The TRUTH about IRAQ - from an Iowa National Guardsman and eyewitness.

As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay in Iraq, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not believe the media. They have done a very poor job of covering everything that has happened. I am sorry that I have not been able to visit all of you during my two week leave back home. And just so you can rest at night knowing something is happening in Iraq that is noteworthy, I thought I would pass this on to you.

This is the list of things that have happened in Iraq recently: (Please share it with your friends and compare it to the version that your paper is producing):

Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in Iraq.

Over 1500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons that were stored there so education can occur.

The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be off loaded from ships faster.

100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed compared to 35% before the war.

Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US soldiers.

Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to prevent the spread of germs.

Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the first time in 30 years.

Don't believe for one second that these people do not want us there. I have met many, many people from Iraq that want us there and in a bad way.

They say they will never see the freedoms we talk about but they hope their children will. We are doing a good job in Iraq and I challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me on these facts. So If you happen to run into John Kerry, be sure to give him my email address and send him to Denison, Iowa. This soldier will set him straight. If you are like me and very disgusted with how this period of rebuilding has been portrayed, email this to a friend and let them know there are good things happening.

Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for
the first time ever in Iraq.

>>Not quite true, maybe first time since the First
Gulf War, when we blew up their water purification
systems as a strategic target. (Hey, we had the right
to do so; we were at war).

Over 400,000 kids have up to date immunizations.

>>Probably true.

Over 1500 schools have been renovated and ridded of
the weapons that were stored there, so education can
occur.

>>>True. We had to do the same thing in Bosnia. No
surprise. Schools aren't supposed to be targeted by
the military under international law; Saddam knew
this, which is why he used them as ammo dumps.

The port of [Umm Qsir]was renovated so grain can be
off loaded from ships faster.

>>>True. Of course, oil can be uploaded faster too,
now, which is a good thing with $2 a gallon gas.

-School attendance is up 80% from levels before the
war.

>>> Well, yes, but that was because of the people who
fled the cities and went to their villages to wait it
out.

-The country had it's first 2 billion barrel export of
oil in August. The country now receives 2 times the
electrical power it did before the war-100% of the
hospitals are open and fully staffed compared to 35%
before the war.

>>>Prob. true.

Elections are taking place in every major city and
city councils are in place. >>>

>>>True.

Sewer and water lines are installed in every major
city.

>>> They were before the war. Iraq had a high degree
of internal infrastructure. It ain't Afghanistan. (Of
course they did--this is why they were strong enough
to try conquering all their neighbors.)

Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets. Over
100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are
securing the country.Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are
patrolling the streets side by side wih US soldiers.

>>> Prob true.

Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time
ever.

>>>They've (the phone boys) have gotten the art of
fast installation of cell phone systems down pat.

Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing
techniques to prevent the spread of germs.

>>>I should hope so. Iraq has a highly educated urban
population the largest in the Arab world after Egypt.

An interim constitution has been signed.

>>>Which is worthless without American guns, but never mind.

Girls are allowed to attend school for the first time ever in Iraq.

>>>Not true. Iraq is a relatively liberal society for an Islamic country. And even in Afghanistan girls went to school, just not under the Taliban (since 1992 ish or so).

Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools
for the first time in 30 years.

>>>True.

Don't believe for one second that these people do not
want us there. I have met many many people from Iraq
that want us there and in a bad way.

>>>Mostly true. 95% true. It's the 5% who are the
problem. And a lot of THEM are heavily armed and think Allah will give them an eternity of whores for killing an American teenager.

From Snopes...
"I did write it and I am in Kuwait now on my way home. I wrote it while at home because I felt that too many people were exploiting the violence in Iraq to sell papers and gain votes. Sometimes the silent majority need to be awakened to respond to the bad things in our world. I am passionate about our President's decision and support this rebuilding whole heartedly...Yes legit..I am a fire fighter in Denison, Iowa and to verify, call Mike McKinnon of the Denison Iowa fire department."

How in the world did you get that this was false? Snopes does not say that. They quote the Orwelliantimes.com website to dispute the facts but as you can see by another poster, almost all of this is correct.
Just because it's on the Urban Legend website doesn't mean it's a UL.

Thanks, netmilsmom. It's a full-time job debunking stories these days, especially when people keep believing the unfriendly (verifiably dishonest) mainstream press, and doubting our verifiably courageous troops.

If the above numbers in the new letter aren't accurate, simply plug in some of the many of hundreds available, numeric, measurable, verifiable victories listed by the CPA, CENTCOM and DoD on the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the war:

8 The New IRAQ: A Year of Progress ~ Best tribute from the DoD. ~ Defend America | 3/19/04

8 SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS FROM OIF: THE FIRST YEAR ~ CENTCOM
8 Iraq: One Year After The Beginning of The War ~ A special Presentation ~ CPA

Mine, based on the 6-month anniversary of Baghdad Liberation Day, CPA briefing, Oct. 19, 2003:

....8 "Since President Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1..." , as an e-mail from the troops: here, and picked up by Frontpagemag.com here on 12/3, then another e-mail here, and here, here, here, and the good Chief Wiggles, and Newsmax, and FR 2/2, and Federalist Digest, 2/7.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the record, the free world should have been told about these accomplishments by our free press no later than Oct. 10, 2003. The CPA briefings are primary source info for the press.

Oh, and plug any of the newer figures into the "Since Pres. Bush..." thread, and the facts still stand, as stubborn facts will.

(http)://www.freerepublic.com/~ragtimecowgirl/

Yes, this is a bunch of baloney.

See this website:
http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/rayreynolds.html

I checked up on this information with a few sources:

DoE on Iraqi oil production,
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/ipsr/t11a.xls
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/iraq.html

CPA on local elections:
http://www.cpa-iraq.org/government/TAL.html
http://www.cpa-iraq.org/democracy/shadid.html

More on local elections:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1185792,00.html

None of these reports mention elections in major cities. There's no way that there has been elections in Baghdad since a big section of the city is in revolt. Same for several southern cities. We can't hold local elections for the same reasons that we can't hold national elections.

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