Posted on 07/30/2005 10:58:41 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
A tough 10 days in Iraq but our morale is strong
Letters from Iraq
Col. Cardon
Dear families and friends of the Vanguard Brigade:
It has been a busy 10 days. We had the worst dust storm yet, with visibility down to about 50 meters. The temperature is rising and I am sure it has broken 120 degrees in our area of operations, but the official highs are just below 120 degrees.
The last few days have been tough on the Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi population in our area.
It is important to understand that every area in Iraq is different with different challenges and opportunities, but our sister units may have nothing to report and vice versa. We want to give you a snapshot on a recent attack to better describe some of the dynamics that are never seen on a 30-second video clip.
The Iraqi government has started a new initiative to improve security in Baghdad and part of that plan includes a series of checkpoints manned by Iraqi security forces. We assisted in the installation of a checkpoint in our area, and Iraqi security forces manned the checkpoint in late afternoon.
At dusk, a car drove near the checkpoint and the engine quit. The driver got out and asked the security forces to help him push the car through the intersection. As the security forces gathered around to help him, the driver jumped back into the car and the car blew up killing the driver, numerous security guards and innocent bystanders.
The most tragic bystanders' story is with the father who lost all three of his sons in the blast. This event, while tragic has an interesting sequel. We always canvas the closest neighborhoods to these attacks looking for intelligence and assessing the attitudes of the population.
The Iraqi citizens are happy that the checkpoint is in place and that Iraqi security forces are in their neighborhoods. The citizens think this checkpoint has reduced the violence by its mere presence and the reason it was attacked so fast was that the attackers feared the impact of the checkpoint and tried to destroy it and the confidence of the guards.
Once again, they failed - the checkpoint is in place, is undergoing additional improvements and Iraqi security forces are still on duty.
The news seems to be all bad, but that is not a true representation of what is happening on the ground. There are bad moments and there are great days. We are moving forward, but it is not always in a straight line. Iraq is a complex country, and many predictions made by experts came true, and many never came true.
Here is what we know. We know our soldiers are doing a great job in tough conditions, especially when measured over time. We know we are improving a decrepit infrastructure, and we know that there are insurgents trying to destroy the progress made thus far.
We know the Iraqi security forces are growing stronger every day, and that there is still work to be done. We know that the Iraqis are working on a constitution, and we know that there are compromises that still have to be made. We know the economy seems to be growing, and we know employment is still a serious issue. We know we are making progress, and we know we will still have bad moments.
Bottom line - we are optimists and we believe in the future of Iraq even when we have a pessimistic moment.
Finally, that for your continued support. Our soldiers are making a difference.
Vanguard! Rock of the Marne!
Very respectfully,
Colonel 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 Watsonville High School in 1978 and West Point Military Academy in 1982. He served in Germany when the 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.
As I stated before, the Colonel's parents are friends from church.
thank you
I appreciate them. Please keep them coming.
Also, it is good to see that news is getting out in Santa Cruz county!
Thank you for posting...we need the truth and optimism after the dogma from the other side is aired. It's such a shame the national news doesn't carry this. Some people probably would not believe it though.
The Colonel seems to lay it out as it probably is. There's good days and bad days.
Please keep posting.
I read them!
So glad I happened to see the Col.'s letter. Thank you for posting it, and glad to hear that you will continue to post them. It is good to get information that can be trusted.
Our prayers, thanks, and good wishes for the Col. and his troops. God bless.
Ah, the old stalled car in the intersection trick. It's easy to get discouraged about the Iraqi learning curve which seems to be REALLY STEEP! Wouldn't you think just one such incident, two years ago, would be enough to school the new guys about cars? Tell the guy with the phony breakdown to call AAA----I mean it's just as dumb as a good Roadrunner cartoon. Even Elmer Fudd doesn't get beat up that bad---those waskowy pajamahedins got me again!
Morale ~ Bump!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!'MikeinIraq"
Any time I can get a picture of what's going on "over there" that isn't from MSM, I'm grateful. I like his optimism! Thanks!
GREAT!
I have searched the MSM for like stories and find them to be devoid of stories as such. /s
It's important that news like this gets past the MSM defeatist filter.
Thanks
Bump.
If they don't it may be because many of us miss them. There is a lot of traffic here.
Have you thought about setting up a ping list?
Good idea. Next time I post a letter from Iraq I will ping the names on this thread.
Do you know if there is a way to automate the process so I don't have to manually enter every name each time?
Yes, I do know there is a way to automate it. I don't know how to do it.
I'm on the ping list for the "A Day in the Life of President Bush" threads, and I think if you send a private mail to one of the main posters there (perhaps Wolfstar or snugs) they will be happy to steer you in the right direction.
Please tell the colonel that I'm posting his letter at work in the hopes that some of our now depoying troops, good men and women all, will be able to read it.
Our hearts, prayers, and minds and with every soldier there.
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