MERV
10-01-2006, 02:08 PM
Date Written: August 4, 2005
Greetings from Baghdad,
It has been a while since I have sent out an update. First we are all fine and continuing to do our best over here. I have been extremely busy dealing with property issues. Trying to accommodate everyone who needs property has become a challenge; available property is has become very scarce. Last week we received a call from the property manager for the Iraqi government asking for help. They had allocated a house to one of the Iraqi ministers and an American contractor came in and threw the Iraqi’s out of the house and was not very polite about it. It seems the contractor had paid money for the house and didn’t have us do a property search. It turns out that it was in fact government property and the contractor had paid the money to a squatter who is happily spending his new found money somewhere in Iraq and nowhere to be found. This is just an example of issues we have been dealing with. Another is getting housing for the widow of the former governor of Baghdad who was assassinated prior to us arriving in Baghdad.
I have attached a newspaper article written by a navy commander who is the Director of UN and NATO coordination. We all get upset at the negative news reporting by the news media. We see thing on the ground that are making a difference in this country. Granted it is slow but good things are happening that make it worthwhile for us to be here. Please read the article and share it with as many people as you can. This is news that doesn’t make the headlines or the six o’clock news. The character and determination of the local people is amazing. I wonder if Americans would show up at work every day if they had to endure the daily challenges that the Iraqi’s do every day just to come to work.
We are now at less than **** days until we leave. Everyone here is looking forward to that day when we get on the plane and go wheels up. I will not give an exact day that we will be leaving for security reasons. When we are out of country I will get the word out and the day we are arriving back in Connecticut will be put out. Until that time we will continue to try and make a difference over here.
Lucien
This Letter has been edited to protect Soldiers privacy
Greetings from Baghdad,
It has been a while since I have sent out an update. First we are all fine and continuing to do our best over here. I have been extremely busy dealing with property issues. Trying to accommodate everyone who needs property has become a challenge; available property is has become very scarce. Last week we received a call from the property manager for the Iraqi government asking for help. They had allocated a house to one of the Iraqi ministers and an American contractor came in and threw the Iraqi’s out of the house and was not very polite about it. It seems the contractor had paid money for the house and didn’t have us do a property search. It turns out that it was in fact government property and the contractor had paid the money to a squatter who is happily spending his new found money somewhere in Iraq and nowhere to be found. This is just an example of issues we have been dealing with. Another is getting housing for the widow of the former governor of Baghdad who was assassinated prior to us arriving in Baghdad.
I have attached a newspaper article written by a navy commander who is the Director of UN and NATO coordination. We all get upset at the negative news reporting by the news media. We see thing on the ground that are making a difference in this country. Granted it is slow but good things are happening that make it worthwhile for us to be here. Please read the article and share it with as many people as you can. This is news that doesn’t make the headlines or the six o’clock news. The character and determination of the local people is amazing. I wonder if Americans would show up at work every day if they had to endure the daily challenges that the Iraqi’s do every day just to come to work.
We are now at less than **** days until we leave. Everyone here is looking forward to that day when we get on the plane and go wheels up. I will not give an exact day that we will be leaving for security reasons. When we are out of country I will get the word out and the day we are arriving back in Connecticut will be put out. Until that time we will continue to try and make a difference over here.
Lucien
This Letter has been edited to protect Soldiers privacy