Letters from Iraq in Stars n' Stripes

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=17272

<snip>

I’m assigned to the 442nd Quartermaster Company of Bellefont, Pa. Our current assignment is Baqubah, Iraq. I don’t understand why our living conditions are so poor. At Camp Anaconda, which is about 35 minutes away, there’s everything a soldier needs, from a huge post exchange to air-conditioned sleeping areas and morale, welfare and recreation tents.

Our PX building in Baqubah is about 40 feet long by 20 feet wide. Its shelves are usually empty. There’s usually a limit on darn near everything. My fellow soldiers and I purchased a window air conditioner due to the runaround we kept receiving from the 204th Forward Support Battalion to whom we’re attached.

Why is there such a difference in living conditions from one camp to the next? We’re all in Iraq. Each one of us could lose our lives as easily as the next. All that I’m saying is that the living conditions should be the same.

<snip>

I’m with B Company, 1st Battalion, 35th Armored Regiment. We’re currently attached to Task Force 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment out of Baumholder, Germany. We’ve been in Iraq for about two and a half months. We’ve seen our share of headaches, from moving every other week to actually not getting drinkable water. This is frustrating for all of us, especially when we’re conducting real-world missions. At one point water was so scarce that my platoon had to buy water on the economy out of our own pockets from Iraqi civilians. Yes, privates and sergeants had to put in some of their own money in order to have water. It was the same with ice, which we are also supposed to receive from TF 26 Infantry.

The moving situation is a morale destroyer. We never know if we’re going to stay in the run-down building we live in with no air conditioners, no windows and no running water. To make it even worse, we have a nuclear power plant about 50 miles from our location. This brings me to my final call for help. We U.S. Army members, soldiers, parents, sons and brothers are being exposed, and nothing is being done about it. There are no official records being kept on the amount of radiation or possible side effects.

This letter is meant to inform members of Congress and other influential people in the United States that their armed forces are not being fully taken care of. They’ll wonder why soldiers are demoralized and ask themselves and leadership what’s really going on. The Army has given me a lot. But now I think it’s setting us up for failure. Without some of these resources we won’t be able to accomplish our mission.

[damnraddem]

1. Rummy's military.

Getting a rum deal is part of the package. Next time, don't vote Bushista.

[roguevalley]

2. you make an assumption that they did vote for Bush.

that rather irritates. Generalizations are what the OTHER
guys make. As for this situation, someone needs to swing
from a tree. The money is getting stolen and the goods aren't
being bought and sent. There is war profiteering and
stealing going on here. Someone needs to be shot.

[searchingforlight]

3. Not everyone in the service is a Repug.

Many are Dems and we seem to keep forgetting that Al Gore did win the election but not the selection.

[wabeewoman]

4. My question...

are these the out-sourced services that Halburton or equivelent are supposed to be providing? If so, there need to be a thorough and immediate investigation. This SHOULD transend politics.

[RamboLiberal]

5. Yep I believe this is Kellogg Brown and Root

Haliburton subsidiary. This should be investigated by Congress and McCain and Kerry should spearhead it IMHO.

[lebkuchen]

6. Wait till you see this week's

letters full of sarcasm and derision against the Bushies and anyone who complains against those in the military suffering from low morale as a result of the Bushies' incompetence.

Congressmen, Rep and Dem, visited Iraq during the summer and said, "Low morale? We don't see any low morale around here." Liars.

Rummy will never be able to face the troops again without making photo-op history as the least popular and most incompetent Sec. of Defense in military history.