Email from Iraq

[Gonzoie - Luclin]

this has nothing to do with politics, but one of my brothers troop buddies sent out an email to all the shops family members.

my brother is SPC Vernon.

Just so you know, i may not support the war.. but i am God Damned proud of my brother, cousins, and the rest of the soldiers over there fighting for what they believe in.


i am sorry for the poor format atm, i will clean it up when i get home from work tonight for an easier read.


> 08 AUG 05
> Family and friends,
> My name is Vince Heeney. I am the S2 for TF 4-64 AR, 4th BDE, 3rd ID.
> Your loved one works with me in the S2 shop. Now that we are more than
> halfway through our yearlong deployment, I wanted to send you a note.
> We have all been working very hard over here, and we miss our families
> and friends very much. We have done a lot of good over here. The S2 shop
> has performed at an extremely high level in a demanding environment. Being
> in the S2 shop means that we are responsible for the intelligence that
> supports the 1,100 soldiers in TF 4-64 AR. We are responsibility for a
> large area in central Baghdad. We are responsible for the security of the
> International Zone (you may hear it referred to as the Green Zone in the
> news). We have been undermanned and overworked, but have helped a lot. I
> continuously receive praise for the performance of this shop. The great
> work that this shop has done is not because of me, but because of the
> teamwork and consistent pursuit of excellence of every member of the shop.
> SPC Vernon (Brett) has done a tremendous job. All of the leaders in the
> Task Force know that he is the man to see for a map. His work on computers
> and graphics is unparalled. SPC Vernon did not rest on his laurels,
> though. He consistently strives to learn more and has integrated himself
> into tracking the battle and providing insight into the enemy situation in
> our area of Baghdad. SPC Vernon went on leave in April and had a great
> time visiting family and friends in the greater Philadelphia area. He
> spends the free time that he has here enjoying video games.
> SGT Stritzinger (Darren) has been the Night Shift NCOIC
> (Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge). He produces the morning INTSUM
> (Intelligence Summary). Every time that any unit in 4-64 leaves our area
> to travel to any other place in Iraq, SGT Stritzinger prepares an
> intelligence brief for the routes in that area. His briefs combined have
> covered over half of Iraq. They are an invaluable tool. He spends his
> free time reading and is looking forward to seeing his wife, Kathy, and
> son, Christopher, on leave in October.
> SGT Simmons (Nathan) has moved around the clock and changed shifts
> many times. He plugs holes whenever necessary. He is primarily responsible
> for the pattern analysis that we conduct. He monitors enemy activity and
> from that we predict what the enemy will do in the future. He went on
> leave in June and had a great time with friends in Georgia and Florida and
> family in Utah.
> SSG Thomas (Terry) is the senior enlisted man in the shop. He has
> handled a myriad of tasks. In addition to being a shift supervisor, he
> manages all the shop personnel issues and all interpreter issues. We have
> 193 interpreters that work for 4-64. Managing this is no small task, and
> he has handled the job flawlessly. He is responsible for the evening
> INTSUM. He went on leave in May and talks about his wife, Stephanie, and
> two boys, Terry and Evan, constantly. He spends his free time in the gym.
> 1LT Sopuch (Kevin) is a shift leader in the mornings and at all times
> a fantastic assistant. He has built relationships with a number of
> agencies within the International Zone. He exchanges information with the
> FBI, CIA, DIA, and Navy Seals among others on a regular basis. This
> information sharing has led to the detention of a number of insurgents.
> 1LT Sopuch will be taking leave in September. He is looking forward to
> seeing his wife, Valerie.
> I have been going to a lot of meetings and briefing the things that
> these guys produce. They have done a tremendous job. I am going on leave
> this week. I am really looking forward to seeing Laura, my wife. We will
> be celebrating our honeymoon while I am on leave. She is a constant source
> of love, support and energy for me during this deployment.
> Two other members of the team are our interpreters. George Bush
> (Omar) works during the day and Carmen Electra (Haifa) works at night.
> Both help us understand the Iraqi language and culture. We are glad to
> have them. I think that since SSG Thomas was in charge of interpreters for
> the entire Task Force, he kept two of the best for us.
> I am very lucky to have this support team here in Iraq. The
> intelligence that this shop provides has led to TF 4-64 detaining 31
> insurgents. These men are off the streets thanks to the work of the
> soldiers in this shop and the soldiers in each of the companies in the
> Task Force. You should all be as proud of each of the men in this shop as
> I am. There are not enough words to describe how well they have done and
> what a difference that they have made here in Iraq.
> Each of the members in the shop has given part of their free time to
> help collect toys for children in the area. We have responded to VBIEDs
> (car bombs)., conducted patrols with each company in the Task Force,
> participated in raids, debriefed hundreds of patrols, gone out and talked
> to people, good and bad, to figure out what is happening in the area. They
> have done a lot over the more than 6 months in this draining environment.
> They constantly work hard, long hours and produce intelligence to better
> our efforts over here. I wanted to fill you in on what your husbands,
> fathers, sons, boyfriends, brothers, uncles, cousins and friends are doing
> over here.
> I pray for each of them and each of you every day. I know hard it is
> to be away from family and friends and be over here. I know that it is
> hard to be at home missing the guys over here as well. Know that you
> should be proud of their fine work, and that we all truly miss our loved
> ones while we are here. If you need anything or have any questions, you
> can email me at vincent.heeney@us.army.mil, email my wife, Laura at:
> laura.heeney@us.army.mil, or write me at: CPT Vincent Heeney
> S-2
> TF 4-64 AR
> APO, AE 09348
>
> Thank you very much. Sincerely,
> Vince
>
> VINCENT W. HEENEY
> CPT, MI
> S2, TF 4-64 AR, 4th BDE, 3rd ID
> Baghdad, Iraq