Journal entry for 16 April 2004

It has been a while since have been able to write. I actually wrote once before, but we lost power and I lost the entry! Life is a bitch. What can you do? It has been very eventful over here. We have engaged the enemy with helicopters for the first time about a week ago. Unfortunately, we did not kill any of them. Two days ago, we got hit, and we got hit hard. We were ambushed in four locations at once. We had 10 Marine and one translator WIA (Wounded In Action). The majority of them were my friends. A handful were serious, but all are expected to survive, and only one should have serious repercussions. We recovered two enemy bodies and shot many, many more. Many were witnessed being loaded into the enemy trucks and carted off. Their attacks were well executed and well rehearsed. I think it is a wakeup call for our area of operations. The CO has a young Marine he brings everywhere with him who was seriously wounded in the attack. He’s a good kid. He’ll be ok, but his Marine Corps career is over. There were others as well, but the truth is we are mad. We faired much better than the enemy did and he has left us alone for a couple of days. We have arrested several more after the fact as well. But it is a wake up call nonetheless.

Good news is that I get regular emails from the wonderful wife. I don’t get a lot of computer time, but I do what I can when I can. Right now I am using a friends computer, but this one will be gone by next weekend, so it will be difficult yet again. All must understand that the wife has priority! Sorry all. That’s just the way it goes. Just so you all know, my son turned two years old on the 4th. He’s huge! Unfortunately, I have been deployed for the vast majority of his life. And the vast majority of my marriage as well! That being said, I know we are doing something terribly important over here. I see the news reporting things and it is absolutely amazing how one sided the reporting is. We bring in a child that was seriously wounded by the enemy (witnessed by the Marines and reported as such…. They also saved him!) and CNN international reported from the father that he was “walking hand in hand with his grandfather… who the Marines brutally gunned down (by the way, he had just shot a marine, was shot and the boy ran out to him… then an Iraqi fired an RPG to try and kill the marines running to help, but only succeeded in seriously maiming the boy) then “what sounded like an American rocket” (because you know, American explosions sound SOOO different than other rockets) destroyed the boys life forever. The father said he had been awake for three days straight with the boy as he suffered… (of course the man had no bags under his eyes, nor were they red, and he was very up beat) I just don’t get it! Why does the world consistently paint us as the bad guys?!?!? Is our way of life so terrible? Is it even remotely possible that people could fathom to believe that we are actually here for the greater good? No, we must all be here because we love to kill the innocent Iraqis. We just hate them all… There is no greater joy in our lives than blasting small children! MY GOD! These are the assholes that blew up three kids standing near an IED just at the chance to attack Americans. And they didn’t even hurt any of us! And WE took care of the kids!!! I hate the news! I have been so disenchanted with the news agencies… I apologize for complaining, but PLEASE take all the news you see with a grain of salt. The reporter prints what he wants. A “sounded like an American rocket”quote is not false, it is just the opinion of the individual being interviewed. But the reporter COMPLEATELY OMITTED ALL of the information given by the US Marines! Guess it just doesn’t catch your attention when the news reports that the Marines saved another child, but if the Americans are responsible for killing and maiming innocent Iraqis with reckless abandon… Now that’s news!!!

Ok, I’m done. Sorry, it has been a rough day. I am losing friends all around me… some more important than others, but friends nonetheless. Some of them will leave a void in me that will be difficult to fill… Difficult to forget… no, that is not true. I will never forget. But I will immerse myself in my work and rely on the strength on my family to see this thing out to the bitter end. If you wonder why there aren't many people in the states who agree with what we are doing over here, it is because most of those who do are here with me.