I've begun a new project here at Patriotically Incorrect. My cousin (we'll call him John) is an Army Reservist and I would like to support him by serializing his story, mostly in his own words. If you missed the beginning of this story, you can link to it here. Thanks for reading.
Despite our fears that his tour of duty would be extended, it looks like John is returning to the U. S. as scheduled. I'm forwarding the good news from him.
From: John
Date: April 2004
To: Family
Subject: Hello from Kuwait!!!
Dear friends and family,
Hello from Kuwait! We flew out of Baghdad yesterday courtesy of Royal
Australian Air Force. No Foster's on board, but God bless 'em anyway. Now I am
eating good, sleeping in a real bed and working on my tan here in Kuwait
before I head back to the States. The final convoy from Abu Ghraib to Baghdad
Airport looked like a scene out of Apocalype Now, smoldering US fuel trucks,
torn up highway, not a soul in the street. I was as nervous as I've ever been
in the past year, but we made it safe and sound. Whew!
First and foremost, I want to thank all of you who supported me through this
extrememly difficult endeavor. Mostly my mother and step-father, who supported
me mentally, spiritually and even physically -- when the Army didn't issue me
body armor, they went out and bought me a $660 bulletproof vest!
My morale has been high and my morale has been low. There were whole weeks
that went by when I couldn't even force a smile. Then I'd get a care package,
or a nice letter or email, and I'd perk right up. High morale is a big factor
in alertness, and alertness is a big factor in getting home in one piece. Your
love and support really got me through this thing. Thank you!!!
Here's a brief synopsis of my tour in Iraq. First, we brought law and order to
a city of one million people, [...], and trained and supervised it's
entire police force. We raided buildings, served warrants, and like true
police officers, visited the many pastry shops of [...]. Next, at Abu Ghraib, my squad of eight soldiers provided convoy security for more than two
thousand miles of convoys all over Iraq. Your's truly was the machine gunner
in the Humvee turret. The company, 150 soldiers strong, provided more than
100,000 miles of convoy security. I completed tasks as menial as burning human
feces in 120 degree summer heat, and tasks as important as commanding a convoy
of 60 soldiers, including seven self-important colonels, into downtown Baghdad
(that was fun). Then we ran the Abu Ghraib prison. I supervised cell block
[...(not cell block 1)], with a staff of [a handful of] under-motivated Iraqi police (mostly criminals
themselves, to tell the truth), and [a few hundred] prisoners. The prisoners respected me,
and some actually cried when I left, because I respected them (novel concept,
George Bush might try it sometime). But I kicked ass and took names when
necessary. Abu Ghraib was a favorite target for insurgents, who attacked with
mortars at least 50 times during our stay, even hitting the building I was
staying in last week (everyone was OK).
I lost 20 pounds in the hot hot summer, gained 30 pounds in the winter, and
lost 20 more in preparation for my return home. I lost one girl, and thanks to
the Internet, found another (perhaps;-)). While my adrenal gland will need time
to recover after a year of unparalleled excitement and danger, I also dealt
with levels of monotony I couldn't even have imagined before -- 12-hour guard
tower shifts, midnight to 4am at the prison. I became close friends with
soldiers in my company and the Iraqis with whom we worked. And I felt the
sadness and sinking reality of losing members of my batalion and attending a
field memorial service, something that I will never forget.
Iraq is a mess. It is a failure because politicians have been making the
decisions from Day One, instead of the military men on the ground. At the
prison, the politicians in charge decreed that soldiers weren't even allowed
to punish the prisoners. Of course we ignored them and did what we wanted
instead. But the new cycle of troops has taken the "hands off" approach the
politicians wanted. And Iraq has been plunged into chaos.
I'm thrilled to be going home. Living in these extremely difficult conditions
makes me appreciate everything I have in the States. My plans for the summer
include working for the Kerry campaign, a trip to Europe, buying a car and a
condominium. But mostly just relaxing and enjoying life with my friends and
family. I should be in the States in late April and released from duty by May
1. Hope to see you all soon!
Thanks again for all your support!
John
