Hey, Jyl! Glad you're back.

Kevin, are you staying safe? Looking forward to hearing/seeing what's happening where you are. The TV news has been frightening to me and I don't even have anyone "in country." (The Viet Nam analagies are popping up again.)

Marley

Hey!

So good to see you all back here. I am looking forward to reconnecting.

Stay safe Kevin, I am a devout fan. I enjoy reading your articles, and have missed them.

Lance, luckily we arent responsible for our familys actions.

Donna, Marley. Jimmy, lizard and all...

Namaste

/m27 In response to the georgiep who is digging for information, it is much the same for the wives. However, you may be able to contact the Family Readiness Group for the unit. Some units have email lists for family members who wish to receive such updates. Please feel free to email me (cyndic1@mac.com) if you would like more information on how to get that information. My husband has been there for 7 months and the info I got in the beginning was mediocre at best until the email update list, Mr. Babcock has been doing a wonderful job keeping us updated as well. Hope to hear from you soon. Thank you and God Bless

Kevin, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog today. I was referred to your site by a parent contributing to Bob Babcock's "4th ID Update From Iraq" newsletter. My son (1-9 CAV/TF 1-34 AR) is somewhere in the Suni Triangle and I get a short letter from him about once every two weeks. Yesterday he informed me that the mail truck had been blown up and the driver killed...so, I'll just pack more boxes. They don't have the luxury of electricity, water (they ration theirs to 1 bottle a day), A/C, internet or telephones. He and the little group from Ft. Hood have only been there a month and already it seems like an eternity. I believe people get more information if they are the spouses of the serviceman...us mothers just have to keep digging for sites to keep us informed. My husband died of brain cancer 2 years ago, so it's just me and the two boys (the other in the Navy--tucked safely in Pensacola).

Hi Kevin: I study media and international affairs at Columbia University, so I'm following print coverage very closely & have been since the begining of the war. An area of coverage that's going vastly underreported: the impact of the war on women. The Times ran an article about a month ago about the ramifications of Hussein opening prisons just prior to US engagement on crimes against women, specifically rape and kidnapping.

The article suggested that the US military is doing little to address this issue specifically, and I see little in the press on the topic. Please don't be shy about persuing this coverage. What's the real story? What's the awareness of troops as to the issue? What can Iraqi men and women tell you?

Thank you, and good luck out there.

Glad to see you are with MSNBC! Stay safe Kevin!

Kevin:
     If you want some real ideas for reporting in Iraq, what I think we don't get the picture of on regular news is the inside politics and political science so to speak of the various groups there. For instance you hear alot about the Shi'ite being in Sunni controlled areas, or of the marsh Arabs having been part of the ruthless Saddam dictatorship and regime, or of the Kurds there in Northern IRAQ. However little if anything is said how these groups see themselves in relation to each other in the Coalition Provisional Authority. Much less seems to be said about the tribal difficulties and whether some or any of them really want to be a part of a greater IRAQ or are more aligned with other Arabic nationalities. There needs to be some more reporting along these lines to see if there is a consensus among these tribes or if the damage done by the Sunni and/or Baathists has changed the nature of what we now know of IRAQ.

Kevin:

This is my first time corresponding with someone in your line of work. I've been around long enough that watching the evening news and the news anchors gives me very little, hard, objective information. I as well as millions of americans are sick of "if it bleeds it leads". So, when I ran across your report on the MSN website, I didn't see the flocked and molded hair, the down the nose gaze and the strictly scripted news. And even though you are working for the establishment, your blog seems to give an even handed "objective" observance of what is up in Iraq.

I am in the insurance claims business and work for a couple who have a son who is currently stationed in Bagdad with an engineering company. He's helping put the city back together I guess. I have had the opportunity to sit next to this young man and talk with him prior to his being deployed. I find him to be a very focused, thoughtful person with a hell of a lot of caracter. His parents are of course worried for him but life goes on as usual. They are able to talk to him from time to time on borrowed sat phones, so they are at least in touch. It seems everyone I know has some connection with what is going on in Iraq.

We all worry about those we are aquainted with or relative to.

Recently, the mainline news stations, radio and television have been hammering on and on about some of the soldiers and families troubled about the length of their deployment. I have not had the opportunity to serve in the armed forces, however my father, brother and grandfather all served as did many others I know. Most of them are of the opinion that if your deployed, you stick it out and make the best of it. If your not focused on your job, the enemy sneaks up and bites you in the ass.

In the past I have met numerous recruits who volunteered without thinking of what and where they may end up. I can't recall a span of more than a couple of years in the past 50 when members of our armed forces have not had to ship out to hostile lands. The fact is that if you sign up, chances are that before your stint is up, you may be shot at. What do the soldiers you run into have to say about this?

Anyway, I read through your blog today and saw it as a bit more true to life than what the media fatheads report. The public has little trust in the daily news. We see too much of the death and destruction and not enough of the rest of the reality of life that is all around us. What we all want to know is what is truly going on. Can you get up in the morning and see the sun shine or see the sun set at the end of the day? Do you see a smile on the face of any of the people of Bagdad? Can you get a decent meal?

I really don't give a damn that the weapons of mass destruction have not been found. What I do care about is that evidently thousands of Iraqis lost their lives simply because they lived under the heel of a family of murderers. Sadam is either still on the run or better yet, dead, but he no longer is the puppet master over all the henchmen that murdered thousands of their own countrymen.

What also disturbs me a great deal is the news we hear these days fails to give us a true picture of what good is coming out of this. Yes there is a terrible cost of lives but how many Iarqi lives have been saved by destroying the Sadam Regime.

Well, I've said enough for today. I will keep an eye on your blog. I'll let you know when you are not being objective. Be safe and watch your backside.

G Grass