Good News Story

A lot of people put a lot of effort into supporting us over here and believe me it's very welcome! Unfortunately, most of what is heard back in the States, and around the world for that matter, is how many people were killed in the latest air strike or car bomb "somewhere in the vicinity of Baghdad." I'd like to take this opportunity to relay what I've observed so far actually being on the ground.
Since I've been here (2 months now) I've been witness to the inner workings and motivations behind some of the more senior military commanders and after applying much critical though the only conclusion I can draw is that the US is extremely focused on turning over control of Iraq to the Iraqis. In every strategic briefing I've ever been to that addresses the future of the country, the recurring theme is that we and our planners are taking a backseat to their Iraqi counterparts. It's the difference between offering support and expertise to assist in the creation of Iraqi plans and creating them on our own and having the Iraqis execute.
The men in this picture are holding up their index fingers in a show of defiance against the insurgents, offering proof of their commitment to the future of representative government in Iraq. Wether or not it's right for us to be here is irrelevant now, we're here and we need to make sure that the men in this picture and the millions of other Iraqis like them are able to take control of their future and blaze their trail into history. My assessment of the situation as it currently stands is that the Iraqis have one leg underneath them on solid ground and are working to get the other to the same situation. Many brave Iraqis are working hard to make sure that this fledgling democracy succeeds, and until these curageous men and women achieve their goals, the US needs to make sure that they aren't undercut by the anti-Iraqi forces.
The fact that great good that we're doing here is overlooked by the media has little effect on the morale and commitment of our Soldiers. We all see conditions improving. Statistics prove that the insurgents are conducting fewer and fewer attacks and that more and more terrorists are being turned in to Iraqi forces by Iraqi civillians. The Iraqis are winning, and because of that we are winning. It will still take time, but it will work.