Letters from a soldier

[Havock]

http://21361.com/site_2004/dispatchs...mASoldier.html

I found this page earlier tonight. It looks like a collection of e-mails from a soldier in Iraq to friends and family back in the states. It is an eye opening read to see thigs from someone actualy living thru the war. It is unfiltered and honest, which is a LOT more than I can say for the news and media outlets.

[ZFR]

Originally posted by Havock: It is unfiltered

How do you know? Because they said so?

[Felix The Assassin]

The overly large bold faced heading speaks volumes about the content.

Since you are new; FYI: I'm ruff, gruff, and mean, and don't sugar coat jack or shiite! It's crap like this that sets my intrenal flane on high!
~24 yrs, retired Army, MSG E-8. Still training the force!

Several weeks ago, I got a letter from a fellow who had been corresponding with an US Army soldier stationed in Iraq. He and the soldier got into a conversation and my name came up. The soldier asked if the letters could be forwarded to me. They were sent. I read them and asked if I could post them. We worked it out and here they are. The soldier is typing this from one of those cyber cafes on base, during one of his breaks, so there's some typos and they're just one young person's views on what he's going through so please just take it for what it is. Thanks for reading. --Henry

Trust me, you will not find "real" stuff like this from soldiers.

Two keys: 1) Language. Scanning through the first sentence I found 0 words of foulness, the first is in the second sentence, and makes for an obivious assumption.

2)Lack of acronyms, I spotted the first one in the second paragraph in the second post, IED, which by now is no longer an acronym.

In conclussion, the first word in the second paragraph? See it? Insurgent? That is a "political term" that is NOT a word we use for them, unless it's the CENTCOMCMDR on the net updating CNN on their cluelessness!

[Bithron]

I actually doubt this, too...

I doubt they would have been allowed to send this kind of material, and if they went into some place with computers, wouldn't they have been declared deserters...

[Felix The Assassin]

Originally posted by Bithron: I doubt they would have been allowed to send this kind of material,~snip~

Hard mail has not been "proofed" for many years. My spousal unit has all of my war letters, completly in-tact. Additionally, she has all of my letters from deployments to operations of other than war, or public knowledge.

Originally posted by Bithron: and if they went into some place with computers, wouldn't they have been declared deserters...

No. Think of the old TV show M*A*S*H. Instead of the O'lounge, we now have communication lounges. Every 24 hours, each soldier (Who can manage to get there) can use the internet for 30 mintues per session, for three sessions. Just before the internet lounge is the phone bank lounge, SIDEBAR: For all of you who have sent cards for soldiers, this is where they get to use them ~ Thank You! The phone bank is managed, and a soldier can check with his leader and schedule a time to sign up for the phone and has 30 minutes per session.

ALL COMMS from the lounge are completly secure, and therefore ARE fully monitored (Yes, ALL). Hence, the changes made to blogs that were coming out of theather, and some of the video links that were "mysteriously" off the net.

[Bithron]

Oh... Then I stand corrected, sir.