Posted on 10/18/2006 9:55:49 AM PDT by Dick Bachert
The Secret Letter From Iraq A Marine's letter home, with its frank description of life in "Dante's inferno," has been circulating through generals' in-boxes. We publish it here with the author's approval
Written last month, this straightforward account of life in Iraq by a Marine officer was initially sent just to a small group of family and friends. His honest but wry narration and unusually frank dissection of the mission contrasts sharply with the story presented by both sides of the Iraq war debate, the Pentagon spin masters and fierce critics. Perhaps inevitably, the "Letter from Iraq" moved quickly beyond the small group of acquantainaces and hit the inboxes of retired generals, officers in the Pentagon, and staffers on Capitol Hill. TIME's Sally B. Donnelly first received a copy three weeks ago but only this week was able to track down the author and verify the document's authenticity. The author wishes to remain anonymous but has allowed us to publish it here ¡ª with a few judicious omissions.
Go here http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1543658,00.html for complete story
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
I have no issue with a military person bitching...
The fact that Time magazine is the one publishing it is what I have an issue with.
I agree with you. They can bitch all they want...they have earned the right to do so. I say that because I know the American military person will bitch, but they will do their job damned well.
I agree. This is quite possibly a fake letter originally put about by someone from our erstwhile Allies, who claim to be our friends but don't hesitate to cosy up to our enemies when it suits them.
Why would terrorists want us to pull out of Iraq?
Hasn't the coalition presence there been a great recruitment tool for terrorists?
/s
"Normally, Marines go for a six month tour"
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WRONG!!!! Marines do 7 month deployments....
some specialists may stay longer but combat units do 7 months....period.....I have been on the 7 month roller coaster as a Marine Parent since Oct of '94.....
"The author's sentiments ring true."
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Agreed! I don't understand the oposition to this email....
To everyone else:
It is a combat vets view and is very favorable of the job they are doing.....
geeeeezzzzz people....everthing is not a Left Wing conspiracy.....
I thought it was a good letter though. It's letters like these the folks should be reading. If in reading them they get a glimmer of what it's like to be in the service, the letter has done some good. I know for a fact that most people have no clue what it's like to be involved in the military. I'll freely admit that even I, as a military spouse, do not truly understand it all on the level I should, but I know enough to recognize how clueless everyone else is.
well said!
I'd be happy to tell you what I did in the war but you go first.
IIRC, O'Reilly has been fairly ambivalent re: the war and has stated we're losing. That's inconsistent with what other conservatives have stated. It is just as likely that the writer was referring to the 'we're going to lose!' crowd. We don't know without specifics.
Whatever the case, the letter indicates a positive outlook by the author. S/he refers to the great job done by our troops, and, more importantly (IMO), the tenacity of the Iraqis themselves in giving the so-called insurgents a butt-kicking. If the author thought Iraq was lost, the letter would have been more focused on negatives. CNN/Time would have made those the highlight. Frankly, I'm surprised Time printed this letter.
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