Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Captain Tom Returns From Iraq



Some of you who have been visiting my blog for awhile know I have a friend in the Army who is over in Iraq. (Here's his last letter). Well today he sent me some good news! He's coming home! Here's his letter!



Family and Friends,

We ended combat operations about two weeks ago. Two more weeks of cleaning and packing and we should be out of here before the end of the month. I want to say Thanks to all of you for the prayers, cards and packages over the past 14 months.

It is hard to say whether or not Iraq is a better place than it was when we arrived last March. Violence against Coalition Forces is down significantly over the past year but the country as a whole remains a very violent place. It is hard to make generalizations about the whole country because it is so different from one province to the other. However, from what I have seen working in three provinces, the enemy most closely resembles Tony Soprano. The insurgency resembles what is basically organized crime with little ideological underpinning at only the highest levels. Corruption permeates every aspect of Iraqi society and is just the cost of doing business. Most of the Iraqi's that we fight and detain are more motivated by bling than by jihad.

After a rough summer I am happy to say that we have only lost one soldier from October to now. We have been partly lucky but have also gained the benefit or working in predominately Sunni areas that have become much more stable since September.

During my time I witnessed daily amazement and frustration at the Army’s ability/inability to accomplish tasks. We are able to tackle large problems but are continually hindered by small problems. There is truly a ridiculous amount of money being spent on this war. The number of civilian contractors, it’s about a 1:1 ratio, would surprise most people. Seeing all the money that is spent is truly mind-bottling.

I've attached a picture of the fighting staff officers of 4-9 on our most coveted possession a reclaimed 82' Chevy, as well as a great photo of our last medevac.

I should be back in Washington in June and will be in Colorado for a couple weeks in July. Looking forward to seeing you all again on American soil,

Tom

14 comments:

Brooke said...

God bless him and welcome home!

Jennifer said...

Thank you for serving our country, Tom! Hope you enjoy where you're stationed on your next assignment.

WomanHonorThyself said...

Welcome back Tom..big hugssssssssssss from NYC!!!

nanc said...

WELCOME HOME!

i'd have to kiss the ground upon my return like i did when we finally moved to arkansas.

thankx for sharing, edge.

p.s. this is my FAVORITE movie review site!

*8]

AmPowerBlog said...

Wish your friend well for me, and thanks for sharing!

It's great to get first hand news like this.

Z said...

I'm sorry it's not more positive about Iraq, but it's good to read ... not TOO much 'gloom and doom', anyway!
I sure do welcome this hero and his buddies home! Enjoy having your friend back, edge! Thanks for sharing that.

EDGE said...

Brooke,

He's got a pretty girlfriend waiting for him too!

Jennifer,

Hope your bro is smoking a great cigar right now!

Angel,

I'd know he appreciate that!

Nanc,

Awwww...thanks Nanc!

Don,

It is and I will forward your message to him! Thanks!

EDGE said...

Z,

It's honest. Tom's a pretty conservative guy so I have to take his word for what's going on over there. I think him coming home means things have to be getting better so let's just keep the ol' fingers crossed!

Papa Frank said...

Welcome back and thank you!!!

Anonymous said...

WELCOME HOME, Captain Tom, and THANK YOU for your service to our country!!


Thanks for sharing with us, EDGE.

Gayle said...

Hi Edge, and thanks for stopping by Dragon Lady's Den. I'm not posting as often as usual right now, but am still enjoying comments and appreciate you dropping in.

I'm sure you will be very excited to see your fried. God bless him for his service!

I'm also glad to see you are posting conservative movies in your sidebar. That's a wonderful idea. I order my movies from NetFlix and sometimes get fooled into believing a movie is conservative when it turns out to be nothing other than another piece of Hollyweird bs, so thanks again! :)

Gayle said...

Sorry... should have previewed before I published! :(

elmers brother said...

edge...

Thank your buddy Tom for me and my family.

I so appreciate his service.

and Welcome Home Tom!

EDGE said...

I'll be sure to forward these messages! Thanks!