email from Iraq

[SixFive]

I've posted several of these from a young man who lives here in Bowling Green. He's been having a rough go of it since the bombing in Mosul, and this is the first one in a while that he has given the ok to his mom to share.

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Dear mom, don't have long so will have to make this quick.

We've been real busy, haven't slept in my own bed for days now. We're
back in tonight though and am looking forward to it. Things haven't really
calmed down per say. These things seem to come in spurts. Don't know
much about the elections, we are trying to spread positive propaganda all
over
the place, on top of patrols, raids, and counter mortar missions. We are
swamped, aside from all the election stuff. As for the board and
promotion, I'd imagine it will be put on hold. I don't know how we could
squeeze it
in with all thats on our plate. I haven't been sleeping much, but not
because of any personal problems, just busy. We've run all-nighters every
day for a
week or better. Sleep just comes when it can...my body is all messed up.
I'm wide awake at 2 in the morning and dead tired at noon. It sucks.
Well I just wanted to answer your questions and say hi. Sorry its so
brief,
but I've got to run.

 

[I LOVE WR]

AND ALL IN THE NAME OF OIL. I HOPE HE GETS HOME SAFE. HE'S A VERY BRAVE GUY. ITS A SHAME HIS GOV'T IS SCREWING HIM AND THE OTHERS OVER.

HOWS LIFE 6/5. PLAYING POKER LATELY?

 

[bjfinste]

Just out of curiousity, do you know how often these guys get a chance to get on a computer to send emails? I knew a guy over there right at the start of the invasion, and his emails came very sporadically. It was tough on his parents, esp. his Mom, because whenever a week or more passed between emails, they would always fear the worst. Gotta just be an awful feeling.

 

[Chanman]

Canada is ranked near the bottom of a list of 169 nations' military spending, far behind its NATO allies and lagging behind countries such as Croatia and Guinea, finds a report released yesterday by a prestigious international think-tank.
...
The report puts Canada's defence spending at US$10.118-billion, based on 2003 figures, giving us one of the 20 largest military budgets in the world. But as a percentage of our gross domestic product, Canada's military is among the worst-funded in the world at 1.2%.

The NATO average is almost double that amount and Canada's comparative defence spending trails much smaller and impoverished countries such as Croatia and the west African nation of Guinea, Christopher Langton, the editor of the report, said.

"Croatia spends a little bit more than Canada per capita and considerably more as a percentage of their GDP," he said in an interview from London. "Your defence spending as a percentage of GDP is below the average for African nations."

"It's less than Nigeria or Kenya, which spend 1.8% of their GDP, and Guinea, which is at 1.9%."
...
Although the federal government increased the defence budget by about $800-million in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, it has since been clawing back some of that money. This fiscal year it has demanded the Canadian Forces find $144-million in internal savings and next year it plans to take another $184-million.

A total of $500-million in potential cuts are being considered over the next few years as the government squeezes the military for savings.

And while the Liberals promised during last summer's election campaign to add another 5,000 soldiers to the Forces' depleted ranks, there has been no announcement of additional funding to pay for the additional troops.

 

[SixFive]

BJ, his free time to write is highly dependent on his current job duties. Sounds like he is working awfully hard now and doesn't have the time or energy to write much.

 

[IntenseOperator]

AND ALL IN THE NAME OF OIL. I HOPE HE GETS HOME SAFE. HE'S A VERY BRAVE GUY. ITS A SHAME HIS GOV'T IS SCREWING HIM AND THE OTHERS OVER.

HOWS LIFE 6/5. PLAYING POKER LATELY?

Nice job of sh*tting on this thread

 

[I LOVE WR]

CHANMAN- FINALLY YOU ARE SEEING THE LIGHT. WE IN CANADA CARE ABOUT EDUCATION AND INTELLIGENCE NOT MILITARY. WE GOT YOUR GORILLAS FOR THAT. SO I THANK YOU FOR POINTING THAT OUT.

IO ARE YOU A CHICK OR A VERY FEMININE FUDGE PACKER??

SHITTING ON THIS THREAD. SORRY THAT I LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD AND DIDNT GET OUT THE CANDLES AND KENNY G MUSIC WHEN I READ 6/5'S POST.

I STATED AN OBVIOUS FACT ALOT OF AMERICANS LIKE TO LEAVE OUT IN THIS FARCE OF A WAR.

I ALSO STATED -I HOPE HE GETS HOME SAFE. HE'S A VERY BRAVE GUY

GOOD LUCK WITH THOSE FEMINIST RIGHTS GROUPS ON FRIDAYS.

YOU LISTENING TO KENNY G OR MICHAEL BOLTEN.