twincamfxd

I got this e-mail from a friend. Some of the servicemen I know back this up. The media doesent want to report on this kind of thing, only the bad stuff. Take it how you want to.

Christina Witt here. Finally, some good news!
This is a letter from Ray Reynolds, a medic in the Iowa Army National Guard, serving in Iraq:

As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay in Iraq, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not believe the media. They have done a very poor job of covering everything that has happened. I am sorry that I have not been able to visit all of you during my two week leave back home. And just so you can rest at night knowing something is happening in Iraq that is noteworthy, I thought I would pass this on to you. This is the list of things that has happened in Iraq recently: (Please share it with your friends and compare it to the version that your paper is producing.)

* Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
* School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.
* Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons stored there so education can occur.
* The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be off-loaded from ships faster.
* The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August.
* Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in Iraq.
* The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before the war.
* 100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed, compared to 35% before the war.
* Elections are taking place in every major city, and city councils are in place.
* Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
* Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
* Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.
* Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US soldiers.
* Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.
* Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to prevent the spread of germs.
* An interim constitution has been signed.
* Girls are allowed to attend school.
* Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the first time in 30 years.

Don't believe for one second that these people do not want us there. I have met many, many people from Iraq that want us there, and in a bad way. They say they will never see the freedoms we talk about but they hope their children will. We are doing a good job in Iraq and I challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me on these facts. So if you happen to run into John Kerry, be sure to give him my email address and send him to Denison, Iowa. This soldier will set him straight. If you are like me and very disgusted with how this period of rebuilding has been portrayed, email this to a friend and let them know there are good things happening.

Ray Reynolds, SFC
Iowa Army National Guard
234th Signal Battalion

Zastava_101

You don't really think think that people in Iraq likes Americans? Get real man. You came to their country, you killed their soldiers, you destroy their country, and at the end you think that Iraq likes that? How would you feel if let says Russians came here, start bombing USA, and things like that, would you like that?

Yeah, I know the feeling because where I'm from things like that always happend. I know how I felt when so-called United Nations came to my country, "trying to end the war." Situation only got worse.

So man, don't think for a minute that they like what USA did.

You know, USA also didn't wanted Slobodan Milosevic to be president of Serbia, so they send him in the prison, saing that things now will be better. And you know what? Things are now a lot worse than it was when Slobodan Milosevic was president.

Now you can tell me how you're just trying to do what the best, but I experienced that. Not many Americans didn't. Everything I just told you is from personal experience.

twincamfxd

I did not post this to offend anyone. I just feel that the only things that the press wants to publish is tortured prisoners, because it sells papers, magazines etc. We are doing some good things over there. Maybe we shouldent have done it, maybe we should have. Nobody really knows. But those soldiers are over there and we are not. We dont see what really goes on. Wether we support the cause or not, we should support the soldiers putting their necks on the line. They would rather be home, beleive me. I do hope this will end soon, but I doubt it will.

hdwrench

sounds good twincamfxd. and i dont think anyone needs to open a can of worms by saying otherwise.

Zastava_101

I didn't want to offend anyone either, I'm not an American, so I think differently than you guys. I know what other people think of Americans, and I know what Americans think about other people. Now, I don't mean to offend you, but what I'm gonna tell you is 100% true. A lot of people don't like Americans. Why? Because you guys always think you're the best at everything. If someone have different thinking, or if someone runs things the way you don't like it, you're gonna do whatever is in your power to change that. Some examples are war in Iraq and bombing of my home country, Serbia in the summer of 1999. Like I said, you didn't like at that time president of Serbia, and you did everything you could to throw him out, including bombing. Now, Serbia got new president, but things are worse now for Serbia. But now you guys don't care about that, the important thing for USA is that Serbia have president who will do whatever USA told him to do.

You probably won't believe now, but that's the truth. I'm from Europe, I used to live there, and I still have a lot of friends there, and I know what's really going on.

Just out of curiosity, did you saw a movie called Behind Enemy Lines with Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman? If you did, I'm gonna give you few examples about that movie, what really happend and what American media says it happend.

hdwrench

well sounds like we all agree on one fact....you cant trust what the media tells you.

Everyone knows the whole world hates americans for one reason or another. For some odd reason the USA feels compelled to act as the police force of the world. I say let em all fight it out and keep us out of it.

Also everyone seems to hate the USA but they cant get here fast enough to become citizens... strange.

twincamfxd

We all know they hate us. That is why 9\11 happened. Most of it is jealousy, some because we police the world, some because we have freedom of religion. The thing is, We are the last superpower left. And that really angers alot of other countries who would like to see us toppled, but they can never do it. 9\11 only made us stronger. Dont get angry because we are a proud people. Most of us will support our country no matter what. And I have seen footage on tv that shows the gratitude of the Iraqi people towards us for getting rid of the man who was killing more of their people than we ever did. Iraq will be a better place eventually.

Grantsdale

If we have to kill 100,000 of them over there to prevent 1 of them coming over here and killing 2,000 of us, then thats what we have to do. Whether or not Iraqis like us at this point is a moot point. We went in because Iraq was a place where terrorists could hide and prosper and attack the US.

Too bad Bush didn't say that at the beginning, he would probably still be a lot more popular. Only problem is a war on terror will never end.

That being said, are we making a difference there? Definetly. We only hear about the bad things that happen.

Remember, no news is good news, and good news doesn't make the news.

Thank you for this post, and thanks to every US serviceman and woman serving our country. (I know there are a few that read the forum)

twincamfxd

Coulden't have said it better myself!

Zastava_101

Don't get me wrong man, I don't have anything against USA, I don't hate Americans, I am just telling you the way things are. I am just telling you what the rest of the world think about Americans. But why do you think Sept. 11 happend? Terrorist, as you like to call them, didn't do that for no reason. If you guys keep bombing every country that disagrees with you, then how would you expect for other nations to like you?

Grantsdale

What countries did we bomb before 9-11? Iraq? That was 10 years previous.

The man you tried to defend, Milosevic, was a genocidal war criminal that murdered hundreds of thousands. We went in and removed him? Sound like someone else?

I'm sure everyone would be much more happy if the rest of the world could take care of their own problems, but they don't. We have to come in and help, or even do it for them, our boys (and girls) dying for a cause that might not be totally clear. And some of the people we help, such as yourself, aren't even grateful. Not saying that all are ungrateful, but some are. And that is like saying "gee, ya know, I liked that maniac that was killing everyone better than you guys who saved us from him".

Zastava_101

Get real man. Milosevic acted like any president would in the war. How many people did Bush killed in war in Iraq? You don't see him in jail for that. I know, I know, now you're gonna say how many Americans died in Iraq, but people who did that will end up in jail. People who killed Iraqs won't.

What am I supposed to be grateful for? For opportunity to came and live in the USA? How am I supposed to be grateful when I am here, and USA is bombing my own country? How am I supposed to be grateful for that man?

Grantsdale

Then go back? Whos keeping you here?

No President would ever GAS thousands and burying them in mass graves. He'd be impeached before the end of the day. The difference between your "president" and our President is that when we go into a country, we try to give as few casualities as possible. We could easily bomb the holy **** out of any country on the face of the planet, but we don't. We even try so hard to avoid killing people from other countries that our own men die. Do you think "your country" would do that?

heck, if I was posting like this on the internet in your country, (supporting the enemy) I would probably be in jail or even dead by now.

Zastava_101

How would you know what Milosevic did? Don't beleive everything you see on the TV man. Sure, Milosevic did some bad things, but so did other people, such as Croatia president, who died few years ago. You have no idea what he did to the Serbs living in the Croatia. I was a Serb living in Croatia, I know what he did.

The difference between your country and my country is that we don't bomb everyone who don't agree with us.

Why do you think no one likes Americans? I mean, France, Britain, Russia ... are world powers too, but you don't see people hate them.

Grantsdale

I already asked you once. Name a country we bombed simply because they didn't agree with us.

France and Russia are hardly world powers. Russia is a bankrupt country, and France is just France. And lots of people hate Great Britian.

As far as Milosevic, yes, don't trust everything on TV. However, when they are showing mass graves and thousands of bodies, thats hard to ignore.

Zastava_101

How about Serbia? You guys bombed Serbia in summer of 1999, just because you didn't like Milosevic as a president, because Milosevic didn't want to do what USA wanted him to do.

Listen man, like I said, I don't have anything against USA. After all, I do live here. BUT, I don't agree with all these wars USA is fighting. I think that is not USA's problems, let them fight their own problems.

Zastava_101

But how do you know Serbs did those graves? During the war in former Yugoslavia, 1991-1995, you could see same picture in both Serbian and Croatian newspapers and TV. Serbs are telling that Croats did that. Croats are telling that Serbs did that.

How do you know who to trust?

Zastava_101

Do me a favor.
Read this article (note that I'm an Serb), and then I think you'll understand everything, why I think the way I think.

Click here

twincamfxd

As far as I am concerned, seeing the footage of people dancing in the streets after 9/11 in just about every middle-eastern country, is reason enough for what we are doing. I feel that unless we strongarm these people, it will continue to happen. We did not attack first. And that was not the first attack on us, only the biggest. We would still be at peace if not for those sub-human terrorists. They brought it on themselves, and they get what they get. I have no remorse for them.

As far as serbia goes, I admit I know very little about it. I wasen't there, and I can't vouch for that conflict. But the war in iraq, I support.


:flag2:

Zastava_101

But this way, you attack them, they attack you over and over and over ... When is it gonna stop?

But I'm gonna tell you something. What "terrorist" did to World Trade Centers is nothing compared to what USA did to Serbia. I was in Serbia in summer of 2002 (so, 3 years after the bombing) and I saw how much of the capital city, Beograd, is destroyed. World Trade Centers building are nothing compared to that.