(no subject)
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
>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