HERE IS THE LATEST UPDATE WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM JOE'S COMMANDERS. THE EVENTS ON APRIL 7 WAS THE FIREFIGHT THAT JOE AND SEVERAL OTHERS WERE INJURED IN. IT IS GREAT THAT WE GET THE OPPROTUNITY TO RECEIVE LETTERS LIKE THIS. SOME GREAT THINGS ARE BEING DONE THAT THE MEDIA DOESN'T TALK ABOUT, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD ALL BE TALKING ABOUT IT.
Wolfhound Families,
? ? ? ? I want to once again thank you for your sacrifices to allow your soldiers to serve so proudly here in Iraq.? I know that the support you give them from home directly impacts their ability here in an uncertain environment.? Your husbands, sons, fathers are working everyday to make things better in our region of Iraq.? The news often shows the worst, and I guess they generate the most monetary gain from showing shocking images.? What they don't show is the steady improvement over here.? They don't show American soldiers interacting with people who's culture, religion, and language are quite different than our own.? They don't realize our main effort is to rebuild the Iraqi infrastructure - not to kill anyone.? Our soldiers go forth each day with smiles on their faces and big hearts.? They watch each other and take care of each other, but they work toward a common goal - make this place better than we found it.? We are trying to erase 30 years of abuse and neglect by a dictator.?
? ? ? ? The largest city in our sector, Huweja pop. (80-100,000), doesn't even have a sewage system.? The electricity runs from hundreds of wires draped from house to house - no civic planning is evident anywhere.? Just an hour away, one of Saddam's palaces sits with marble floors and staircases - just one of many palaces.? The cost of anyone of them could have provided clean drinking water for our whole region.? It's amazing to look at a region so rich in agriculture and oil and to see the poverty.? So your Wolfhounds go forth each day and night with big hearts and attempt to make things better.?
? ? ? ? There are many in the country and surrounding the country who don't want to see a government of the people and for the people succeed here.? They see chaos as a better alternative.? They will fight improvement if it has won the trust of the people.? They will kill their own neighbors to upset the community - always blaming it on the Coalition.? They see it as honorable to attack the "occupiers."? It confounds logic.? They draw our efforts away from steady improvement in the community to militarily defend their government and ourselves.? The lies are everywhere.? Just remember the Iraqi Minister of News who was broadcasting about the dramatic and nearly total defeat of the coalition forces by Iraqi armed forces at the border.? His broadcasts continued right to the point where he had to run as the Americans rolled into Baghdad.? Lies were and are everywhere and with limited educations of many and limited news media the lies are believed.? An interesting environment.
? ? ? ? On 7 April we deployed for a normal day of working with the local government and visiting infrastructure projects throughout the region.? A call came from a platoon in Huweja about a peaceful demonstration in the streets.? We sent another platoon just in case things got out of hand.? It turns out that two of our cities were targeted to be part of a nationwide attack to discredit the work of the coalition.? Armed terrorists used the crowd to close within striking distance of the government building and our soldiers.?
? ? ?? A figure dressed in black with his face covered lurked a couple of blocks away with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher (RPG).? He popped out to take aim at the government building where our soldiers were securing a city counsel meeting.? A Wolfhound sniper prevented the launch with one clean shot.? Then many came in a preplanned attack.? The platoon on the scene held its ground under heavy fire from multiple directions.? Machine gun fire raked the area.? RPGs exploded all around.? Another platoon of Wolfhounds assaulted into the flank of the attacking enemy and began a house-to-house fight.? Within an hour nearly every soldier in the Wolfhound Taskforce was applying the training they had received.? Platoon after platoon joined battle with such aggressiveness and professionalism the enemy was never able to regain the initiative.? After a four hour running gun-fight, many weapons laid in the street beside those who would have done us harm.? Our soldiers fought like the generations of Wolfhounds before us.? At about the time when things began to slow a fight broke in another of our towns.? Our force began without hesitation to maneuver again and again we secured victory.?
? ? ? ? The fight was not without cost.? We had several soldiers injured.? God was once again watching over our ranks - every one of them will make full recoveries.? As I have said before no one moves without his buddies watching out for him.? This was the case on 7 April.? The only case where an injured soldier was not immediately surrounded by his team mates was when the injured soldiers moved to aid a young girl injured by terrorist fire.? They moved the injured child to safety without regard to their own safety or injuries.?
? ? ? ? There were several accounts of injured soldiers refusing aid during the fight.? Several of those soldiers refused medical evacuation till they knew their squad was okay.? We had soldiers flown back to an airbase where they were arguing with doctors to let them back in the fight.? They would not let their buddies fight alone.? Men with stitches from shrapnel of enemy grenades took over guard posts so others good join the fight.? I told you before that you have not seen in the movies the feats these men are capable of.? There are Hollywood heroes, but we have seen for real what movie writers dream they could produce.? I do not use the term lightly -Heroes walk in our ranks - the Wolfhounds continue to own the battlefield.? I am proud to be among them.
? ? ? ? There were several tense days following the fight.? It seems outsiders were trying to incite the locals into violence.? The friendships and trust we had formed with many of the leaders in the area worked to bring stability back to the area (that and the fact that many of the outsiders were no longer able to talk).? The Wolfhounds were back working to improve the lives of all around us - no grudges.? We are here to leave our region better than we found it.? I have absolute confidence in our Wolfhounds - in your Wolfhounds!
Sincerely,
?C. Scott Leith
?LTC, Infantry ?Commanding
NEC ASPERA TERRANT!
PS - thanks again for the Operation Iraqi Child (heart to heart).? The Wolfhounds continue to win the hearts of the next generation of Iraqis.? In a harsh environment where no child should be, your gifts make a difference - you are touching hearts.?
Posted by meljoe0603
at 5:21 PM HDT
