Our Man in Iraq
A few weeks ago, we interviewed Christopher Garcia of San Luis Obispo by phone from Iraq. I thought you might be interested in hearing an update from him.
Hello My Friends,
Happy Memorial Day to you at home. I hope you all got a chance to spend it well and with loved ones. As always, my sincere thanks for your continued love and support as I continue to do what I have been asked to do over here in Iraq. It truly has been an honor to serve with the US military here. I hope to take home many lasting memories to share back there. It has also been that emotional rollercoaster many of you told me I would go through. Memorial Day here in Iraq was represented by a ceremony for the fallen soldiers of this base. It was so many things to me…moving, sad, motivating, breathtaking, humbling…mostly though today I have had a feeling of pride filled with tears of thankfulness of being alive. Today was also just a regular day for the troops. There is no holiday…we got some cake though…It is very hot here…now somewhere in the 120’s F. We remained in our towers and fence line and on our patrols doing what we need to do to ensure that all the soldiers here are safe so that we all can eventually come home to our lives we have left. I miss my life back there, but I know it is important that I am here as well. Whatever you believe about us here in Iraq…we defend that. I am trying my best to do good work and I thank you all for your emails of appreciate here on Memorial Day. I have lived a special life. I hope to be home soon. Good night at home. We miss you over here. You have all done so much and in many ways you may not have realized to keep me up when I have been tired and worn down over here. Thanks!
Sincerely,
Christopher Garcia…
SSGT Christopher L. Garcia, USAF
506th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron
Bravo Unit#70130
Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq
APO AE 09359
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The Dave Congalton Show 
A GREAT American HERO!! ALL our appreciation & thanks for your hard & dangerous work keeping what we hold dear safer!! God Bless you & all your WONDERFUL & BRAVE comrades Christopher!! You are in our prayers always.
What everyone MUST understand is that sentiment is the norm, not the exception, of our servicemen and women serving around the world and in Iraq. SSG Garcia said it best when he said “I miss my life back there, but I know it is important that I am here as well. Whatever you believe about us here in Iraq…we defend that.”
That is what a professional military is all about.
Rich: I firmly believe that those in the military need, and should, truly believe in the mission that they are given, and that they will do the job they are ordered to do with everything they have. You say that Sgt. Garcia’s comments reflect the “norm” of those serving; is this link taking an “un-normal” view by our troops in Iraq? And if the article at the link is the attitude that most of our troops have, is the “mission” still justified?
When President Bush started this latest “surge” effort, you stated that it could get worse before it gets better, and your words have been prophetic; I hope you are as correct in your assesment that things will get better in Iraq.
Bob: To answer your questions – Yes that is an “un-normal” view of Iraq.
Yes, the mission is still justified.
The letter posted by Dave IS that view from the “boots on the ground” I talked about yesterday.
And the McClatchy news item Bob from San Luis linked to is more of the same.
Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to speak truth to power on the actual battlefield. Lieberman will never actually hear what any soldier next to him is actually feeling and thinking.
It’s up to us at home to do what’s necessary–show some spine!–to bring ’em home. Support the troops, bring them home to their families, their children, their wives, their life.
I like how Bob can find a “story” written by Leila Fadel and dismiss our soldier’s story in Iraq.
Bob is always wrong but he is very consistent.
Steve: You have a nice way of twisting words or interpreting to suit your view; please copy my previous comment and highlight or put into parenthesis any word or phrase that I wrote that dismisses the letter from Sgt. Garcia in any way shape or form. I did not notice who wrote the article from the McClatchy News Service; I was troubled by the underlying theme of the article, as it was a stark opposite from the letter of Sgt. Garcia.
I asked the question of Rich because he served in Iraq, and I value his opinion on military matters. He says the attitude of those mentioned in the article are not the norm, that is good enough for me. I am somewhat surprised by Rich’s assertion that even if the majority of the troops in Iraq did not support the idea of the mission or even the mission itself, that the mission is still justified. I thought the President said he listens to the “boots on the ground”, specifically the in-country military leadership; it would be interesting to find out what those military leadership really believe can be the outcome of their work there, if all of the political implications for the White House were not considered in any way.
So Steve, please point out exactly how I dismissed the soldiers story.
Wow! you hateful libs hate good news about our brave men and women and that they want to win in Iraq…not just for them but for you.
Don’t worry…you’ll be back to hating soon.
Take a deep breath…soon you can start trying to destroy America again.
For now. God bless our troops. Without them who would libs have to hate?
This is another “report” from another soldier in Iraq, By SPC Freeman, Milo; US Army, Iraq from the website Information Clearing House
Posted 06/31/07
If the Shoe Fits
Go Marylin Go!!!! you tell em girl!
It’s all Bush’s fault! and Rove too!
Open our borders to all muslims and mexicans!
What’s wrong with loosing a few buildings and airports if we can keep sorrosites in the congress and white house!
It’s just collateral damage for our cause!
We love marilyn! You go girl!
Bob, my point is you see the letter Dave recieved from a “boots on the ground” soldier and then you counter it with a “story” from who reporter you don’t even know.
Courage to Resist. June 1, 2007. 8:00 pm PST update
SACRAMENTO, CA – An Iraq War veteran – who insists on remaining anonymous as “only a representative” of his fallen comrades – began walking laps around the state capitol building Memorial Day morning at 8:00 am. Fifty-eight hours later, he was still walking. Although some on the scene summed up his condition as a “health crisis” due in large part to weather extremes, he told supporters he will not rest until he has finished walking laps for every U.S. service person killed in Iraq.
March now continuing 8 am to 8 pm daily, others now being asked to help walk all of the names of those killed.
This is what happens to soldiers and officers who try to uphold the Constitution.
Jailed for upholding law at Guantánamo
Lt. Cmdr. Matt Diaz
On May 18, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Diaz was sentenced to six months in a Naval brig and removal from the Navy for courageously upholding the constitution of the United States. Apparently this is a very serious crime in America today. Lt. Cmdr. Diaz is actually counting himself lucky, as the 41-year-old officer with 19-years of service to the U.S. Navy faced a possible 14 years in prison.
Diaz was a military attorney assigned to investigate abuses of prisoners at Guantánamo, the legal black hole dungeon that operates outside of domestic and international law according to the Bush administration. Taking this assignment seriously not only some-what predictably ended his military career; it might have landed himself in prison until the year 2021.
On orders from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the U.S. had refused to release the names of the prisoners that were being held at Guantánamo. The U.S. continued to stonewall all requests for this information even after a federal court ruled that the names must be turned over.
It is not courageous to aide and abet the enemies of the United States. That Lt Cdr did just when he provided the enemies of the United States with an accurate count of the whereabouts of their personnel. I’m sure he felt good about himself in “upholding the Constitution”. Where in the Constitution does it expressly state that the names of illegal enemy combatants of the United States have to be released to anyone? And don’t give me that prisoners of war/ Geneva convention crap because the Breck Girl, John Edwards, says that the War on Terror is a bumper sticker slogan and doesn’t really exist. So these terrorists are committing terrorist acts against the United States and that lawyer (spitting on the floor) wants al Qaida to have an accurate head count. Just wonderful.
Hey Marilyn, if Islam is so great, wonderful and peaceful why do adherents of that religion murder young women for talking to boys on cell phones or demand that the young women commit suicide for similar “honor” violations? Why are you wasting your time bad mouthing the United States when you have a religion of about a billion murdering its young women for violating family honor? Why are you in Atascadero blogging here when you could be doing so much more in your native Lebanon to stop this kind of senseless murdering in your religion’s name? At best, your priorities are just all out of whack. At worst, you are afraid to be killed yourself if you were to even mention changing such things in the Muslim world.
Bob: I refuse to accept your premise. That is why I said what I said. Those of us that serve find our own value in things. Well, at least those of us that have the ability to not get immersed in the whole “why you are here” issue. I know that locally where I was, the units in my area did tremendous good for the Iraqi people. I feel that most soldiers do the same thing. Therefore I refuse to accept the premise of your hypothetical on the grounds that it is not ever going to be a true reflection of the mindset of soldiers serving there.
Bob, SSG Garcia’s shit this morning has more integrity and smarts than you’ll ever have you loser.
Marilyn why don’t you take your dead ass back to crap hole you came from.