[Quilla]

Impact may be an understatement. :)

Every afternoon when my chillen arrive home from school and I from work, they always ask for a war update. As I woke them this morning (usually a long, drawn out process) I mentioned that Gen. Brooks was about to show a video of Jessica's rescue. Both of them shot up in bed and switched their tv's to FOX. It was amazing.

[Howlin]

I'm very heartened. My niece is in school in Boone and my nephew is in Wilmington.

So they're not here all the time to hear my rants; I must be rubbing off on them though, as they are paying attention even when they're not here!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

FN: Chris Kline in N. Iraq: Mosul is receiving a really punishing aerial bombardment...Mosul seems to be the first objective for allied and Kurdish forces....some 50% of the officer corp...tremendously strong loyalist base for Saddam Hussein...allied hopes...the intensive air campaign has diminished the strength...but large numbers of Fedayeen are filtering in (to Mosul and surrounding areas accord. to Kurds)...Kirkut...other great significance...highway leading all the way to Baghdad...strategically important...another city s. of Kirkut (w/ lots of Saddam loyalists) has yet to be hit by us)...