Another viewpoint... from our men on the ground in Iraq

A Friend in Iraq | Marine Maj.

[xzins]

An old Army friend in Iraq forwarded this to me with the message that it is accurate and needs to be spread around. He did not write it.

A thought from Iraq - "Doom & Gloom about Iraq's future....I don't see it from where I'm sitting."

[For those of you who haven't gotten my "Thoughts" before, I'm a Major in the USMC on the Multi-National Corps staff in Baghdad. The analysts and pundits who don't see what I see on a daily basis, in my opinion, have very little credibility to talk about the situation - especially if they have yet to set foot in Iraq. Everything Americans believe about Iraq is simply perception filtered through one's latent prejudices until you are face-to-face with reality. If you haven't seen, or don't remember, the John Wayne movie, The Green Berets, you should watch it this weekend. Pay special attention to the character of the reporter, Mr. Beckwith. His experience is directly related to the situation here. You'll have a different perspective on Iraq after the movie is over.]

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The US media is abuzz (today) with the news of an intelligence report that is very negative about the prospects for Iraq's future. CNN's website (said), "[The] National Intelligence Estimate was sent to the White House in July with a classified warning predicting the best case for Iraq was 'tenuous stability' and the worst case was civil war." That report, along with the car bombings and kidnappings in Baghdad in the past couple days are being portrayed in the media as more proof of absolute chaos and the intransigence of the insurgency.

>From where I sit, at the Operational Headquarters in Baghdad, that just isn't the case. Let's lay out some background, first about the "National Intelligence Estimate." The most glaring issue with its relevance is the fact that it was delivered to the White House in July. That means that the information that was used to derive the intelligence was gathered in the Spring - in the immediate aftermath of the April battle for Fallujah, and other events. The report doesn't cover what has happened in July or August, let alone September.

The nay-sayers will point to the recent battles in Najaf and draw parallels between that and what happened in Fallujah in April. They aren't even close. The bad guys did us a HUGE favor by gathering together in one place and trying to make a stand. It allowed us to focus on them and defeat them. Make no mistake, Al Sadr's troops were thoroughly smashed. The estimated enemy killed in action is huge. Before the battles, the residents of the city were afraid to walk the streets. Al Sadr's enforcers would seize people and bring them to his Islamic court where sentence was passed for religious or other violations. Long before the battles people were looking for their lost loved ones who had been taken to "court" and never seen again. Now Najafians can and do walk their streets in safety. Commerce has returned and the city is being rebuilt. Iraqi security forces and US troops are welcomed and smiled upon. That city was liberated again. It was not like Fallujah - the bad guys lost and are in hiding or dead.

You may not have even heard about the city of Samarra. Two weeks ago, that Sunni Triangle city was a "No-go" area for US troops. But guess what? The locals got sick of living in fear from the insurgents and foreign fighters that were there and let them know they weren't welcome. They stopped hosting them in their houses and the mayor of the town brokered a deal with the US commander to return Iraqi government sovereignty to the city without a fight. The people saw what was on the horizon and decided they didn't want their city looking like Fallujah in April or Najaf in August.

Boom, boom, just like that two major "hot spots" cool down in rapid succession. Does that mean that those towns are completely pacified? No. What it does mean is that we are learning how to do this the right way. The US commander in Samarra saw an opportunity and took it - probably the biggest victory of his military career and nary a shot was fired in anger. Things will still happen in those cities, and you can be sure that the bad guys really want to take them back. Those achievements, more than anything else in my opinion, account for the surge in violence in recent days - especially the violence directed at Iraqis by the insurgents. Both in Najaf and Samarra ordinary people stepped out and took sides with the Iraqi government against the insurgents, and the bad guys are hopping mad. They are trying to instill fear once again. The worst thing we could do now is pull back and let that scum back into people's homes and lives.

So, you may hear analysts and prognosticators on CNN, ABC and the like in the next few days talking about how bleak the situation is here in Iraq, but from where I sit, it's looking significantly better now than when I got here. The momentum is moving in our favor, and all Americans need to know that, so please, please, pass this on to those who care and will pass it on to others.

It is very demoralizing for us here in uniform to read & hear such negativity in our press. It is fodder for our enemies to use against us and against the vast majority of Iraqis who want their new government to succeed. It causes the American public to start thinking about the acceptability of "cutting our losses" and pulling out, which would be devastating for Iraq for generations to come, and Muslim militants would claim a huge victory, causing us to have to continue to fight them elsewhere (remember, in war "Away" games are always preferable to "Home" games). Reports like that also cause Iraqis begin to fear that we will pull out before we finish the job, and thus less willing to openly support their interim government and US/Coalition activities. We are realizing significant progress here - not propaganda progress, but real strides are being made. It's terrible to see our national morale, and support for what we're doing here, jeopardized by sensationalized stories hyped by media giants whose #1 priority is advertising income followed closely by their political agenda; getting the story straight falls much further down on their priority scale, as Dan Rather and CBS News have so aptly demonstrated in the last week.

Please pray on this day, and every day, for our Armed Forces standing in harm's way around the world in defense of our liberty, and for the families awaiting their safe return.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON. THIS NEWS NEEDS TO GET OUT NOW..... B__

[xzins]

My contacts in Iraq verify that this is good background material for understanding what's going on.

[Ramonan]

Always need to hear it from someone out there, not some reporter holed up in a hotel.

[xzins]

All, my friend in Iraq asks that I do what I can to spread this around.

[Freesofar]

Very Optimistic to get this report.

Thanks to our troops for their unwavering patience and perseverance under pressure

We can do our best to help the war effort from here at home by being sure that,"wintersoldierKerry" does not get elected !

And continue to battle the lies of the enemy within who lurk within our media here at home

[ArGee]

BTTT

[mtntop3]

The observations in this report have been substantiated over the months. - as for instance in an excellent 2004 book, Dawn Over Baghdad, by a (genuine) reporter, Karl Zinsmeister, who STAYED embedded with the troops after the invasion. Zinsmeister, earlier wrote Boots on the Ground: A Month with the 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq.

[xzins]

So, you may hear analysts and prognosticators on CNN, ABC and the like in the next few days talking about how bleak the situation is here in Iraq, but from where I sit, it's looking significantly better now than when I got here. The momentum is moving in our favor, and all Americans need to know that, so please, please, pass this on to those who care and will pass it on to others.

It is very demoralizing for us here in uniform to read & hear such negativity in our press. It is fodder for our enemies to use against us and against the vast majority of Iraqis who want their new government to succeed.

[MEG33]

Great report!..God bless our armed forces!

[superfries]

BTTT

in-country info is always the best

[Gritty]

I will add a portion of an e-mail I recently received from a nephew who is in Baghdad training the Iraqi army. He works daily with the Iraqis;

...Basically the enemy is very slowly losing grip. Sure we get a few mortars, but they are very badly aimed. Picture a country that is completely destroyed. We would have done less damage with a nuke. Saddam raped this country. Most of the damage here is from Saddam's reign, not the war. It will take us some time to get the Iraqi army up and running. there are some Iraqi units that fight very well. In fact, what is not reported is that the battle in Sadr city last month an Iraqi unit did a majority of the fighting. They did very well. The enemy is more afraid of Iraqi units forming then they are of us. They do not want to seen as fighting Iraqis. We can over run the enemy, but Iraqi units can win hearts and minds.

The average Iraqi citizen is afraid of a Kerry victory. They don't like Bush, but they trust him to stick to his word unlike Kerry. If we leave, this country will die. Unfortunately this country will take years to rebuild. Oh, and if you hear that the coalition partners are not really helping or matter....It is a boldfaced lie. If you could see the ground truth then compare it to the press reports you would be sick to your stomach. Most is not just inaccurate...some of it is boldfaced lying....

This is just more anecdotal evidence to confirm what we all know. The Democrats and the Major News Media are poormouthing our efforts and are willing to destroy our efforts in Iraq to destroy President Bush and regain power and influence for themselves.

"Shameful" is too mild a word of what they are doing!

[TexKat]

BTTT

[Woogit]

Any one and everyone who knows how should forward this kind of stuff to every news outlet and radio talk show and blogger that you can! (I'm obviously not a techi) This war against the MSM is as important as any war we've ever fought and we only have 3 weeks left to win the hearts and minds of the people!

[xzins]

Excellent post, Gritty, thanks.

ping to #11

[MEG33]

"Oh, and if you hear that the coalition partners are not really helping or matter....It is a boldfaced lie. If you could see the ground truth then compare it to the press reports you would be sick to your stomach. Most is not just inaccurate...some of it is boldfaced lying...."

Incredible misinformation being fed the masses.

[TexKat]

Iraqi school children attend class in a primary school in the center of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2004. Most of Baghdad's schools are now guarded by armed policemen. Gates remain shut all day. Police search schools for explosives before pupils arrive in the morning. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus

An Iraqi boy waits next to an armed security guard to be picked up by his parents at a primary school in the center of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Oct 12, 2004. Most of Baghdad schools are now guarded by armed policemen and the gates remain shut all day. Police search schools for explosives before pupils arrive in the morning. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Iraqi school children squeeze into a car after leaving their primary school in the center of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Oct 12, 2004. Most of Baghdad schools are now guarded by armed policemen and gates remain shut all day. Police search schools for explosives before pupils arrive in the morning. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

[xzins]

The MSM "IS" the issue and the major opponent of Pres. Bush in this campaign.

They are also complicit in the CONTINUATION of the insurgency in Iraq.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Excellent.

[MEG33]

But they ARE going to school!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The MSM must be destroyed , they are now captives of our internal enemies!