Posted on 11/29/2005 4:16:00 PM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
Families and Friends of the Vanguard Brigade
It is still typical fall weather with high 40s/low 50s at night and in the low 70s during the day. The only change was the brief period of rain that resulted in instant mud, but we are already back to normal.
As some of you may have heard this week, there were some large car bomb attacks in Iraq this past week and one of those attacks was in our area of operations. A suicide van loaded with explosives drove up to a security wall protecting a hotel and detonated. Another suicide vehicle tried to drive through the hole, but failed – he detonated his vehicle close to the first one. These explosions, with an estimated total explosive weight of 1400 pounds, caused extensive damage to nearby apartment buildings. One multistory apartment building collapsed, and the other building had all of its facing windows blown out causing numerous casualties among the local Iraqis. The hotel was also damaged. Since this attack, our Soldiers have been continuously working to help the local Iraqi officials in their efforts to help Iraqis to recover from this attack with additional security measures, medical support, humanitarian aid, and engineering support. There is no property insurance program in Iraq so these innocent Iraqi families will have to recover from this attack using their own resources. It is events like this that remind us how fortunate we are and how much we have to be thankful for, and you would be very proud of the actions of our Soldiers as they work to help those in need as a result of this attack.
The other big news this week is the increased media attention on our role in Iraq. For those of us here on the streets every day, there is a marked improvement over the ten months we have been here. The Iraqi government is stronger, the Iraqi security forces are stronger, and services continue to improve. We also see setbacks such as the alleged detainee abuse incident discovered in a Ministry of Interior facility this week. The Iraqis have opened an investigation.
The people of Iraq have always lived in a diverse society with different tribes, ethnic groups, and religious beliefs. Over Iraq’s long rich history, different factors have caused diverse factions to cooperate and function as one unit. Most recently, Saddam held those diverse groups in check, often with force. Now the goals (and compromises) for these diverse groups must be realized through Iraq’s emerging democratic political processes. From what we see on the ground, the national elections hold great promise for the future, especially since this will be a four-year government instead of a transitional one year government. Hence, it is more constructive to our mission to focus on the future of Iraq – not the past. For the most part, Soldiers know why they are here and know they are making a difference. They believe in the future of Iraq and they understand the importance of their mission.
It is hard to believe that it is almost Thanksgiving – in some ways, it has a special meaning for us all this year. For most of the Soldiers, it is a normal workday; however, we will have the traditional Thanksgiving celebration with all the food we can eat plus some sporting events. We are starting to surge our operations for the election while we simultaneously plan for our redeployment. We want our Soldiers to stay focused on our mission – it helps keep them safe.
Vanguard! Rock of the Marne!
Very Respectfully, Colonel Ed Cardon and Command Sergeant Major Louis Torres
Thanks to the 4th Brigade and the rest of the U.S. military in Iraq and elsewhere the war is going badly for the Democrats.
Ping.
Thanks for the post. As usual our military keep moving ahead with confidence with good reason. I salute them all.
thank you for the post
Yes, the war is going badly for the Dems, even with their pitiful attempts to spin it to their advantage. God bless our military for keeping their heads on straight and focusing on their mission.
Make sure that they know that we know the truth, despite all the lies of the MSM.
Thank you"Homer_J_Simpson"
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