I heard from retired Colonel Logan Barbee in Baghdad yesterday. He continues working for the State Department and his message makes clear the dangers our soldiers are facing and the dedication with which they embrace their jobs:
“SFC Grist. Have been in-country for several weeks now, have been mortared and fired at just after the helicopter dropped me off in Al Hillah. The helicopter was shot down as it was returning to Baghdad (no Americans were hurt, but the bad guys aren’t in this world any longer).”
Barbee continues: “I’ve been meeting with the civil affairs elements, the USAID and other country team and PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) members…We have several projects going….As you already know... we lost several civil affairs folks there last week. A large car bomb was set off three days ago in Al Hillah with over 100 killed and 200 plus wounded. That’s the life that these people have at this time, but we’re still meeting and trying to make things work.”
Barbee and others are continuing their efforts to improve the lives of the average people in Iraq. Still, the Coalition soldiers and civilians in Iraq cannot help but be affected by the sectarian violence that is ripping apart Iraqi life and the disagreement on the war that fills the airwaves here and overseas.
Regardless of how this conflict comes to an end, never forget that American soldiers and civilians are giving their hearts and souls to better the lives of the Iraqi people. Don’t stop supporting them and welcome them with open arms when they come home.
I have said frequently that there are those who “talk” and those who “do”. The Americans serving in the war on terror are the greatest of the doers.
No American must ever forget their dedication or their sacrifice.
SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com
“SFC Grist. Have been in-country for several weeks now, have been mortared and fired at just after the helicopter dropped me off in Al Hillah. The helicopter was shot down as it was returning to Baghdad (no Americans were hurt, but the bad guys aren’t in this world any longer).”
Barbee continues: “I’ve been meeting with the civil affairs elements, the USAID and other country team and PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) members…We have several projects going….As you already know... we lost several civil affairs folks there last week. A large car bomb was set off three days ago in Al Hillah with over 100 killed and 200 plus wounded. That’s the life that these people have at this time, but we’re still meeting and trying to make things work.”
Barbee and others are continuing their efforts to improve the lives of the average people in Iraq. Still, the Coalition soldiers and civilians in Iraq cannot help but be affected by the sectarian violence that is ripping apart Iraqi life and the disagreement on the war that fills the airwaves here and overseas.
Regardless of how this conflict comes to an end, never forget that American soldiers and civilians are giving their hearts and souls to better the lives of the Iraqi people. Don’t stop supporting them and welcome them with open arms when they come home.
I have said frequently that there are those who “talk” and those who “do”. The Americans serving in the war on terror are the greatest of the doers.
No American must ever forget their dedication or their sacrifice.
SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com
I respect and thank you for your service, but you're forgetting that those who "do" are those who are waging a war which was unnecessary, started by lies, and has cost lots of American lives and money. Hussein never had WMDs. Yes, it's good that there are people who 'do,' but we must never forget that it's possible for what we 'do' to be unnecessary or misdirected. There's a grave tendancy to want to believe that we who "make the sacrifice" are always right and good. Life is more complex than that. Sometimes "doing" means questioning rather than just patting ourselves on the back for running gung-ho everywhere the Executive branch tells the military to go. Remember, even the terrorists believe they are fighting the "enemy" to defend "their home and freedom."
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