The 'secret letter home from Iraq' from a marine

[Xenocrates]

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1543658-1,00.html

This links in with the 'killed out of frustration' thread and gives a great insight into what Iraq's like. And this guy writes well and seems intelligent; how did he pass through the marines recruitment procedure?

It's all wonderful stuff, but the 'Best Chuck Norris moment' is amazing. When they asked an Iraqi if he'd seen any foreign fighter and he replied 'yes you' does seem to sum things up very well.

Iraq is like checking your gas meter, once you squeeze into the space under the stairs, you might never get out.

 

[pboily]

At the end of the day, let those who are fighting tell us what it is like. I'm tired of desk jockeys, paper pushers, bloggers and generals telling me what I should think about this endeavour. Let the men and women speak of courage and locals, let them tell us about bad apples and heroes.

That such an inconspicuous letter can feel so refreshing says an awful lot about the bullcrap we read/watch/browse on a daily basis.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

i really liked that, good find.

the bank heist was the best one though, lol.

that and when he slammed the media and bill o'reilly

 

[Jawz II]

from the article:

"Most Surreal Moment — Watching Marines arrive at my detention facility and unload a truck load of flex-cuffed midgets. 26 to be exact. We had put the word out earlier in the day to the Marines in Fallujah that we were looking for Bad Guy X, who was described as a midget. Little did I know that Fallujah was home to a small community of midgets, who banded together for support since they were considered as social outcasts. The Marines were anxious to get back to the midget colony to bring in the rest of the midget suspects, but I called off the search, figuring Bad Guy X was long gone on his short legs after seeing his companions rounded up by the giant infidels."




surreal indeed

 

[JerichoHill]

Awesome letter, that chuck norris moment was indeed wonderful.

see, thats the kind of reporting that I like to read. actually real, no angles, no slants

 

[emzie]

Wow that was a really good read. Thanks!

Bravest Guy in al-Anbar Province — Any Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician (EOD Tech). How'd you like a job that required you to defuse bombs in a hole in the middle of the road that very likely are booby-trapped or connected by wire to a bad guy who's just waiting for you to get close to the bomb before he clicks the detonator? Every day. Sanitation workers in New York City get paid more than these guys. Talk about courage and commitment.

That's sad

 

[tomsnowman123]

It's great to get actual testimony unfiltered by media influences. It helps paint a real picture of what it's like.

 

[puglover]

Really puts both sides of the debate into perspective doesn't it? Here's to the brave Coalition forces in Iraq.

 

[Red Stranger]

Their thoughts are consistently both grossly simplistic and politically slanted

That's what's wrong with the media these days. They haven't been to Iraq, and yet they're all claiming to be experts.

Proudest Moment — It's a tie every day, watching our Marines produce phenomenal intelligence products that go pretty far in teasing apart Bad Guy operations in al-Anbar. Every night Marines and Soldiers are kicking in doors and grabbing Bad Guys based on intelligence developed by our guys. We rarely lose a Marine during these raids, they are so well-informed of the objective. A bunch of kids right out of high school shouldn't be able to work so well, but they do.

Makes me proud of our troops.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

That's what's wrong with the media these days. They haven't been to Iraq, and yet they're all claiming to be experts.


Makes me proud of our troops.

i think i actually agree with you, some of the media makes it out to be a hell hole while others make it out to be a walk in the park...

and yeah, we do have pretty well trained troops, now if only we had sent enough so they could already be out of there.

 

[emzie]

That's what's wrong with the media these days. They haven't been to Iraq, and yet they're all claiming to be experts.

You know that slanting goes both ways, right?

 

[Admiral Kutzov]

good read. no bias.

 

[Elrohir]

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1543658-1,00.html

This links in with the 'killed out of frustration' thread and gives a great insight into what Iraq's like. And this guy writes well and seems intelligent; how did he pass through the marines recruitment procedure?

Stop trolling. The Marines are, by and large, a very professional group of soldiers, and are actually rather intelligent. Very gung ho, certainly, but in no way deficient when it comes to brains. If you don't know enough about them to know that, then maybe you shouldn't post on the subject.

As far as the letter was concerned, I was prepared for a partisan hack job of a letter, but it was actually rather non-partisan, and rather amusing at points. (Oprah?!) Very interesting read.

 

[Phlegmak]

That's what's wrong with the media these days. They haven't been to Iraq, and yet they're all claiming to be experts.

Some "experts" believe Iraq is a lot like Los Angeles.

 

[Red Stranger]

Some "experts" believe Iraq is a lot like Los Angeles.

So do I...

 

[JollyRoger]

That's what's wrong with the media these days. They haven't been to Iraq, and yet they're all claiming to be experts.

Yep. I remember that right-wing radio group complaining that the media wasn't doing their job in Iraq by reproting the full story. They came back from their "fact finding" tour with pictures from - you guessed it - pictures taken from the balcony of a building in the Green Zone.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

So do I...

haha, more than planes fly over your head...

so what "experts" think what you think?

 

[Cheetah]

So do I...

You're unbelievable!

 

[puglover]

good read. no bias.

I wouldn't go that far. Just seeing an event doesn't erase your bias.

 

[JonnyB]

Favorite Iraqi TV Show — Oprah. I have no idea. They all have satellite TV.

Perhaps Oprah is the key to peace, we should get her to do a series of shows for the Iraqis about peace and democracy.

Seriously though, it couldn't hurt.