LETTERS FROM BAGHDAD

october29,2003
hello my love, heard about the fires, the last year i was in the
marines we used to get called out to fight them. so glad you got
the charm, was worried about that. anyway, sunspots are wrecking
havoc on the system here. you can see the bursts from here (wierd).
i want to research the news groups for info on our units deployment.
rumors at home say we are leaving, the command here says we are
staying. someones screwed up. i will start looking for a place when i
first get home. i know pretty much what to look for, (remember we
need room for your cats). i have some options but just cant do much
from this end. of course we think alike, i remember our first e-mails
thinking, " i sure missed the boat on this girl!" well, better send,
i'm doing fine really, (have most of the creature comforts of home
anyway) love...m...your husband...

october12,2003
(a card with a pink rose and a silver pendant enclosed)
greetings from baghdad! thanks so much for the photo albums,
that means so much to me! i cant believe you sent what i consider
treasures! (my old and new photos). i will keep them safe and
we will start the first of many photo albums to include our first album, our
wedding photos! i have four or five albums i have filled over the years,
i guess the rest will be 'our' albums! may there be many! youre so pretty
in your photos, i am so lucky to have you now after decades of thinking
of you! i went to the bazaar today. i just enjoyed getting out and spending
some money on myself after months of having 'bare bones'.
first thing i bought was (find enclosed) this silver pendant
and i thought you could wear it with my dogtag. i still cant believe
how my life has changed since meeting you again. like i have said
a million times before, my other half has joined me for what could have
been the toughest years of my life, love you deeply babe!...m...

october24,2003
greetings to you my love! yes, i long for you but
i am stuck here and nothing could be more frustrating
than to find the one you love and then be separated
by no choice of our own! i hate the assholes (we know who
they are) who are keeping us here. its obvious they dont care.
its all about thier goddamn oil and money (and everybody knows it).
the army is trying its best to make life better for us here but
nothing beats going home (or being with the one you love).
now i've found you and i cant be with you! well, enough said...
my friend was riding in a humvee when someone took a pot shot
at thier convoy. so far i think only myself and one other soldier
have actually exchanged fire with the bad guys but i'm not sure.
do you want to try the phone again? i think you are*** hours ahead
of me. they have a new phone center here and i would like to give
it a try. i have never considered the military phones because the
lines are so long and there is a 30 minute limit, not to mention the fact
i cant find an operator to connect me to you. there is supposed to be an iraqi
operator at the *** phone center so maybe we can give it a try. i remember
i could call you direct from germany for almost nothing. i'll never forget
those times, we couldnt stop talking to each other! anyway, we will get time to
talk some day. well, nothing to really tell you, its a shame my card didnt make it,
everytime i have tried to send something silver it hasnt got to you.
i sent you another card the other day, just a short message. when i
saw the card it made me think of you and while it made me sad i sent it anyway.
i try not to get angry about this deployment but i cant help vent now and then.
pray to god we can vote the republicans out of office. i am afraid they are
going to wreck our great nation. its more than just a gut feeling,
(just look at the writing on the wall). but all i care about now is
just being with you. nothing will make me really happy until we are
side by side. until then, life sucks, (well, its not that bad LOL!) like
you i cant wait till we are one, mind, soul, and body! i better
send, i lost a letter to v. the other day. love you babe! your husband...m

october22,2003
hi babe! recieved your cd today, forgot all about v.m., this
place really isolates you. the guys were impressed by your choice of
music. everyone wanted to borrow it. no problem, i listened to it
three times in a row. my company noticed your 'name change', lol!
i think it scared the command, they thought i was due back pay!
( i would make more money if we were really married). anyway, you will meet
alot of the guys at our wedding. this is a tight unit and i will invite
alot of the guys from the company. i know you said you wanted a june
wedding, but of course we could get married before that and have
the ceremony and reception in june. yeah! no meetings tonight!
i rushed right over here after chow so i could mail you. have you recieved
my card yet? i sent it a couple weeks ago. i feel so guilty, i havent sent
any snailmail out to you. i feel i can tell you more that way. i need a notebook
and simply write a little to you daily. before it was awkward just finding the
time to sit down to write to you but now i have evenings off. things are really
starting to get back to normal. i have coffee and watch the news in the morning
before i leave for guard duty. we dont need ac, the current temp. is perfect for
me now. i have other things to enjoy but life is not complete without
you by my side. so no matter how much i make myself 'at home' here,
life is still incomplete without you! well, i will try to write a little everyday,
unless there is a meeting or i pick up duty for a friend. (i watched the radio
the other night) we pick up the slack for each other. when i recieved your letter
and cd my friends all laughed when i said, "thats a short letter!" they thought
it was long. i read a few lines from it that talked about the bigshots and
thier screw ups. i think they were very impressed with that. (we all feel that way!)
some of the most conservative guys are starting to come around. the guard
and reserves, no matter how hard they try to make us comfortable here,
(and they are trying) we know we are getting screwed on this deployment.
you know that from reading the news online. even the army times and
stars and stripes have had opinions about the issue. well, better send,
dont want to lose this. dont fret if you dont hear from me, i am always
thinking of us and i am looking at a plan of action for the future
cuz like you sed it really is only a matter of months now and we will be
together! god, how i long for the day you will be by my side! like you,
i have waited my whole life for this! oops, my friend just walked in,
he says hi! love you babe...your husband...m

october24,2003
hi babe! one of the guys from our unit got shot in the leg
the other day. he's okay and will go home soon. i want to go home real
bad but not that way! (his father broke the record for purple hearts and
wrote a book about it). anyway, youre glad i am not doing the escort thing
and for good reason. its a good bunch of guys in our unit but we have our
'assholes' too. some of the people going through the gate complained
about some guys but theres nothing i can do about other people. i often
just tell them to use another gate when that happens. (the mp's are
not so mean anyway lol!) i hope is all well with you... i guess i better send,
i have been lucky recently, havent lost any letters! your husband...m

october21,2003
hi babe!! net is slow tonight, gotta run to a meeting in about 10
minutes. love you babe! might not get to e-mail
for a few days but dont panic, i'll get here when i can.
by the way, they pulled our infantry duty! so
no patrols for now! love, your husband..m

october 20,2003
hi babe! i hope i can e-mail you more in the future, we are
going infantry again in a few weeks which means rifle range and
and patrols. i may not be able to e-mail you for days at a time
and that hurts. i'm an expert in the weapons field so i doubt
i will get any more contractor work despite my civilian degree
in contract specialist. they want people in the field who can fire
rockets, mortars and the like so i guess thats what i get for having
a military education (no matter how ancient.) better send,
i've lost so many letters so i have to keep them short. love you so
much babe! so hang in there love, i long for the day we can be together
as much as you long for those days. you be safe too! i love you babe...
your husband...m

october 19,2003
hi babe! i just couldnt make it up here last night, got busy
with my 'AO' (area of operations) recieved your 'notebook'
yesterday, wow! i love you! i showed everybody in my 'AO'
your notebook and said, "this is a letter!" lol! i'm so lucky to have you,
you know that by now for sure! i am doing okay but stressing about
things at home. it is so very hard to plan things but at least we
know what has to be done. we need to get your stuff and my stuff
and have some time for us and us alone! i just want you to know i feel
the same way you do, and it kills me even when i cant check my mail from you!
youre on my mind all the time and i am learning how to deal with it.
it was so easy when i was young to end a relationship when i travelled
but that can be so lonely and i dont want any part of that in my life anymore.
i've found my other half and its you that i want most of all. you are so pretty
and i had the hots for you so bad in high school. it kills me we didnt have a closer
relationship back then. well, thats history now, i feel just like you
and thats all that matters now. i loved your notebook letter so much!
anyway, its raining on the tent now as i type, yeah! no dust when i walk back.
i really am okay here, i now enjoy some of the things i had back home but nothing
beats getting together with you babe! i cant stress that enough! well, guess i should send
it would kill me to lose this. no one is here and it is like having you here alone with me.
i love you my dear new wife, hang in there, i'll e-mail when i can and yes
i think of you when i cant make it up here! love, your husband...m

october 19,2003
(this is a letter m. wrote for his battalion newsletter)
september 11,2003
'Who's the Real Enemy?'
as a so-called "liberal democrat" currently serving in iraq as an infantryman
with the ***brigade, i cannot help but object to specialist ***'s 'opinion'
printed in the august issue of the *** newsletter, suggesting we could be
the 'enemy'. my ancestors founded this great country of ours. both of my grandmothers
were daughters of the american revolution. other ancestors fought in ww1 and ww11.
after having served in the US Marine corps as an enlisted rifleman
and later as an officer in the US Army reserves, i enlisted in the national guard to
help rid the world of another horrible dictator. what many people seem to forget is
that we live in a democracy protected by the constitution. it is our right (with the exception
of most military personnel) to question the governments actions at home and abroad.
furthermore, it is our duty (and obligation).
what i object to most in specialist ***'s opinion is that liberal democrats will
go down in history as being the 'real enemy' since they object to the policy of the US
concerning our actions in iraq. i also dont feel that all 'liberal democrats' object
to the US being in iraq. (our own senator *** is among those in favor of our
actions here.)
furthermore, i dont think the conflict in iraq can be compared to the vietnam war.
the same people who are protesting and objecting our actions here are sending
troops care packages. i also believe that saddam hussein is defeated in war and
can cause little harm to the war effort. politics divide our nation, not a coward
in hiding.
until the US completes our mission here in iraq to make a strong and politically
healthy nation, there will always be debate concerning policy towards that end.
simply put, i do not want to be referred to as the 'real enemy' simply because
i (and others) question the policies of our leaders. 'political attacks' is what other
political groups do. it is what makes our nation what is it is today: a place where
everyone wants to live (not to mention the fact that it is a great and proud nation).
i do agree with specialist***'s comment that we should all pull together and support
the war effort in iraq. it is unfortunate that many people have objections on just
how to go about doing that, but that is the nature of being american, not 'an enemy'.
being deployed on the front lines of iraq, it also concerns me that many iraqi people
still complain about conditions here. i also hope and pray that the US does find
more evidence of saddam's wrong-doings because i believe it would bring 'liberal democrats'
(and the rest of the world) together on a very real and important issue.
i can only hope that specialist *** and others reconsider thier opinions towards others
and know we are all in this together, regardless of 'politics'.

october 16,2003
hello to my sweet wife, i'd walk forever to get an e-mail
to you. i'd miss chow too. the guys said, "come on m., we got a ride to chow."
i said, "no i pass tonight." ( i was walking in the other direction to e-mail
you while the crew here was out to chow). they said, "youre addicted to the
e-mail." and i said, "i'm addicted to my new wife!"LOL i'm with a great
group of people, we watch out for each other. anyway, baghdad was my trip
out of here. i like it. people are nice and the weather is great. one guy asked me
why i wasnt riding with my weapon at the ready. i said cuz i thought it would
insult the iraqis we see and i wish more people felt that way. a lot of iraqis
always comment on all my combat gear. i think they feel i feel threatened
and i think it hurts some feelings, i dont know. i just wish things were
different. i would run this war a lot differently. anyway, its a short letter
tonight, oh yeah, we cruised a bad neighborhood too but i took pics
and talked to some kids instead of manning my gun. many are unhappy
that things arent happening faster. but i said, "give it time."
they were selling knives but i have all the knives i need lol!
that was it for my escort duties. i'm on checkpoint duty from now on
and it's military traffic only so i'm safe for awhile. its the day shift
so i can still e-mail you. i love you babe. i know it sounds corny
but this is the first time i've really known i found my true love.
thanks for sticking with me. i'm not religious but you are like a gift
from god, guiding me through these rough waters! better send,
love you, my new wife, love...m

october 14,2003
hi babe! love you too! had some time off due to changeover. i made
some trips into baghdad. nothing dangerous and i got some more
great photos (ie, the swords,etc) most of the people here are real nice,
i wish they would let us make more trips into town. i think sometimes
the americans isolate themselves too much when i think we should
mingle with the locals as much as possible. i dont think we'll get much done
sitting behind barbed wire and hoping for the best. anyway, thats just
my opinion.(i'm not running the show) anyway, its you that i think about
all the time now. such a change from the 'just me' attitude i have had for
for so many years. bad news, the battalion commander gave a speech
last night. there are no orders as of yet but he thinks we'll go home
as early as mid*** to as late as early***. he has a sense of humor,
he said he would stop talking and run out the door if we got angry.
he said he gets some mean mail from the wives but he understands it.
i just want to be home before you! i'm glad you enjoyed the photo,
its a keeper. you have a card on the way, you know i feel the same
about you that you feel about me. i cant get over the fact we are one
now and all my thoughts are geared in that direction. please dont
ever doubt that ever. i'm commited and i am a one woman man.
i dont meet a lot of women here but the few i do and know i am
proud to say i have a future wife. i'm also proud in that i am not
like other men in that i would not go to the whorehouse in germany.
of course the guys made fun of me but all i could think about was you
so i didnt care. well, my letter must come to a close, i'm told we may lose
power in a minute so i want to send this. an internet cafe is on the way
so we may be able to talk more in the future,but until i know my
new schedule it may be hard to make it up here to my friends tent
to e-mail. (they had us cleaning weapons today even though they
left us alone for the most part) well, better send...miss you
and love you soooo much my pretty one. your husband...m

october 4,2003
hi babe! i just started typing to you when a call came in
for an mp (or infantry) to respond to a call about an intruder.
turned out to be an iraqi worker going through the garbage, bummer...
the net has been down and i'm not in the office much so i wanted so badly
to touch bases with you. plan well my love, for the future (start packing now!lol)
i cant believe you have waited for me, no girlfriend has ever done that! i also
cant help thinking we were made for each other, plain and simple. well better run babe,
we got something to do this evening, and the net is going on and off.
ps...you can always plan an early return, (you have a family complete
with husband!) love you babe...m

october 2,2003
hi babe! of course we are family now! i am your new husband!
i feel sorry for you 'friend', maybe you should have waited,
(but that is up to you). we are a team now and we will work that way
and take on the world together! we will play it by ear, nothing definite
yet on leaving, but cross your fingers! maybe we can meet for leave,
it depends on a lot of things. i'm in the office now but gotta run
(we've got a security issue outside) see you babe, i'll be careful.
love, your husband...