Emails from Iraq

[Zaelath]

You realize she is just doing that to get a rise out of you, she's been gone for months refusing to post because of Akaran's retardation in editing her posts. Now that she's posting again she wanted to bait you fools into a flame war. WTG, if you take a few minutes you'd realize she is about as jagged and edgy as a beanie baby. Really, by now I would have figured you all would realize this by now. Sad.

i could say the same thing about cart. when he wants to get a rise out of you guys you call foul. but when kyo does it then it becomes "cute" and you kiss her ass in encouragement.

I really don't see a comparison between:

what a bunch of disingenuous twats on this thread. like any of you give a rat's fucking fart about supporting your troops beyond your banal and completely fucking useless prattling on threads like this. nobody with a brain here gives two shits about your phony patriotism.

if you gave a rip about "supporting the troops" you'd have voted the party that put them in there in the first place, instead of sitting on your lumpy asses while the christian right and the rest of the queer haters in the US usurped another election.

all of your armchair flag waving patriotism is so fucking transparent that it makes me want to vomit.

and

I know you are, but what am I? u r a fag!!!11

That most of his posts could be boiled down to.

I tend to agree that this whole series of posts of emails from a non-com in Iraq is rather disingenous, but given it's not the usual blatant fanboism and trolling we usually get from the same source I guess most of us have let it slide while you give each other rim jobs about how wonderful they are.

It certainly gives a view of the situation that most of the people here will never get otherwise, but it's just as certainly a microcosm that is about as representative of the conflict as M*A*S*H was a documentary about Korea.

[Brotha]

It certainly gives a view of the situation that most of the people here will never get otherwise, but it's just as certainly a microcosm that is about as representative of the conflict as M*A*S*H was a documentary about Korea.

Did anyone claim it was anything but that? No. I don't see a single bit of "flag waving patriotism" in this thread concerning the e-mails, I see people saying "thanks for the emails, they were interesting." It's beyond me how any of you could turn that into something to flame over.

I for one don't think kyoukan was completely trolling. She obviously thinks anyone who supports the troops would be against the war and want them to come home and she is allergic to any sort of patriotism, based on her previous posts (atleast any patriotism in the US, we see plenty of her defending Canada anytime someone slights it in the least).

Regardless, I'm not sure if Cart has ever ruined an otherwise good, flame-free, interesting thread like kyoukan attempted to. Can't say I'm surprised though.

[Zaelath]

And yet, I'm certain he has.. and Winnow too for that matter

As to claiming it was "anything but that":

Thank you for sharing winnow - means a lot to hear from the "real" people over there and not the media.

Very enlightening

I'm not attempting to flame anyone here... I can't help but respect the work the guy writing the emails is doing, regardless of my opinion of the reason he's there. There's definitely an undercurrent of having the "scales fall from your eyes" positive reaction to the war in general v's the filthy liberal media's spin.

[Sylvus]

Regardless, I'm not sure if Cart has ever ruined an otherwise good, flame-free, interesting thread like kyoukan attempted to.

Ha! I realize you don't like Kyoukan, but that's probably the most incorrect statement I've ever heard. Cart has ruined countless threads that weren't about flaming before he entered.

[Gonzoie - Luclin]

Don't read this as a luclin poster and start flaming it for no apparant reason. my brother is in iraq, but currently on his 2 week R&R. he is stationed in Baghdad in one of Sadam's palaces. his sergeant is the one who keeps us all updated with a weekly email to his wife, who forwards it to all of the family members of his shop. when he goes back ill post an email from the sgt.

[miir]

on't read this as a luclin poster and start flaming it for no apparant reason.

This is the current events forum. We flame people for no apparent reason in every thread.

If you don't mind getting flamed and you have opinions, feel free to post as much as you like.

[Nick]

Yeah Winnow don't get me wrong now I hate the troops, I'm all for the carnage and death, but I hate those young troops.

Dimwit.

[*~*stragi*~*]

shutup miir you aren't the ambassador

[Gonzoie - Luclin]

got an email from my brother's commanding officer yesterday.

Subject: Weekly Update from LTC Roth

>>>Date: Sun, 17 Apr 2005 11:31:34 +0000

>>>

>>>Hello everyone!

>>> Well we are half way through the month of April. Today is the

>>>17th and in two weeks, it will be May. I don’t know about you but

>>>it seems like yesterday was the 1st of January. The weather has

>>>been good the past week. We saw a day of rain – or should I say

>>>an hour of rain. But in that hour, it rained pretty hard. It has

>>>also cooled down some. Today we find highs in the mid 80s, which

>>>is comfortable for the soldiers.

>>> Much to catch everyone up on so let me just jump right in.

>>>First to report, the Iraqi delegates continue to meet and work on

>>>forming a new Government. I know most people think this would be

>>>easy to select cabinet positions within the Iraqi Government. But

>>>it is not that simple. While the Shia and Kurdish political

>>>parties were big winners in the January elections, they are

>>>working hard to incorporate the Sunni political leaders as well.

>>>This is a good thing. This shows the willingness of the Iraqi

>>>people to work together to build a safe and peaceful Iraq. As I

>>>type this letter, they are meeting again today and with luck, they

>>>will complete their work over the next several days. I use the

>>>term luck because – well you know politicians, you can’t live with

>>>them and you can’t live without them.

>>>

>>> In regards to the companies, they are doing terrific. For

>>>months, the Battalion has been conducting operations along with

>>>the 302nd Iraqi Army Battalion in a formerly dangerous part of the

>>>city that most of the world knew as “Haifa Street”. Today, I am

>>>happy to report that you can now walk up and down Haifa Street –

>>>day or night – with ease. The work of the 302nd Iraqi Battalion

>>>and the Tusker Battalion has created an environment where both

>>>Iraqi and American can begin to focus on helping repair the

>>>infrastructure and their lives. It was a tough mission and

>>>everyone played an important part. One final mission for the

>>>Battalion before we departed this area of operations, we conducted

>>>something we call a MEDCAP. This is when the Battalion sends out

>>>DOCs and medics to an area to provide medical treatment and basic

>>>medicines to those in need. Needless to say, it was a tremendous

>>>success! We treated almost 400 Iraqi men, woman and children. It

>>>just doesn’t get any better than that. As a result of this

>>>tremendous success, several units have changed missions and are

>>>moving on to new challenges. Well done Tuskers!

>>>

>>> HHC has begun training the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Iraqi Army

>>>Brigade, otherwise known as the Green Zone Brigade. This Brigade

>>>will one day replace 4-64 Armor with security duties in and around

>>>the Green Zone. This is great news. We have begun training the

>>>soldiers that will one day protect the capital and the Government

>>>of Iraq. Soon, we will find ourselves out of a job and that is

>>>fine with us. When will they be ready to take over you are

>>>probably wondering? Not for months to come, that is certain.

>>> B/4-64 has successfully completed their mission conducting

>>>operations side by side the 302nd Iraqi Army as well, and have

>>>moved back with the remainder of the Battalion’s forces to FOB

>>>Prosperity. Their new mission will begin at the end of the month

>>>as the Battalion picks up any large section of the city to secure

>>>and help those who need it most.

>>> Not to forget our beloved Cavalry Troop from the 278th Regiment

>>>out of Tennessee. They are known as F Troop and they have a new

>>>mission as well, patrolling a part of the city just outside the

>>>Green Zone. They have also moved onto FOB Prosperity with the

>>>Battalion and have settled in nicely. They are a great unit with

>>>high morale and standards. I am lucky to have them as part of the

>>>team.

>>> While many things are going well for the Battalion, I shouldn’t

>>>paint a picture that the entire country is safe and secure. There

>>>are terrorists that refuse to understand that they have lost and

>>>continue to attack coalition and Iraqi Government targets. We all

>>>realized just how dangerous this place remains as one of our

>>>soldiers was shot in the abdomen yesterday. It happened at about

>>>1130 hrs in the morning. The great news – the bullet did not hit

>>>any major organs and believe it or not, he will recover in several

>>>weeks and find himself an opportunity to catch the individual who

>>>attempted to kill him. We were all very concerned. Just a week

>>>prior, a shooting had taken place but the bullet was stopped by

>>>the armor vest we wear. This time, the bullet entered the

>>>soldier’s abdomen where the vest did not cover. But the good lord

>>>was with him, and he is doing great. One small story to tell, the

>>>CSM and I went to visit him in the hospital. When the CSM told

>>>the soldier “the Colonel is here to see you”, the young man who

>>>had just come out of surgery and was still drugged from the

>>>anesthia – attempted to sit up and salute me. I couldn’t believe

>>>what I just saw. Here is this young boy, just shot and straight

>>>out of surgery -- doing the lord’s work, and he is trying to

>>>salute me!! Well, a few tears came to my eyes. I returned the

>>>salute, told him to lay back down and rest. We chatted for a few

>>>moments and then we left him to sleep. The soldier is from B

>>>Company, 1-184 Infantry Battalion, and he is my hero! Now he is

>>>going to get some well deserved rest. He will be just fine. God

>>>bless him and keep him and his family in your prayers and

>>>thoughts.

>>> In the near future, other units will find their mission changing

>>>as well. Nothing will remain the same in the year we are here.

>>>As I briefed the Commanders the other day, we can expect constant

>>>change and we will adapt and accomplish the tasks at hand.

>>>

>>> Let me close by commenting on one very important area. Rumors!

>>>These can be the death of any organization civilian or military.

>>>I know I have not met all of you but let me attempt to tell you

>>>one thing about me. Growing up, my father died when I was 4 years

>>>old, thus my mom is the one who take care of me and taught me

>>>right from wrong. She would NEVER raise her voice in anger at us

>>>or truly get angry at us – unless – we lied to her. I did many

>>>stupid things growing up and had my share of punishments that were

>>>well deserved. However, when I lied to her in any way, shape or

>>>form, well you would have thought it was World War III. As you can

>>>imagine, this has stuck with me into adulthood, and this is the

>>>way I operate as the Battalion Commander of your sons and

>>>husbands. If I have something to say, I say it right then and

>>>there. I am an open book and have absolutely NOTHING to hide

>>>about anything that happens to, or within this Battalion. You all

>>>need to know that. Recently there was a rumor that one of our

>>>soldiers shot and killed a 14 year old boy. When I heard of this,

>>>I was very concerned. I contacted the unit in question and

>>>demanded a full explanation. When all was said and down, the

>>>soldier who stated he had shot an Iraqi 14year old boy had lied.

>>>He lied to his wife as well. His wife became upset and since she

>>>had not heard about any of this from the company FRG or the Rear

>>>Detachment, she assumed the Battalion was covering up this

>>>tragedy. What bothers me most, the wife refused to believe her

>>>husband had lied once she was informed. To all family members in

>>>the Battalion, if such a situation had occurred, I hope you know

>>>that I would not only report this immediately to the chain of

>>>command and the Rear Detachment Command, but I would investigate

>>>the incident to determine exactly what happened. The soldier

>>>signed a sworn statement acknowledging his actions and has been

>>>severely reprimanded. As I stated in the pre-deployment

>>>briefings, all official and unofficial information will come

>>>through the CPT Dave Chen, the Rear Detachment Commander. If

>>>something like this had actually happened, once the investigation

>>>was complete, I would ensure everyone was informed.

>>> I have no doubt that some of us will make mistakes here, we are

>>>not perfect. As the Battalion Commander, I will take full

>>>responsibility for those decisions and actions of every soldier in

>>>the Battalion. However, I do not tolerate unethical behavior,

>>>especially in the mission at hand. I know this has been a long

>>>letter this week, but I thought this needed to be said. Remember,

>>>I have nothing to hide. As Ben Franklin stated: “a lie stands on

>>>one leg, while the truth stands on two legs”.

>>>

>>> Until next week, thanks for everything you do.

>>>

>>>v/r

>>>LTC Roth

>>>Tusker 6

>>>

>>

>

[Hoarmurath]

You know, I'm not especially religious, and I don't see anything wrong with a few "God Bless"s and "Thanks the Lord"s, but THIS

doing the lord’s work

just riled me up. Does this guy really think that we are doing the Lord's work in Iraq? (Rhetorical question...of course he thinks that, but it still upsets me that someone would actually believe this.)

Other than that, it was an interesting e-mail, once you manage to get past all of the "I am the commander and I must show how righteous I am and how awesome my unit is" talk.

Oh, and the formatting sucks, you should consider editing that and getting rid of all of the ">>>" and the extra line feeds.

[nobody]

officers suck

[Cartalas]

You know, I'm not especially religious, and I don't see anything wrong with a few "God Bless"s and "Thanks the Lord"s, but THIS

doing the lord’s work

just riled me up. Does this guy really think that we are doing the Lord's work in Iraq? (Rhetorical question...of course he thinks that, but it still upsets me that someone would actually believe this.)

Other than that, it was an interesting e-mail, once you manage to get past all of the "I am the commander and I must show how righteous I am and how awesome my unit is" talk.

Oh, and the formatting sucks, you should consider editing that and getting rid of all of the ">>>" and the extra line feeds.

I agree with you Hoarmurath I hate it when those fun loving Religous terrorist say its all in the name of Allah!!!!

[Nick]

So what is the difference between the two then O mighty intellect of VV?

[Zaelath]

So what is the difference between the two then O mighty intellect of VV?

You gotta remember; Cart doesn't have the capacity to seperate Osama Bin Laden and Apu Nahasapemapetilon, let alone appreciate that one religious fanatic using his imaginary friend to justify his actions is the same as the next.

[Cartalas]

So what is the difference between the two then O mighty intellect of VV?

I dont see any difference they both have a religous belief and are both acting in the way they see fit. The only difference is what you or I see it as.

[Cartalas]

So what is the difference between the two then O mighty intellect of VV?

You gotta remember; Cart doesn't have the capacity to seperate Osama Bin Laden and Apu Nahasapemapetilon, let alone appreciate that one religious fanatic using his imaginary friend to justify his actions is the same as the next.

Yes I do but all is see is one sided posting.

[Nick]

How would you feel if I did mention the "terrorists" more Cart?

Whilst taking into account the majority of the planet who gives any sort of a shit about it's own preservation actively sees the US as the biggest terrorist (and sponser of International Terrorism, see Israel) there is.

Would that make it better?

Not US citizens mind you, most of us think you (like most other "democracy's" on this planet) are just here to facilititate and OK your leaders plans, which largely remain hidden from public view (again see Israel/Palestine).

[Cartalas]

How would you feel if I did mention the "terrorists" more Cart?

Whilst taking into account the majority of the planet who gives any sort of a shit about it's own preservation actively sees the US as the biggest terrorist (and sponser of International Terrorism, see Israel) there is.

Would that make it better?

Not US citizens mind you, most of us think you (like most other "democracy's" on this planet) are just here to facilititate and OK your leaders plans, which largely remain hidden from public view (again see Israel/Palestine).

Well I guess comming from a guy whose country is rich in terrorist tradition, I can see your point. All I was doing is pointing out that it goes both ways.

[miir]

Subject: Weekly Update from LTC Roth
Date: Sun, 17 Apr 2005 11:31:34 +0000


Hello everyone!

Well we are half way through the month of April. Today is the 17th and in two weeks, it will be May. I don’t know about you but it seems like yesterday was the 1st of January. The weather has been good the past week. We saw a day of rain – or should I say an hour of rain. But in that hour, it rained pretty hard. It has also cooled down some. Today we find highs in the mid 80s, which is comfortable for the soldiers.

Much to catch everyone up on so let me just jump right in. First to report, the Iraqi delegates continue to meet and work on forming a new Government. I know most people think this would be easy to select cabinet positions within the Iraqi Government. But it is not that simple. While the Shia and Kurdish political parties were big winners in the January elections, they are working hard to incorporate the Sunni political leaders as well. This is a good thing. This shows the willingness of the Iraqi people to work together to build a safe and peaceful Iraq. As I type this letter, they are meeting again today and with luck, they will complete their work over the next several days. I use the term luck because – well you know politicians, you can’t live with them and you can’t live without them.

In regards to the companies, they are doing terrific. For months, the Battalion has been conducting operations along with the 302nd Iraqi Army Battalion in a formerly dangerous part of the city that most of the world knew as “Haifa Street”. Today, I am happy to report that you can now walk up and down Haifa Street – day or night – with ease. The work of the 302nd Iraqi Battalion and the Tusker Battalion has created an environment where both Iraqi and American can begin to focus on helping repair the infrastructure and their lives. It was a tough mission and everyone played an important part. One final mission for the Battalion before we departed this area of operations, we conducted something we call a MEDCAP. This is when the Battalion sends out DOCs and medics to an area to provide medical treatment and basic medicines to those in need. Needless to say, it was a tremendous success! We treated almost 400 Iraqi men, woman and children. It just doesn’t get any better than that. As a result of this tremendous success, several units have changed missions and are moving on to new challenges. Well done Tuskers!

HHC has begun training the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Iraqi Army Brigade, otherwise known as the Green Zone Brigade. This Brigade will one day replace 4-64 Armor with security duties in and around the Green Zone. This is great news. We have begun training the soldiers that will one day protect the capital and the Government of Iraq. Soon, we will find ourselves out of a job and that is fine with us. When will they be ready to take over you are probably wondering? Not for months to come, that is certain. B/4-64 has successfully completed their mission conducting operations side by side the 302nd Iraqi Army as well, and have moved back with the remainder of the Battalion’s forces to FOB Prosperity. Their new mission will begin at the end of the month as the Battalion picks up any large section of the city to secure and help those who need it most.

Not to forget our beloved Cavalry Troop from the 278th Regiment out of Tennessee. They are known as F Troop and they have a new mission as well, patrolling a part of the city just outside the Green Zone. They have also moved onto FOB Prosperity with the Battalion and have settled in nicely. They are a great unit with high morale and standards. I am lucky to have them as part of the team.

While many things are going well for the Battalion, I shouldn’t paint a picture that the entire country is safe and secure. There are terrorists that refuse to understand that they have lost and continue to attack coalition and Iraqi Government targets. We all realized just how dangerous this place remains as one of our soldiers was shot in the abdomen yesterday. It happened at about 1130 hrs in the morning. The great news – the bullet did not hit any major organs and believe it or not, he will recover in several weeks and find himself an opportunity to catch the individual who attempted to kill him. We were all very concerned. Just a week prior, a shooting had taken place but the bullet was stopped by the armor vest we wear. This time, the bullet entered the soldier’s abdomen where the vest did not cover. But the good lord was with him, and he is doing great. One small story to tell, the CSM and I went to visit him in the hospital. When the CSM told the soldier “the Colonel is here to see you”, the young man who had just come out of surgery and was still drugged from the anesthia – attempted to sit up and salute me. I couldn’t believe what I just saw. Here is this young boy, just shot and straight out of surgery -- doing the lord’s work, and he is trying to salute me!! Well, a few tears came to my eyes. I returned the salute, told him to lay back down and rest. We chatted for a few moments and then we left him to sleep. The soldier is from B Company, 1-184 Infantry Battalion, and he is my hero! Now he is going to get some well deserved rest. He will be just fine. God bless him and keep him and his family in your prayers and thoughts.

In the near future, other units will find their mission changing as well. Nothing will remain the same in the year we are here. As I briefed the Commanders the other day, we can expect constant change and we will adapt and accomplish the tasks at hand.



Let me close by commenting on one very important area. Rumors! These can be the death of any organization civilian or military. I know I have not met all of you but let me attempt to tell you one thing about me. Growing up, my father died when I was 4 years old, thus my mom is the one who take care of me and taught me right from wrong. She would NEVER raise her voice in anger at us or truly get angry at us – unless – we lied to her. I did many stupid things growing up and had my share of punishments that were well deserved. However, when I lied to her in any way, shape or form, well you would have thought it was World War III. As you can imagine, this has stuck with me into adulthood, and this is the way I operate as the Battalion Commander of your sons and husbands. If I have something to say, I say it right then and there. I am an open book and have absolutely NOTHING to hide about anything that happens to, or within this Battalion. You all need to know that. Recently there was a rumor that one of our soldiers shot and killed a 14 year old boy. When I heard of this, I was very concerned. I contacted the unit in question and demanded a full explanation. When all was said and down, the soldier who stated he had shot an Iraqi 14year old boy had lied. He lied to his wife as well. His wife became upset and since she had not heard about any of this from the company FRG or the Rear Detachment, she assumed the Battalion was covering up this tragedy. What bothers me most, the wife refused to believe her husband had lied once she was informed. To all family members in the Battalion, if such a situation had occurred, I hope you know that I would not only report this immediately to the chain of command and the Rear Detachment Command, but I would investigate the incident to determine exactly what happened. The soldier signed a sworn statement acknowledging his actions and has been severely reprimanded. As I stated in the pre-deployment briefings, all official and unofficial information will come through the CPT Dave Chen, the Rear Detachment Commander. If something like this had actually happened, once the investigation was complete, I would ensure everyone was informed. I have no doubt that some of us will make mistakes here, we are not perfect. As the Battalion Commander, I will take full responsibility for those decisions and actions of every soldier in the Battalion. However, I do not tolerate unethical behavior, especially in the mission at hand. I know this has been a long letter this week, but I thought this needed to be said. Remember, I have nothing to hide. As Ben Franklin stated: “a lie stands on one leg, while the truth stands on two legs”.

Until next week, thanks for everything you do.

v/r
LTC Roth
Tusker 6

[Nick]

We both come from countries with rich terrorist traditions, in fact I think every country is "rich in terrorist traditions" as you put it. It being a part of humanity and history and all.

[miir]

Teeny, he probably knows fuck all about american history.

Don't waste your time on him. He's got the mental capacities of a turnip.



*waits eagerly for the usual retarded little cartalas grdeschool comeback calling me a fag/queer/assbandit/pillowbiter/etc.

[Hoarmurath]

So what is the difference between the two then O mighty intellect of VV?

I dont see any difference they both have a religous belief and are both acting in the way they see fit. The only difference is what you or I see it as.

Actually, I do see a difference. A terrorist performs his actions based solely on his religious beliefs. Soldiers don't, they perform their actions at the behest of their government. In America, for better or worse (depending on how you fell about it), we have a seperation of religion and politics. With Islam, however, it is almost impossible to seperate religion form politics. In fact, for the vast majority of Arab Muslims, there is no difference between religion and politics. LTC Roth is not doing the Lord's work, he is doing the U.S. government's work.

[cid]

And Canoe, if you think this is the bost post on VV 'evar!' then you're a moron.
Not to mention your massive inability to see a world (or point of view) outside of a "right wing versus liberal" concept, it's so fucking narrow mindedly ignorant of the situation as to be mind boggling.

If the stupidity that comes out of your mouth has not labeled you an ass by now. This statement has. To try and flame canoe is just idiotic. Any conversation that pertains to Americans, do us all a favor and stay the fuck out of it.

[Lynks]

LoL, I love this, I can just picture it now.

Soldier: I just shot a 14 year old.
*2 big guys in suits walk in and take the soldier away*
*5 minutes pass*
Soldier: I did not shoot a 14 year old.

[Cartalas]

So what is the difference between the two then O mighty intellect of VV?

I dont see any difference they both have a religous belief and are both acting in the way they see fit. The only difference is what you or I see it as.

Actually, I do see a difference. A terrorist performs his actions based solely on his religious beliefs. Soldiers don't, they perform their actions at the behest of their government. In America, for better or worse (depending on how you fell about it), we have a seperation of religion and politics. With Islam, however, it is almost impossible to seperate religion form politics. In fact, for the vast majority of Arab Muslims, there is no difference between religion and politics. LTC Roth is not doing the Lord's work, he is doing the U.S. government's work.

Again Hoarmurath that is your belief It might not be his, He might belive that the United States has Gods blessing!! hell I dont know all im saying is that it goes both ways. Of course everyone but Teeny seems to read more into it including you Miir!!

[Zaelath]

So what is the difference between the two then O mighty intellect of VV?

I dont see any difference they both have a religous belief and are both acting in the way they see fit. The only difference is what you or I see it as.

Actually, I do see a difference. A terrorist performs his actions based solely on his religious beliefs. Soldiers don't, they perform their actions at the behest of their government. In America, for better or worse (depending on how you fell about it), we have a seperation of religion and politics. With Islam, however, it is almost impossible to seperate religion form politics. In fact, for the vast majority of Arab Muslims, there is no difference between religion and politics. LTC Roth is not doing the Lord's work, he is doing the U.S. government's work.

Can't agree with that either, people keep picking at Teeny for the IRA, so lets look at them.

I'll take as an accepted fact that the IRA is regarded by everyone here (that is going to oppose this post) as a terrorist organisation. You all certainly spout off about it enough.

The amusing part of course, is that they were formed to get the British out of Ireland; something most Americans should empathise with. In point of fact, their tactics were not all that dissimilar to people you declare as great American patriots, while draping yourselves in the flag and generally congratulating each other.

There's every reason to believe that the later day IRA has been co-opted to progress other agendas, but that doesn't change their founding ideals nor necessarily mean they would maintain their impetus if they achived their original aims.

There's certainly violent religious problems in Ireland, but I doubt you could call the IRA a religious organisation. I could make a FAR better case that being American is a religion; there's more blind faith involved in the American's self-assured conviction that their way is the only way than any preacher could ever hope to see in the wider community.

[Nick]

Truth hurt Cid?

Dry your eyes, this is NOT the best post on VV, fact, end of story.

[cid]

You want the truth. Here it is:


You are what I call a bandwagon bitch. You can not mentally come up with something original, so you go with the crowd, just like a heard of cattle.
Case in point:

You jump on the Atokal bandwagon
You jump on the Cartalas bandwagon
You jump on the grammar bandwagon
You jump on the punctuation bandwagon
You jump on the fuck America bandwagon

All of this because you can not think for yourself, you need others to show you the way.

So now kyoukan, decides to throw some bait out there. To Canoe, this hit close to home in something he truly belives in. But kyoukan will argue with anyone to get a rise out of them. People take her too serious. Shit she is more American then me. She has an American flag tattooed on her inner thigh and I am her Yankee Doodle Dandy!

Then here again you jump on someone else’s coattails. You decide to try and flame canoe, you do not even have any idea who he is. You have your pom pom's out and ready to suck the next dick in front of you. Go team!!

Do us all a favor. Go get kyoukan's dancing banana out of your archives with a handful of rusty nails and masturbate to death.

[Nick]

Umm...No, nice try on the labelling there fuckwit but sadly, way off base, is this a trend?

Atokal Bandwagon? WTF are you talking about? Sweet fuck all is the answer, ask Atokal himself, I've been one of the few people prepared to actually defend him or even point out that the Atokal hating is somewhat retarded.

Cartalas Bandwagon? Umm..correct me if i'm wrong but it's not a bandwagon to call someone out for being a retard, which he is. Bandwagon isn't the term, at all.

Grammar and punctuation? (I'll ignore your bastardisation of the word "herd" here) The only time I ever had anything to say about that was talking about the pronunciation of the word Veeshan, hardly a bandwagon jump, whatever the fuck relevance that has (apart from in your water filled head).

So far you're batting 0/3 but I applaud the effort, no really, I do, shut up, I do.

The Fuck America bandwagon? WRONG, retard, so fucking wrong it's laughable you even attempt this one you whiny ass right wing redneck cracker spawn bastard.
Your coming up shorter here than the dick you rode in on.

So, essentially, you have done nothing but point out a load of dribbling bollox the likes of which we usually reserve for Cartalas, hell even Midnyte doesn't come up with this fucking waste of bandwidth.

I don't know you, I have never once even spoken to you or even acknowledged your existence but apparantly you have some sort of stiffy for trying to (unsuccesfully) call me out because I dared say one negative thing about Canoe, who I assume is your mate, otherwise I really can't see any other reason (apart from blatant ignorance) as to why you're fruitlessly attempting to put me down.

Penis envy is bad.

How about you fuck off back to the Luclin boards? I hear they gave more of a shit about you than this place ever did.

Peace

[*~*stragi*~*]

fuck you teeny you american hating irish jew mormon
bullocks means bull testicles i heard

[Nick]

haha

Bollox refers to mens balls, bullocks are bulls without balls.

Like eunach bulls.

!

[Lohrno]

You jump on the Atokal bandwagon
You jump on the Cartalas bandwagon
You jump on the grammar bandwagon
You jump on the punctuation bandwagon

These I can definitely forgive and understand. I tried myself mentally to give Atokal and Cartalas a chance. Turns out they are in fact stupid fucktards... Atokal ever so slightly less of a fucktard but still a shitty fucktard. They are both on my ignore and will remain so. They are the ONLY people who inhabit my ignore list.

And as for grammar and punctuation, no one likes too Reed, sentenses lik thta one1 hav tat I sed jst now.

You jump on the fuck America bandwagon

I've never seen him say "I hate America."
In fact I haven't seen many here say that at all, can't even think of one. Sure he has some criticisms of it's administration, but don't we all...

Sorry, I'm not convinced he's a "bandwagon bitch."

[kascia]

Whatever.. I still think that this WAS a nice thread. It's refreshing to hear about lives being saved instead of constantly hearing about deathdeathdeath over there! Thanks winnow.

[Winnow]

Whatever.. I still think that this WAS a nice thread. It's refreshing to hear about lives being saved instead of constantly hearing about deathdeathdeath over there! Thanks winnow.

At least thread from the beginning of the posted emails to the last one is civil until kyoukan decided she needed some attention thrown her way. I suppose this would have been a good candidate for an *FF* tag as it was merely recounting the experiences of someone in Iraq with no political overtones.

[kyoukan]

Whatever.. I still think that this WAS a nice thread. It's refreshing to hear about lives being saved instead of constantly hearing about deathdeathdeath over there! Thanks winnow.

yeah I guess your guilty consciences need a little sugar coating on your reality.

[Boogahz]

Kind of like your need for attention?

[Gemily]

Winnow, are there any more? Keep them coming

[Winnow]

Winnow, are there any more? Keep them coming

Here you go : ) He's leaving soon so the emails are less frequent.

Dear Dad,



Thank you for your last E- mail, and I am trying to let all the people who send us packages know how much it means to have the support from the folks at home. There is nothing worse than the thought of giving all you have, and thinking that nobody cares back home. The gifts are a real boost for morale, and they are borderline necessary because the convoys have been sparse due to military reasons. We are under fire this morning, and I try to catch up on mail and things when I am bunkered down. You should have seen the troops out at the helipad this morning. They were just unloading a chopper again when the rounds started coming in, and they never flinched. It made me proud. Of course, they never have unloaded a chopper that fast in the three months we have been here, but they were brave to stick with it.


I operated on a HUMVEE gunner that was hit with a roadside IED. He did not look to be injured too bad on initial inspection with only a small hole in each cheek of the buttocks, but when I got him back to the operating room. I found the wounds were a through and through blast injury that had taken out his coccyx and the backside of his rectum. Three months ago, I would have missed the injury to the rectum, but after being here at Balad, I have learned to be suspicious and thorough with any trauma. It was the new Aussie surgoen’s first case here, and his eyes were as big as saucers when I started pulling the seat springs and upholstery from this guy’s backside. Welcome to Balad.



Love Brett




Dear Dad,



We are still doing our best to hold up our end over here. We have only been under fire three times this week; two of those were yesterday. We are still having fewer casualties than we had back in January and February, and although this is still a dangerous place, there seems to be a lull in the fighting, and the last mass casualty we had was the Abu Ghraib attack. We are still seeing the victims of IED’s daily, and we lost one American here from an IED blast. We are seeing a lot of blunt trauma from the Iraqi School of High Performance Driving, but the most common penetrating trauma has been from IED’ s and the Iraqi’s shooting themselves in the leg/foot.


The Iraqi’s always seem to roll their vehicles when they crash them. I saw an Iraqi tactical vehicle the other day, and now I understand why. They mount a .50 caliber in the back of a Toyota pick-up with ammunition, and about ten guys in the back. The center of gravity is so high they cannot help but roll the thing when they crash. This place was the center of the civilized world at one time, but since then, their appreciation of physics has gone by the wayside. Our interpreters laugh their tails off every time I question the accident victims and ask them “Were you wearing your seatbelt?” It is a silly question, of course they were not wearing them. It is almost as funny as asking them if they smoke. If they can light a match, they are smokers. Now, I just start by asking them how much they smoke.


I sent Prometheus home the other day- he was the longest residing patient at Balad AFTH. He was is an Iraqi Sergeant who shielded an American with his body and was shot multiple times in the chest and abdomen last December. He had been here for some time when I got here, and he was pretty much dead, but we all took an interest in him and kept at it. We call him Prometheus because his right chest and abdomen were ripped open by the gunfire, and his liver was exposed. We would pack it back inside him everyday, and by morning it was hanging out again. He had one complication after another including breakdowns of mesh, suture lines, common bile duct leaks, and urine leaks. He also had a duodenal injury that would not stop, and he was infected with a bad bacteria called Acinetobacter. He is the only guy to be infected with this bug during the rotation, and we did good to keep it from becoming a hospital wide outbreak. 23 operations later, he walked out of the hospital. We are all taking a great deal of pride in that, especially me because I fixed the duodenal injury and did the last 3 operations that helped bring him back from the Brink. We are also going back to fix a lot of the injuries that have now healed; mainly takedown colostomies, and completion amputations and things of that nature now that we have some time to do it. Of course all it takes is one car bomber, and we are back to a mass casualty operation.


I accidently destroyed government property in the outhouse the other night. I was doing the things one does before bedtime when the mortar rounds started coming in. I was trying to don my body armor in a hurry and my pager got loose, and fell down the hole. I shined the flashlight in to see- just in case- I love my Country, but there was no way I was going in after the pager. They will have to send me a bill.


Love Brett

[Winnow]

Here's a few more. A short article about the person who's emails you've been reading. An uplifting story and a sad one.

Dear Dad,



I wanted to share about last night with you because one of my colleagues performed the most amazing piece of frontline surgery I have ever seen. I will try to skip the blood and guts stuff as much as possible.



About the time the East Coast of America was watching the late news last night, a young Marine was fighting for his life over here in Iraq. He was the victim of an IED attack with multiple life threatening wounds to the chest. Although he had his body armor on at the time of the explosion, the devastating force of the blast penetrated the armor, and fragments entered into the chest cavity. It is all about teamwork over here, and the Navy medics and corpsmen stabilized the Marine at a grungy little Forward Operating Base somewhere to the west. They were able to partially re-inflate the lung on the right side, and they were able to give him enough fluid through the IV’s to keep him going. The big problem was the dust storm last night that temporarily grounded all the choppers. The dust was so thick that the full moon was completely obscured, and they kept the guy alive over several hours until the storm abated enough for the choppers to fly. He arrived here at Balad in the early hours of the morning, and we took him from there.



This was a young Marine with 190 lbs of muscle and no fat. The protective gear had saved him long enough to get him here, but he was peppered by nearly 40 holes throughout the chest and face, and arms and legs. The chest X-ray revealed several large pieces of metal in his chest from the blast, and I ordered a CT scan to evaluate where the fragments were with respect to vital organs. The most immediate threat to this Marine appeared to be a large piece of metal the was lodged next to the right border of the heart, and the CT also showed blood starting to gather in the pericardium which is the tough fiber sac that covers the heart. If too much blood collects in the pericardium, the heart cannot beat properly, and this condition is called tamponade, and it is fatal over a matter of minutes to hours. This young Marine was in need of surgery very soon. It was time to call Dave.



Here at Balad we do not need a Bat Light to call in a hero for salvation- we have LTC Dave _ , and he answers to a pager. Dave is one of my favorite Americans, and he is quite possibly the best trauma surgeon in the world. I have seen a lot of them, and the good ones do not need to tell you how good they are because everyone knows it. Dave is like that. He has studied trauma and surgical critical care, and he is a force multiplier. Dave has saved more people out here than you can shake a stick at since I arrived in January, and he has been the head of the trauma service, also. He has organized the surgeons and teams into well oiled machines, and he is blessed with a great situational awareness when it comes to surgical disease. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that he has directly and indirectly saved hundreds of lives over here through his organizational skill and surgical technique. If there is a tough case going on, Dave is always there- teaching others how to do it or doing it himself. Despite the fact that it was now 0430, Dave was there instantaneously, and I gave him the facts. Dave and I discussed the plan of battle as the Marine was wheeled into the OR. Dave is a man of few words, and as we were scrubbing our hands, he said “This could be ultimate badness. Work fast.” This was a dissertation for Dave, and it confirmed that the case had his attention, also. The patient was prepped, and we started the operation by making an incision on the right side of the chest over where the fragment was located. Several minutes later, my worst fear for this young man was confirmed. The fragment had penetrated the right lung through and through and was lodged in the right side of the heart. Dave and I worked fast to gain maximum exposure of the wounded heart, and we surveyed the heart from all angles. The fragment was held in place by the pericardium, and was so tightly lodged that the blood could only leak through at a slow rate, but there was enough blood for tamponade to occur soon if nothing was done. Dave went into teaching mode and asked me what I thought. I told him the fragment had to come out, he said “ Right- here is how we do it.”



Imagine repairing the valves on your car’s engine with pistons firing, and you have a good idea of what we were trying to accomplish. In 30 seconds flat, Dave had the pericardium opened and secured out of the way. He evacuated the blood clot and located the precise entry point of the fragment into the right upper chamber of the heart. He put a purse string suture around the entry point just as the pressure built in enough to dislodge the fragment. The fragment was about the size of a .410 shotgun shell, and I snugged down the suture. Dave evacuated the clot once again, and we had partial control of the heart injury. Dave’s next move was brilliant. Realizing the heart muscle was damaged and fragile, instead of trying to put a single large clamp over the defect, Dave took several smaller Allis clamps in an almost zipper like fashion and sewed the neatest horizontal mattress suture in perfect time with the beating heart. The crisis was over. We cleaned up the rest of the wounds and repaired the lungs over the next several hours, and we gave this young American hero a real fighting chance for recovery



It was a beautiful piece of teamwork all the way from the FOB, to the chopper crews, ER, OR, and anesthesia crews. Everyone was good, and everyone did their job well under extremely adverse conditions, and all of us were lucky to have Dave on our team this morning.



I hope there is not too much graphic detail in this story, but that is the way it was.


Love,



Brett

We had already done around a dozen surgical cases in the morning and the early afternoon. The entire medical staff had a professional meeting to discuss the business of the hospital and the care and treatment of burns. It is not boastful or arrogant when I tell you that some of the best surgeons in the world were present- I have been to many Institutions, and I have been all around the world, and at this point in time, with this level of experience, the best in the world are assembled here at Balad. LTC Dave S., the Trauma Czar, and a real American hero is present. He has saved more people out here than anyone can imagine. The cast of characters includes two Air Force Academy graduates, Col (s) Joe W. and Maj Max L. When you watch ER on television, the guys on the show are trying to be like Max- cool, methodical, and professional. Max never misses anything on a trauma case because he sees everything on a patient and notes it the same way the great NFL running backs see the entire playing field when they are carrying the ball. Joe is an ENT surgeon who is tenacious, bright, and technically correct every single time- I mean every single time. The guy has a lower tolerance for variance than NASA. LTC (s) Chris C. was the Surgeon of the Day (SOD), and I was the back-up SOD. Everyone else was there and available- as I said the best in the world. As the meeting was breaking up, the call came in.



An American soldier had been injured in an IED blast north of here, and he was in a bad way with head trauma. The specifics were fuzzy, but after three months here, what would need to be done was perfectly clear- the 332 Expeditionary Medical Group readied for battle. All the surgeons started to gravitate toward the PLX which is the surgeon’s ready room and centrally located midway to the ER, OR, and radiology. The lab personnel checked precious units of blood, and the pharmacy made ready all the medications and drugs we would need for the upcoming fight. An operating room was cleared, and surgical instruments were laid out, the anesthesia circuits were switched over, and the gasses were checked and rechecked. An anesthesiologist and two nurse anesthetists went over the plan of action as the OR supervisor made the personnel assignments. In the ER, bags of IV fluids were carefully hung, battery packs were checked, and the ER nursing supervisor looked over the equipment to make sure all was in working order and the back-ups were ready just in case the primaries failed. The radiology techs moved forward in their lead gowns bringing their portable machines like artillery men of old wheeling their cannon into place. Respiratory therapy set the mechanical ventilator, and double checked the oxygen. Gowns, gloves, boots, and masks were donned by those who would be directly in the battle. All of the resources- medical, mechanical, and technological that America can bring to the war were in place and ready along with the best skill and talent from techs to surgeons. The two neurosurgeons gathered by themselves to plan.



LTC A. is a neurosurgeon who still wears his pilot wings proudly. He used to be a T-38 instructor pilot, and some of the guys he trained to fly are now flying F-16’s right here at Balad. He is good with his hands and calm under pressure. The other neurosurgeon is Maj W. a gem of a surgeon who could play the guitar professionally if he was not dedicated to saving lives. A long time ago, at a place on the other side of the world called Oklahoma, I operated on his little brother after a car accident and helped to save his life. The two neurosurgeons, Chris, and I joined for the briefing. Although, I was the ranking officer of the group, Chris was the SOD and would be the flight lead. If this was a fighter sweep, all three of those guys would be Weapons School Patch wearers. The plan was for me and the ER folks to assess, treat, and stabilize the patient as rapidly as possible to get the guy into the hands of the neurosurgeons. The intel was that this was an IED blast, and those rarely come with a single, isolated injury. It makes no sense to save the guy’s brain if you have not saved the heart pump that brings the oxygenated blood to the brain. With this kind of trauma, you must be deliberate and methodical, and you must be deliberate and methodical in a pretty damn big hurry. All was ready, and we did not have to wait very long. The approaching rotors of a Blackhawk were heard, and Chris and I moved forward to the ER followed by several sets of surgeon’s eyes as we went. We have also learned not to clog up the ER with surgeons giving orders. One guy runs the code, and the rest follow his instructions or stay out the way until they are needed.



They wheeled the soldier into the ER on a NATO gurney shortly after the chopper touched down. One look at the PJ’s faces told me that the situation was grim. Their young faces were drawn and tight, and they moved with a sense of directed urgency. They did not even need to speak because the look in their eyes was pleading with us- hurry. And hurry we did. In a flurry of activity that would seem like chaos to the uninitiated, many things happened simultaneously. Max and I received the patient as Chris watched over the shoulder to pick out anything that might be missed. An initial survey indicated a young soldier with a wound to the head, and several other obvious lacerations on the extremities. Max called out the injuries as they were found, and one of the techs wrote them down. The C-collar was checked, the chest was auscultated as the ET tube was switched to the ventilator. Chris took the history from the PJ’s because the patient was not conscious. All the wounds were examined and the dressings were removed except for the one on the head. The patient was rolled on to his side while his neck was stabilized by my hands, and Max examined the backside from the toes to the head. When we rolled the patient back over, it was onto an X-ray plate that would allow us to take the chest X-Ray immediately. The first set of vitals revealed a low blood pressure; fluid would need to be given, and it appeared as though the peripheral vascular system was on the verge of collapse. I called the move as experienced hands rolled him again for the final survey of the back and flanks and the X-Ray plate was removed and sent for development. As we positioned him for the next part of the trauma examination, I noted that the hands that were laid on this young man were Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, Australian, Army, Air Force, Marine, Man, Woman, Young, and Older. A true cross section of our effort here in Iraq, but there was not much time to reflect. The patient needed fluid resuscitation fast, and there were other things yet to be done. Chris watched the initial survey and the secondary survey with a situational awareness that comes from competence and experience. Chris is never flustered, never out of ideas, and his pulse is never above fifty. With a steady, calm, and re-assuring voice, he directed the next steps to be taken. I moved down to the chest to start a central line, Max began an ultrasonic evaluation of the abdomen and pelvis. The X-rays and ultrasound examination were reviewed as I sewed the line in place, and it was clear to Chris that the young soldier’s head was the only apparent life threatening injury. The two neurosurgeons came forward, and removed the gauze covering the soldier’s wounded head, and everyone’s heart sank as we saw the blossom of red blood spreading out from shredded white and grey matter of the brain. Experience, told all the surgeons present, that there was no way to survive the injury, and this was one battle the Medical group was going to lose. But he was American, and it was not time to quit, yet. Gentle pressure was applied over the wound, and the patient went directly to the CT scanner as drugs and fluids were pumped into the line to keep his heart and lungs functioning in a fading hope to restore the brain. The time elapsed from his arrival in the ER to the time he was in the CT scanner was 5 minutes.



The CT scan confirmed what we had feared. The wounds to the brain were horrific and mortal, and there was no way on earth to replace the volume of tissue that had been blasted away by the explosion. The neurosurgeons looked at the scan, they looked at the scan a second time, and then they re-examined the patient to confirm once again. The OR crew waited anxiously outside the doors of radiology in the hope they would be utilized, but Chris, LTC’s A. and S., and Maj W. all agreed. There was no brain activity whatsoever. The chaplain came to pray, and reluctantly, the vent was turned from full mechanical ventilation to flow –by. He had no hint of respiratory activity, his heart that had beat so strong early in the day ceased to beat forever, and he was pronounced dead. The pumps were turned off; the machines were stopped, and the IV’s were discontinued. Respectful quiet remained, and it was time to get ready for the next round of casualties. The techs and nurses gently moved the body over to the back of the ER to await mortuary services. And everyone agreed there was nothing more we could have done.



When it was quiet, there was time to really look at the young soldier and see him as he was. Young, probably in his late teens, with not an ounce of fat anywhere. His muscles were powerful and well defined, and in death, his face was pleasant, and calm. I am always surprised that anyone still has tears to shed here at Balad, but thank God they still do. The nurses and techs continued to care for him and do what they could. Not all the tubes and catheters can be removed because there is always a forensic investigation to be done at Dover AFB, but the nurses took out the lines they could. Fresh bandages were placed over the wounds, and the blood clots were washed from his hair as his wound was covered once more. His hands and feet were washed with care. A broken toenail was trimmed, and he was silently placed in the body bag when mortuary services arrived as gently as if they were tucking him into bed. Later that night was Patriot Detail- our last goodbye for an American hero. All the volunteers gathered at Base Ops after midnight under a three -quarter moon that was partially hidden by high, thin clouds. There was only silence as the Chief Master Sergeant gave the Detail its instructions. Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines, Colonels, Privates, and Sergeants, pilots, gunners, mechanics, surgeons, and clerks all marched out side by side to the back of the waiting transport, and presently, the flag draped coffin was carried through the cordon as military salutes were rendered. The Detail marched back from the flightline, and slowly the doors of the big transport were secured. The chaplain offered prayers for anyone who wanted to participate, and then the group broke up as the people started to move away into the darkness. The big engines on the transport fired up, and the ground rumbled for miles as they took the runway. His duty was done- he had given the last full measure, and he was on his way home.