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Updates from the Front Lines |
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September 2008 Sir/Ma'am, August 2008 Maxine (volunteer in charge of
custom forms) Dear Operation Military Support,
January - June 2008 June Dear Operation Military Support,
I’m a firm believer that “good will triumph over Evil” We are fighting extremist insurgents/terrorists who kill women for not wearing a veil and cut off peoples heads for fun. How can they not be considered Evil?
On the other hand, OMS generously send CARE package
after CARE package (at considerable expense) to folks you’ve never met.
How can America and her people NOT be considered GOOD?
We will Prevail.
Things are much
better in Iraq and the negative headlines from
Afghanistan come fro a very small percentage of districts.
We are Winning!! Thanks again Operation Military Support for keeping our morale high so we can continue “fighting them here so we don’t have to fight them on American soil.” Lt. Col. Wayne _______
Dear Operation Military
Support,
Dear June, Operation
Military Support, Staff and Volunteers!
Dear Op Military Support,
Once Again, Thank you for your generosity in thinking of those of us deployed so far from home. Your latest box of goodies was an instant hit as soon as I opened it. My Australian loved the orange gloves. use them as biking gloves for biking to/from work, as it can be cold here in the desert during the winter. The other supplies are also much appreciated and will go fast as well. Thanks again for helping boost the morale of my men. Sincerely, Wayne L. ________ Chief, CTEWCC
Everything is okay. I hardly hear from him! He is going to be redeploying in early April 2008. He does recieve your boxes, and is very thankful. When I do talk to him, he does tell me about what he all recieves like a little kid on Christmas morning! He is very appreciative and thankful, as well as I am, for everything you guys have been doing. Thanks again so much for all you
do,
December 2007-January 2008 Dear Operation Military Support,
Thank you very much for the
wonderful Box. When we open these and see what's inside it is always a
great reminder of home and the United States. After being in these
Countries, one does really appreciate what a great County we live in!!!
Thank you so much for everything
from myself and my fellow soldiers. We appreciate everything you are doing
for us and taking the time to send us these items. It is nice to know that
our efforts are supported back home but fine people like yourselves. Than you soooooooooooooo Much
for the boxes you have sent us, they are awesome and well needed!!!Thank you
again!!!!!! November 2007 Operation Military Support,
Matt ______________ September 2007 Ms. June, Thank you for the great work that you are doing with other American to support us here in the war on terrorism. My name is Captain James _______
and I have been here in Iraq for 18 months since April 2006. I will be returning back to the United States in April 2008, which will complete my 2 years of service in Iraq. Thank you so much for your support during our time overseas away from our family and our beloved nation. Items needed are Nabisco Triscuits, Sunshine Cheez-it, Debbie snacks different kinds variety, Devil Dogs, Ding Dongs, Pop Corn, Vienna Sausages, Vienna Finger cookies, Drake Cupcakes and lotion for skin. Here is a news story that was
written about the work we Advisors are doing here training, advising and
working with the Iraqi Army. You can use my photo with my supervisor Major ___ for your website and to share with your family. Again, thank you very much for your support. I appreciate it very much from my heart. Respectfully, July 2007 Dear June, I heard from my pen pal GySgt. Craig today. He is doing good, though his unit is moving back down south again. He got to see his brother who is also over there in Iraq. I'm happy for him, because the last time he was suppose to go and see him he didn't get a chance. I just wanted to keep you posted. Thank you again so much for the name and address. Rebecca June 2007 Dear OMS: I just wanted to let you know that I got a e-mail from my pen pal Kevin. It was his b-day yesterday and he wrote me a thank you note for remembering. He thought I forgot I guess. I told him that I wrote it down on my calendar. He also told me that he is half way done with his deployment, and he is getting bored. I told him, and any time he wanted to talk about anything he could write me. He sent me two pictures of the real bad sandstorms that they are having over there. I would like to send him another small package of things, but I don't know what else to send him. I know he likes music, but they all share music over there. I don't know if they are allowed to have magazines. For his b-day I sent him a camera, wipes, candy, and a b-day card. I really have no clue what else to send, He said though that if I send stuff he doesn't have much room if he has to pack up and move somewhere else. Well, I just wanted to let you know that we are still writing each other, so please don't him my soldiers name to someone else. Thank you for your website and God bless. Sincerely, Rebecca
May 14, 2007 Thank you so much for the snacks. Everyone I work with really enjoys all the gifts and food that you send to us over here. We normally sit and eat our snacks as we open letters from home and it really makes us feel like we are making a difference. Bethany May 10, 2007 Hello, My name is Randy _____ and I am writing this letter to thank you for the care packages that you recently sent me. I am a soldier deployed in Afghanistan with the 82nd Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division out of For Bragg, NC. I deployed for the states in Dec of 2006 ahead of the rest of my unit, who arrived at the end of Jan. 07. Due to the changes in deployment schedules it look like we will not be leaving here until April of 2008. To tell you a little about myself, I am married with 4 children, fortunately all grown and we have 7 grandchildren, My wife and I are raising one of our grandchildren who just turned 3 the first of may. I have 15 years total in the military, 12 years with the United States Marine Corps. I got out for a number of years and joined the AZ National Guard. My Guard unit was activated for 18 months in Oct. of 2004 and we were sent to Iraq, where we spent the time doing patrols mostly in the Baghdad area but my mission took me all over the country. At the end of that deployment I was offered the opportunity to return to full time active duty with the US Army, which I accepted to finish out my retirement. I am a resident of Arizona but also am buying a home in North Carolina where my wife is presently living. I want you to know that everything you send is greatly appreciated; someone uses all the items. If there is something in the care package that I already have or don’t us it is given to the soldiers here. We have received so many Girl Scout cookies that we have even given some to the Australian soldiers who are stationed with us. The support that I have received is just great. Again, I wish to than you for all that you are doing and am looking forward to hearing from you again. Randy______ May 17, 2007 I am sorry that it has taken me awhile to respond; it has been really hectic here. I want to thank all the people that have been sending me packages. Please pass the thanks to all the volunteers that are with your organization be cause I do not know all who have sent packages. I want to make sure I thank everyone. Well, I need to be going I am at work. May God richly Bless You!! Sincerely, Gloria M. _______ February 28 2007 June, Wow they got here very fast! I am doing just great, feel like a million bucks. I recieved the packages last night when I got on duty, and of course I shared with everyone. My CPT took a pick of me and one of my Soldiers digging into the boxes. I am the goofy guy in the hat. Thank you so much!!! There isn't really anything we need. We are all doing fine. Right now I am pretty excited about getting mail still from last night. Rob February 2007 Mrs. June, Thank you so much for replying to my email. I think that what you all are doing is something special. There are lots of people who complain about the war that what they WOULD do to help if they could. You all are acting! You all are helping the American soldier take another step forward by supporting him with kind words from back home and you all allow him to know that people are at home waiting for our return. Our return date should be around the December time frame some time, but who can really know. Thank you again, Ben |
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February 1 2007 Dear Friends, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for sending the recent care packages. The quantity and quality of care we received from the States during the holiday season was absolutely overwhelming, Not only did we receive an abundance of care packages for soldiers, but we also were received thousands of item for our clinic. At CSC Scania our chapel is a kind of hub for the FOB. Our R & R room is where soldiers can go and relax and decompress when they are off duty. In December we had enough supplies to give the FOB a taste of home. Thank you for helping us to do so. Smith Gate Clinic continues to be an important part of our humanitarian aid in the area. Each day our medics and doctors see scores of people, especially children. Providing aid for these children is not only a good thing to do but also it provides security for our base as well. Thank helping to increase security of our base. I cannot begin to tell you the positive effect your kindness has on soldiers. Especially, as this war becomes more and more unpopular soldiers are caught in the middle. The effect of your packages the constant support was just what we needed to get through the season. (And every day) Thank you for your compassion and support. In Christ, |
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January 28 2007
America soldiers helping Iraqi families" they were passing
out |
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October 16 2006 To All: Just wanted to thank you for the support and boxes that were sent to all of us. Very grateful and appreciated. Thank you all for taking personal time and money to support us. It means a whole lot, trust me. Not all about the packages, food and items, but the love and support we are receiving from fellow Americans is AWESOME!!! Thank you all again, |
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October 2006 Hello from Q-West, Iraq I just wanted to say thank you for the box that I have received and the boxes you have sent over the last few months. I have placed all items on my desk and many of the soldiers have come through my office to pick up the items you have sent. The most recent box had personal fans in it and a box of the frozen otter pops popsicles. Once I placed them in the freezer we had here, it didn’t take them long to be gone. The letters from the children are great and I have my soldiers answering each one. I didn’t have to look far to find someone to answer them. We don’t have much time but we do want to let everyone know that we are so grateful to your organization and all our friends and neighbors back home in the states that are supporting us here. For you all are our neighbors and friends whether we know you or not. May God richly bless you and this organization. CW3
Richard ________ |
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September 2006 Dear Operation Military
Support,
Thank you for the packages you send to us. The contents are very much appreciated by me and my team members. We give what we don't use to the Iraqi Army and pass out the candies to the kids....well, when we feel it is safe from snipers. I’ve attached several photos. Thank you again.
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September 2006 Dear Operation Military Support, Hello, again! Just wanted
to thank you one last time for your kind support! I received your boxes
and am forwarding them to the Regimental Combat Team, to their wounded
troops, recovering
Affectionately, Christina M. ________________ M.D. Lt, MC MWSS 274 |
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November 12, 2006 Following is an example of the personal impact OMS and its volunteers have on the men and women we are supporting. In our initial contact with LT Mack (see below), we asked her how long her group would be deployed and what they would like to see in care packages; we received the following response: Generally CDs and DVDs are well received, as are any electronics. Flashlights (especially from inova) field gear (like knives, etc) sunglasses (it’s VERY bright). We do have one troop who is out of running shoes (new balance, asics, or reebok) and can’t get another pair since he is a size 12.5. Another thing the troops REALLY love is T-shirts from local fire departments or police departments, EMTs etc. Sizes go basically small or large. We got a few of those once from my mom who asked a lot of local groups and they were fiercely fought over. Thanks ….. LT Mack We mailed out our first two boxes to this group and have received the following response: Dear OMS - We received 2 packages yesterday. I try to open packages alone, because I don’t want to encourage a huge crowd all the time. Well, I couldn’t avoid it this time. I sat there in my cot and opened the package and let out an audible “holy…” which brought the masses running. The DVDs and CDs are beyond perfect. We have a lending library (you have to sign them out, no more than 3 at a time) and people have been pretty bored with what is in there. You have made a great addition to it, and reinvigorated it. I wish I could convey to you the smiles it brought. You have no idea. Such great support, and relevant support with things we will actually use, and enjoy. You have made some incredibly happy Soldiers. Please, pass this on to all your supporters. This is a big deal and by far the BEST care package any of us has ever received. We look forward to your packages now. ..... Thus far you are the only group that has ever listened .... and has sent us stuff we actually want and use. The axe products went over pretty well too, we have a younger crowd here (they get younger every attack, I am convinced) and so things that are catered to their generation go a long way. I passed out the snacks too, but I have to admit, I kept the cookie thing. I let the “god microwave” (ie – the bright blistering sun during the day) heat it up, and it was gooey and delicious… mmmm…. Thank you so much… LT Mack This was the letter we received which prompted us to post our website request for first-responder T-shirts. After only one week, volunteers have started sending these shirts to us, and they are now on their way to Iraq. Please keep them coming. Thank you to all of you, our volunteers, who make this all possible. |
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June 14, 2006
Hi again everyone! Well a great day in many ways! Yesterday
I had the honor to be invited to see Also, today is the Army's Birthday - HOOAH! :) The dining facility had a HUGE birthday cake with the Army Flag and a display - Today is also Flag Day …PLUS I leave for my journey home one week from today … I won't return here to Iraq until sometime around the 11th or 12th of July. Thank-you again to all you wonderful people who send me mail and packages and goodies for the troops and children here …Gale |
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June 2006 Hi all! Well, I think
I've probably sweated off about five pounds in the last couple days.
Yesterday (June 1) I flew via Blackhawk to Camp Victory and it was 115
degrees in the SHADE! Today I flew up north to Taji. It was pretty cool
and nice to take a longer helicopter flight to get to see more of the
"sights". We actually went to the Counter Insurgency Academy (COIN) which
is located on Camp Taji and an Iraqi compound - that was interesting. They
have it a lot worse off than we do in the IZ. It was soooo blasted hot and
I made the mistake of looking at a thermometer and it was 135 DEGREES!!!!!
It is almost unbearable especially when we are running around in body armor,
helmet, and weapons not to mention jumping on and off helicopters - whew! I
drank about 4 bottles of water on today's trip. It was very successful
however and I met up with our class leader from CRC (my 2 week training at
Ft. Bliss, TX before coming here) COL __________ so it was nice to see him
and to be able to help him out. We worked with him on standing up a web
presence on Army Knowledge On Line (AKO) as directed by the Chief of Staff
of the Army and also teaching them about the upcoming Portal we are
launching on the three networks. We also took some pictures of the antenna
towers and TCF to help us in some of the work we are doing in planning the
strategic communications for the Contingency Operating Bases. So, all in
all a great trip but WAY TOO HOT!!!! I don't know how these guys who are
out on patrol constantly deal with it - I salute all of them! It sure would
have felt good to jump in a pool! :) |
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MAY 2, 2006 Hi there!
Well, today I went out to one of the FOBs (Forward
Operating Bases) and went to the top of a building My boss has finally returned from leave (thank god) and is getting her feet back on the ground. My fellow Lieutenant Colonels and I have been re-working the Communications and Information Systems re-organization for the future drawdown of the force so we have been pretty busy with that. We have also been continuing our work on building a national CIO capacity for Iraq which is exciting stuff. The weather here has been getting hotter by the day with temps in the 90s to 101 right now.....only toclimb higher - yuck! Oh well, I've been drinking a lot of water - of course bottled because the water here is non-potable but at least the bottled stuff is free! I only have 8 weeks to go until I come home on leave! When MSgt _____ leaves I will be at my 6 month mark - half way! Whoo hoo!
We also got all the
military together and climbed to the roof of the Embassy and took some
pictures - that was cool. I've attached another pic of MSgt ______, CAPT
_______, and me on the roof of the Embassy behind the bunker (pic #2) and my
favorite group picture of the military in my Division (pic #3). |
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June 2006 Hello: LTC Gale J. _______ |
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June 2006 Our latest newspaper. I was so surprised to see the article/pics about the girls school - it is the school we visited at Christmastime and it looked just like the "before" pictures - wow what a difference! It is so wonderful to see! Also, attached is a chart showing some of the ranks of the different militaries that serve with us here. Gale Baghdad Sandstorm NEWSLETTER , 2 June 06 Military Rank Chart from all over the world |
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April 2006 Dear Family and Friends -
Fellow Comm Warriors, I encourage you to read the attached letter from the Mayor of Tall' Afar to Gen Casey. It's moving and inspiring! Be proud of what you do here....each of us, in our own way is making a difference in the lives of the Iraqi people. If ever you feel like you aren't sure why you are here, or you aren't sure what your efforts mean to the Iraqi people, pull out this letter and read it again. I encourage you to share it with your friends and family at home also. They too should feel proud of what America is doing here, as represented by our troops on the ground and on the front lines in places like Tall' Afar. It's their support that enables us to accomplish the mission over here. This letter is directed as much at them as it is to the troops in Tall' Afar. Keep charging! VR, GSC Gary S. Connor, Brig Gen, USAF DCS CIS
Multi-National Force, Iraq |
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April 29, 2006 Hello All, Sorry it has been five months since my last update, but then, we have been busy. Let me give you the bottom-line up front (BLUF), and then catch you up on things. Feel free to forward this to whomever, since we still can't seem to get the press to tell folks what is going on. This is how the fight is going from my foxhole, and it is much more than the bombings, US casualties, and rumors of civil war the press seems to be focused on. *BLUF: We are not, and have not been, on the verge of civil war*. We have had an increase in killings by militia groups in the past five weeks, and that is not helping get the new government seated, but we (the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and Coalition Forces) are far from losing control. As you probably noted, Al Qaida and the other insurgent groups were not able to mount a Tet like offensive this past fall. Iraqi and US operations prevented them from organizing major attacks, and the ISF did a superb job of securing the polling sites. Iraq ratified a constitution and conducted a credible election. Although the Iraqis face some significant challenges forming the new government, the basics of democracy are present and taking root. Saddam's trial is making progress, albeit painfully slowly. The new judge is ensuring the defendants receive due process and a fair trial, while eliminating their ability to turn the trial into a political circus. Saddam's and the others' security continue to be one of my personal headaches, so I am a big fan of keeping the trial moving. 2006 is the Year of the Police, which means our focus is to get the Iraqi police forces trained and operational. We continue to work to rebuild the Iraqi Army, which assumes responsibility for more battle space each week. It is the ability of the Iraqi Army to take the fight to the enemy that allowed us to turn off two US replacement brigades at the end of 2005. The Iraqi Army is having successes and failures, but is steadily improving. Recently they have conducted a number of truly outstanding operations, both in conjunction with us and on their own. The police are not as far along, hence our focus on them in 2006. What you don't see in the media is the tremendous courage of most of the Soldiers, Policemen, and Judges who take significant risk each day to bring stability to their country. I lost an Iraqi friend last week who was the leader of the security of the prison where we send our convicted terrorists to serve their sentences. Another equally brave corrections officer stepped up immediately to take his place. The fight against Al Qaida is going well. They have chosen to make Iraq the battleground against the US, and this has enabled us to kill or capture significant numbers of their senior leadership, and put a dent in their funding. They believe they can prevail by killing US Soldiers, and waiting for the US public to tire of the war and casualties, and bring us home. As I talk to Soldiers around Iraq, they overwhelmingly believe in what they are doing and why they are doing it. They know they are winning, and are frustrated by what they see and hear in the news about America questioning why we are here. In my opinion, it is much better to fight these terrorists in Iraq vice in the US. Our counterinsurgency strategy continues to focus on: offensive operations to kill or capture insurgents; train and reinforce the Iraqi Army and police forces to conduct the counterinsurgency; establish a strong democratic Iraqi government; and rebuild the infrastructure and economy. The Interagency process is working fairly well in Baghdad (Washington could take a lesson), with most of my contacts being with the Departments of State and Justice. One of our two largest challenges is to get the Sunnis, Shia, and Kurds to work together. No one party/sect has a majority in the newly elected Council of Representatives, so learning to compromise and put together alliances in the government will be key to success. Who is selected to head the Ministries of Defense and Interior (police) is also key; we really need individuals who are secular, and are clearly not tied to any of the various militia groups. The militias are the other major challenge to success here. We will have to disarm them, weed them out of the government, and neutralize their ability to terrorize the citizens of Iraq. This will be at least as challenging as getting the major sects to work together, but not impossible. On top of these two challenges, we have the Iranian influence to combat. Our neighbors to the east are intent on destroying this attempt at democracy, and infiltrate and support terrorists at every opportunity. The Judiciary continues to be a success story, and it remains strongly independent and resistant to executive branch influence. As a side note, we got our first death sentence in a Coalition case this week; one of the Al Qaida terrorists who participated in the beheading of Nick Berg. I could not have been prouder than to spend my final Thanksgiving and Christmas in uniform with the outstanding young Americans who are serving here as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines. Thanksgiving morning dawned clear and crisp at 45 degrees with a 20 knot wind. Although it was warm by Minnesota and Korea standards, it was chilly for the desert as we donned our body armor and loaded our HMMWVs for the convoy to Abu Ghraib. Had a great dinner in the mess hall there with the Soldiers, and spent the afternoon checking fighting positions and guard towers. That evening I spent some talking with the joint service members of our intelligence unit, a section of which is dedicated to finding our one MIA, SGT Keith Maupin. They are out on missions each week, intent on bringing him home. Troop morale continues to remain high. The Soldiers can see the difference they are making, whether killing bad guys, training the Iraqi forces, or improving the living conditions for Iraqis. They can no longer give beanie babies to the kids, because Al Qaida has taken to placing explosives in them, giving them to kids, blowing their arms off or killing them, and blaming the Americans. This is a tough fight, and we are once again up against an enemy who has no moral compass. Our kids continue to excel at every mission, and are undaunted in their task. If anyone has any doubts about this generation, they can erase them. 2006 will be a decisive year. We have the opportunity to do a battle handoff to the Iraqis for the lead in the counterinsurgency fight, and begin to reduce our combat presence. Concurrently, we must continue to coach and mentor the Iraqi Government as it continues its journey toward democracy. We will need to be here for awhile, but my assessment is that this is the make or break year. I'm betting on our Soldiers and the Iraqi people. Colonel William Ivey, Infantry Classification: UNCLASSIFIED |
We
all are devotees to the gym and trying to become stronger warriors so the
Teriyaki Beef Sticks are a big hit.
prior to being sent
back outside the wire. You will never know what your kindness has meant
to these young warriors. Thank you for remembering us so far away from
home. I will be redeploying home to Cherry Point in a few weeks and will
take sweet memories of your little boxes with me, of your bountiful
gestures of love and support. I pray that you all will be blessed for
your kindness.
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 LTC Gale J. ____, U.S.A U.S. Embassy, Baghdad |
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