWIW, I also found it, thorugh a google search, on two sites, one of which is apparently a libertarian site called www.lewisnews.com and the other seemed fairly conservative as well, called www.oldguns.net.

Nothing from snopes, yet.

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: mg
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 11:02 AM

I referred you to Andrew Sullivan. I have no way of knowing whether or not it is legit...it reads as though it were fabricated but the truth is always stranger than fiction. I am quite fond of reading Andrew Sullivan...mg

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: Greg F.
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 09:07 PM

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar- and sometimes bullshit is just bullshit. Check the 'forum' where the letter was 'originally posted' as noted in the Drudge/Sullivan listing.

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: MarkS
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 10:38 PM

90% of the stuff like this you get via email forwarding is baloney. Just check Snopes. Why should this be any different?

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: Teribus
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 07:46 AM

Another letter not from Iraq:

A Marine stationed in Afghanistan recently received a "Dear John" letter

from his girlfriend back home. It read as follows:



Dear Ricky,

I can no longer continue our relationship. The distance between us is just too great. I must admit that I have cheated on you twice, since you've been gone, and it's not fair to either of us. I'm sorry.

Please return the picture of me
that I sent to you.

Love, Becky


The Marine, with hurt feelings, asked his fellow Marines for any snapshots they could spare of their girlfriends, sisters, ex-girlfriends, aunts, cousins etc.

In addition to the picture of Becky, Ricky included all the other pictures of the pretty girls he had collected from his buddies.
There were 57 photos in that envelope....along with this note:


Dear Becky,

I'm so sorry, but I can't quite remember who you are. Please take your picture from the pile, and send the rest back to me.

Take care, Ricky

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: katlaughing
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 10:36 AM

That's the best response to a "Dear John" that I've ever heard of, real or not! LOL!

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: Alba
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 10:54 AM

Nicely done Ricky...Thanks for the Laugh Teribus...LOL:>)
JD

Subject: RE: BS: Letter from Iraq
From: kendall
Date: 24 Jul 03 - 11:09 AM

How could that twit dump a guy with a sense of humor?