[Cacophonous]

I recently talked to some of the folks that are helping to build the Afghan National Army, and their stories were stunning. The biggest payback was the gratitude of the Afghan people. There was one fellow, an archtitect by trade, that told the Americans that for the first time in his life, he could leave his home in the morning with the confidence that he would return alive. Very moving and his story was typical.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

The biggest payback was the gratitude of the Afghan people.

True in Iraq, too.

You don't hear about the number of serious lowlifes our guys are taking out. It helps if you think about the European theater - that we've 'removed' 6000 terrorists since 9-11.

CENTCOM, our troops have removed far more than that. We went into Iraq 5 SHORT months ago. The Ba'athists did unspeakable things to the Iraqi people for decades. Yet the press not only acts as if our troops AREN'T making excellent progress across the nation, but act as if the longsuffering Iraqi people should jump right in and help. The press has not only been lying from the start, they've been sowing dissent daily.

Our troops say that they can handle the enemy, the heat, the fear - they CAN NOT get the truth out to the world about their daily SUCCESSES.

What everyone should have been told by now about Iraq, the work of our troops:

*Tales of Saddam's Brutality [lengthy, graphic]

*Silent No Longer: Iraqi People Reveal the Past

The detailed good works and security successes of the troops across Iraq:

 

*COALITION AND IRAQI POLICE WORK TO MAKE IRAQ SECURE

*COALITION EFFORTS AID IRAQ'S RECOVERY

VOICES OF FREEDOM
Quotes from the grateful Iraqi people. Y