Posted on 06/27/2005 8:47:37 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Iraqi forces lose five, but stand and fight
Letters from Iraq
Col. Ed Cardon
Families and friends of the Vanguard Brigade:
It is plain hot - the 110 degree barrier was broken on June 15, and once broken, we had several days of similar temperatures. The upward trend condinues, and we have started taking bets for projections on the first day over 120 degrees.
These hot temperatures have made it even more difficult for the average Iraqi citizen. Electrical power is still very problematic with supply, distribution and quality problems. Most citizens receive less than 12 hours of power per day with frequent rolling blackouts.
While there are water problems, water is normally not a serious problem, even with issues of both quality and pressure. However, some terrorists blew up the water main for the western side of Baghdad, which could have a significant impact on water supply if the lines cannot be repaired in the next few days. We are working on contingency plans if repairs cannot be completed in time. Despite these problems, there seems to be a building boom starting in Baghdad, with evidence of new construction wherever we go. We see this as a very positive sign that shows both hope and optimism for the future inside the overall Iraqi population.
Attacks were on the rise in our area this week but we want to put this in perspective. Over the past week, the number of attacks stayed quite low, with continued days of relative calm. However, we know that days of calm are normally balanced by days of increased attacks, and we had a sense that an attempt to conduct a big attack may be coming. This was especially true after our successful operations in Baghdad over the past month, which reduced the number of car bomb attacks by over 50 percent.
The first significant attack was a suicide vest bomber who went to a restaurant and blew himself up, killing five Iraqi police officers and wounding dozens of innocent Iraqi civilians who were jsut enjoying their Sunday afternoon. The next morning, there was a large attace on Iraqi security forces with five car bombs, some roadside bombs, mortars and small arms fire. We suspect this attack was disrupted by one of our patrols, but more importantly, the Iraqi security forces fought back hard out of their compounds and did not break. We think the attackers were further disrupted by the speed and intensity of our reinforcement.
A police station and a police commando unit faced the brunt of the attack-five men were killed and 17 were wounded. While it's certainly tragic that these men died while fighting and defending their friends and their posts, the relatively low number of casualties also reflects the growing competence of Iraqi forces. We have all read about similar attacks with much more tragic results.
After the attack, we continued to assist Iraqi forces as they followed intelligence to capture the attackers. By the end of the day, four attackers were killed (nine if we count the suicide bombers) and over 80 suspects were in custody. Many of these suspects were captured with tips from the local population. In addition, one Iraqi man told us that when the attackers were on the street, they opened fire on the local population to ensure they stayed indoors. This incident may reflect both the insurgents' and terrorists' growing concern that they are being blamed for the large number of civilian casualties. We think they may fear that the little support they still have is rapidly slipping away. Our analysis shows that most Iraqis just want to get on with their lives and look to the future.
Finally, we are extremely proud of every soldier and their efforts. We had a good week. They are working in some tough conditions, and their performance makes us all very proud.
Vanguard! Rock of the Marne!
Very respectfully,
Col Ed Cardon
Col. Ed Cardon is the commander of the newly formed Fourth Brigade of the Third Infantry Division, stationed in south central Baghdad. He graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1982. He served in Germany when the Berlin Wall came down, and has served as chief geographic officer in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the breakup of Yugoslavia. He was Special Assistant for the Army Chief of Staff during the 9-11 attack on the Pentagon. He was inducted into the Watsonville Hall of Fame in 2003. He is the son of Watsonville residents Larry and Corrie Cardon.
Shameless self-ping.
bump
Only 12 hours of eletricity a day. Oh The Horror.
Look. The average Iraqi does not need electricity all day long. They probably have a light bulb or two and maybe a couple fans. It is not like everytime their power goes out they need to reboot their home network and restart their 72" HDTV. Saying this may sound like am putting them down. I am not. I am just being real. Not everyone in the world is ready for electricity and in general the middle east has not had the need outside of business centers(for foreign businessmen) for electricity. This is a recent occurence and I think they can really get along with out 24 hours electricity.
The fact is these panty wetting liberals can hardly believe people live without the same comforts they have. They believe that every one should have everything. I.e. every person should have access to the internet in the USA. THEY DO MORONS! it is called a Library! Cable TV, Internet access at home/apartment/rowhouse, a new car, a car at all, new clothes every week, $100 shoes for your 8 kids are not rights given to you. Some liberals think this is a right to have all of the above. It makes me sick!
That is about 11.5 more hours per day of electricity than the average Cuban gets in Castro's island paradise.
Just to finish the story, which I learned from Col. Cardon's father last night - -
I was correct about Ed being call to the meeting with Gen. Shinsecki just before the plane hit the Pentagon. What I didn't know was that Ed raced back to his area and began to pull his people from the impact area. Of the thirteen under his command he was able to save four. Nine died. Now several more of his people have died in Iraq. According to his father, this has been devastating impact on Col. Cardon, to the point where he may be leaving the service after his current assignment. He has served 23 years already, so he can retire any time. I say he has done enough.
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