[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Spc. Kibbey, let me first say THANK YOU. You do good work.

I especially enjoyed this Christmas "gift":

8 Toppled Saddam statues reborn as memorial for U.S. soldiers ~ Killeen Daily Herald  | 12/23/03 | Spc. Benjamin R. Kibbey

Thank you for sharing your observations, as well. We hear little from the Multi-national forces down south ~ except for an occassional piece from CJTF7 or CENTCOM.

I'm just a civilian who is fortunate enough to have the time to find and share the good stuff ~ like yours ~ with others, show a few other naive civilians what our troops are made of, and what they're accomplishing.

You will find many kindred spirits at FR...including a few Marines... though heaven knows why you would choose to abandon the Fourth Infantry Division ~ miss all the action around Saddam's hometown ~ just to join the Marines. (^:

[NormsRevenge]

Bless these young men and women that serve their country so proudly.

Happy New Year!

[SandRat]

But, ... but, ... how can this be? Sens. Clinton, Kerry, Gephart, Kennedy, Cong Rangle, Pelosi, et. al tell us that the troop[s are demoralized and we are losing. </sarcasm

Great EMail!

[Spc. Kibbey]

Well, it's hard to put into words why I like the Marines; you have to serve beside them to know why.
I want to say, I first came across Free Republic when I did a google search to see where all my stories were ending up. You have no idea how awsome it is for someone in my shoes to see my work getting not only read but discussed. I am a journalism student, and hope to work as a civilian reporter someday. I view the job of a journalist as that of the light-operater on the stage of life. In the scope of journalism there are some with spotlights, and mine is not much more than a small flashlight, but I have considered myself fortunate to be able to point my little light onto the people and events I have been able to while here. It's nice to know that someone is seeing them. I am an Army journalist, and so I ultimately have to do some stories because I am directed to, but most of what I have written about is things that touched me, and I wanted them to touch others.
People today will go so far looking for heroes, and here I have met more than I imagined I would in a lifetime.