News from the Front

Hugh Hewitt posts two excellent pieces today — one is a story written by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with accompanying comments by the author, about an American firefighter who is training Iraqis in the art & science of firefighting despite the threats to his life; and one is a letter written by a Marine in one of the more dangerous regions of Iraq. Scroll down until you find the green headline: "Isn't fighting fires dangerous enough?" Keep reading through that to the letter from the Marine.

Here is a key segments from Tom Clarkson, the author of the Corps of Engineers article:

How easy it is for those comfortably ensconced in the security of their air conditioned living rooms, with TV controls upon their laps and a laugh track sit-com blaring before them, to haughtily proclaim, “Let the Iraqis do it for themselves. It’s their problem not ours.” If those who enjoy the fruits of freedom are not ready to help those who seek it, then who?

The many Iraqis who bravely are standing up for their beliefs face uncertainties unimagined by those snack munching, video playing multitudes back home who are several generations removed from our country’s own struggles to attain democracy.

Too often, too many of us give cursory indication of appreciation to phrases such as that one poignantly etched upon the Korean Monument on the Mall in Washington , D.C. – “Freedom is not Free.” Here in Iraq , one is daily reminded, that this is much more than mere words.

And from the unnamed Marine:

There are over 14 of the 18 provinces in Iraq our thriving. Even in the Al Anbar province that I operate we are turning the control & have turned the control over to the Iraqis when it comes to provincial and municipal government. Is it perfect? No! Is our government, No! Look at California and its dysfunctional government system!

Business our now starting to operate without fear, the people are starting to work with us more, and they are hopeful for a better tomorrow.

Last week we had two reporters from the Washington area travel through our area. They didn’t want to know of any positive developments, all they were interested in was violence and mayhem.

You constantly hear how recruitment for the armed forces is down. Well can you wonder why when in some areas of the country recruiters are barred from campus, or in many Ivy League colleges there isn’t one ROTC program?

Why does the media continually report on abuse at Abu Graib, or at Guantanmo Bay, but fails to report on the savagery of the terrorist that we are engaged with?. Why do the many sacrifices of its sons and daughters in harms way fail to make headlines? Why doSean Penn, Barbara Streisand, Tim Robbins, and Susan Sarandon make front page news, but when Denzel Washington personally pays for a home for military families to stay while they visit there loved ones in the military hospital only makes the local paper?

Why do we always believe the worst of the armed forces instead of the best?

Even United States Senator Durbin stated that Guantanmo is reminiscent of Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Russia, Mao Se-Tung’s China, and of Pol Pot in Cambodia. During each of these periods millions died. Do people believe that Guantanmo even remotely compares to this?

I may be only a Marine but I believe in what we are doing, and believe that we are bringing democracy and freedom to region that has been void of freedom. If called to serve again I would gladly serve again. We are facing the same threat that a generation of Americans faced at a different time in history, the stakes our the same freedom or tyranny!

Read all of it.