Thanks from Iraq!!

[AKPogue]

Hello all,
I want to say thanks to all for helping contribute to and putting together all those packages. They are very appreciated. The Marines and I love the socks especially. Everything here is well for it being in the 110's and sandy.
Thanks again.
Dave

[splat]

Yeah, DAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!

[13]

You're very welcome.

Don't get shot & come home at your first opportunity!

[Big E]

No sweat. Stay safe over there, we'll be here when you get back.

[UTdave]

I didn't contribute to that at all sorry. But more importantly I wanted to say thanks to you.

[Powder Seeker]

Thanks for being over there and fighting. It is very much appreciated. Take care and be safe.

[Buzzworthy]

Don't shoot the football!

[Mcwop]

Quite welcome. Don't be afraid to post here if there is anything you need.

Thanks for what you are doing. If I get some ski time with you - I am buying your beers.

[SkiingBear]

No, thank you. I'm hoping that everything found it's way to you in one piece. You mentioned in your PM that you were getting the packages just about one every day. There should be 6 packages, so depending on how many you've seen...there might be more coming.

We're still waiting to see pics of a Powder sticker on a tank/hummer/bomb whatever...get on that!!

[splat]

Got an email from Dave. Thought I should post it up here so everyone can hear from someone on the ground over there. A pic of a maggot fighting in Iraq as well............

Hello all,
Well you are all probably wondering about my subject title since it is the
middle of summer and blazing hot here. 114deg yesterday!!!!!!! The reason
for the title is to me it seems like xmas only better. At the very least I
get 1 package almost everytime there are packages delivered(get packages
delivered on average every other day). Today I got 4 packages. It is
utterly amazing and I almost don't want to leave this place because I have
never seen anything like this. It has humbled a lot of us here to see the
support we have been getting. I have gotten around 100prs of socks and
countless other stuff. We are not really short on anything and excess is
being handed out to other marines in the company or given to the Iraqi's.
It has come from you guys that get my emails, people that I don't even know
from an adopt a soldier website, church groups that have adopted us, and
whole lot of other sources. It is amazing. The Marines and I thank you.
Keep it coming though because if ya stop then we won't have what you got. I
will let you know when I won't get it in time before I leave.

Contrary to what you have seen on the news there has been an exciting day or
two since my last email, but for the most part it is pretty boring here.
They don't show the boring parts of our jobs in the movies, because
everybody would get bored and walk out. We do a lot of driving, pulling
security, sleeping, some patrolling, and other stuff. Pulling security and
sleeping are what we do. It is of course extremely boring but also
extremely important. It is real hard at 5am to be sitting up watching for
the enemy you know is not coming, but you know you have to be up watching
anyways. The bad guys have yet to actually attack us themselves it is
either mortar attack or an improvised explosive device.

It is interesting to see the differences in the Iraqi culture here. Some of
which my mom would wish happened to at least are family. For the most part
here Iraq is divided up into tribes. I am not sure if that includes the big
cities, but in the rural areas we operate in that is how it is. It is a lot
like how the native americans use to be and kind of still are on their
reservations. They are really big into family, so much so that when you go
to a village of 10 houses it is all one big happy family. It is not unusual
to see brothers living together under one roof with both of them married.
They do have polygamus marriages here and a lot of the women keep covered up
including there faces. They do not value life as much as we do or there
individual rights. At one place we were at, we ran into this guy who was
staying at this house. He had been excommunicated from his tribe because he
had killed someone. Don't know the circumstances at all, but do know that
all he had to do was stay away from his tribe for a year or two. The area I
am in is predominantly Sunni Muslims. I have yet to see anyone get down and
pray during there call to prayer that is broadcast over loudspeakers. It is
very rare to be somewhere and not be able to hear it. It appears to me that
religion is as important in their lives as it is in the states.

I have been trying to figure out since I have been here who supports us and
who doesn't and why. After talking with some of the guys and my
observations I have come down with some conclusions. The people who support
us almost seems to mirror image people who support the police or government
in our culture. In the poor areas of cities and small towns, we are to
blame just like it is in our society. That people are poor not because they
don't get off there ass and work but because "The Man" has brought this down
on them. The more well to do or hard working folks here realize that we are
here to help. This is a fact, almost everybody here doesn't want us here
anymore than we would want a foreign military in our country. They do
understand and support us here in what we are doing because it is what needs
to be done and they are looking forward to the day when we won't have to be
here. We have been told that we are more just than the current Iraqi
government forces, they see the difference in how we treat people and how we
use our force.

I think all of you and spread the word should boycott the news stations.
They are totally worthless except for headlines and they give absolutey no
real information whatsoever. If anything they are kinda of dangerous
because then people believe that they know something about a situation when
in reality they don't have any clue whatsover. From what I have seen on CNN
and the internet you can't get any idea of what is happening here. Just to
let you know that there are good things going on like Baghdad just got a new
power station built by GE and other stuff, but that doesn't sell news like
people being blown up!

All is well here and hope the same for everyone else.

David

Dave's the one with the mustache.

[Grange]

Just curious, do you think a person could read that sign from a 100 meters?

Good to hear the success stories from someone with first hand experience.

[spanky]

Just curious, do you think a person could read that sign from a 100 meters?

That was my same exact thought.

Well good to hear the packages are making it there and you're enjoying them AKPogue and that you're doing relatively OK.