Letters From Home and Iraq
The two most noteworthy items I've seen today are both from the Power Line Forum. In the Global War on Terror Forum, Tom Glennon posts this fine tribute to his son:
At 2:30 PM EST, Friday, February 23rd, my youngest son recited his reenlistment oath to serve his country for another four years. He was on duty at the time, but was relieved by a fellow Airman so that he could have the oath administered, and a few pictures taken. He then went back to his job, and finished his scheduled assignment.His decision made, and his commitment sworn to before God and man, he will remain with that small segment of our population who have voluntarily chosen to put aside the tranquility of civilian life to defend the very document that was created to insure that tranquility. As a college graduate with numerous skills and practical experience, he will use his talents and knowledge to help insure that we can continue to enjoy the blessings of being Americans. He has chosen to give a portion of his life to service, benefiting and protecting millions of others, rather than benefiting his own well being, prosperity and safety.
To say that I am proud of this young man is a gross understatement.
Read it all. Read, too, this letter from Mosul by CSM James Pippin, which is on Michael Yon's excellent site, and was linked and is being discussed at the Forum, here:
I am resolved to fight these bastards for however long it takes, every day until my retirement.I am stationed in Mosul, Iraq and things are busy. We have about 15 - 20 incidents a day. An “incident” is an IED attack, enemy ambush, rocket attack against our vehicles, or a mortar attack against our FOB (Forward Operating Base aka where we live). We win every time whenever they stay and fight. But mostly, they hit us, then run away and blend into the crowd. We’re winning a day at a time. And we are taking the fight to them.
People back home may not realize how effective this enemy is using the media as a weapon. Every time some talking head gets on the TV and shouts anything negative about this war, it motivates our enemy, who interprets dissent as weakness and who uses our free press against us. That is exactly how “the terrorists” win. For the Terrorist does not have to defeat us, he just has to outlast us.
Again, please read it all. You won't read anything more important or more incisive today.
