Hello Minden,

My name is Donald R. Sawyer, and though I have not lived in Minden since I joined the United States Navy 13 years ago, I still consider it my home. I still get the paper via my parents, and try to keep up on the goings on in town. I have been around the world more times than I care to remember, and I can tell you that the more I see, the more I miss Minden. One of the things to become more important to me since I joined the Armed Forces is Memorial Day. Those of us in the US Military, especially here in Iraq, know the real stories that are taking place here, not just what the media covers. I wanted to send this letter back to my friends and family in Minden, to give everyone there a little first hand coverage from here, deep within Iraq.

Things are fairly routine here now. The days seldom change from one to the next. Lots of good things are happening in Iraq. I have spent some time over the last few months with the NEW Iraqi Army (NOT to be confused with the police). There are about 250 of us (US Military, all branches) at the Non Commissioned Officer (NCO) Academy (basically the New Iraqi Army boot camp) here in Kir Kush (not to be confused with the Kurdish city of Kir Kuk in the north), co-located with Camp Caldwell, home of the 2/30 th (Big Red One) and several MP companies, who provide base security. Luckily, the NCOA area has security provided by US Marines.

I have met hundreds of new recruits from all over Iraq. When they first arrive, the racism is quite evident. The Kurds, who are not ethnic Arabs and speak their own Kurdish language, hate the Arabs from the south. They view the Arabs as the "enablers" of Saddam's Army, who they had been fighting against, alongside American Special Forces, for years. The Kurds love Americans, but hate their Arab countrymen to the south. The Shia's see themselves as superior to everyone in Iraq and hated too. The Ba'athists, embittered by their loss of power, are especially angry. The Sunni's are different and they have their own prejudices. The Yazitis, a strange religious sect, are also in the mix, offering a little more grist to the racist mill. There have been fights, near-riots and lots of problems. But, over the months of training and common hardship, these groups all come together and become a team. It has been a privilege to watch. And it gives us all hope that what is happening on a small scale in their Army, just might happen in the country as a whole. (Oh, and don't be confused about the early desertions of the First Battalion... that was strictly a low-pay matter. It has been fixed now, by the way, and is no longer an issue.) The first class we taught had 441 of 680 graduate. Our last class had 661 of 700 graduate. The instructors, along with the recruits, are getting better at what they do.

I have also met many Iraqi workers at Kir Kush. The place was an abandoned, half-built post for the OLD Iraqi Army, when the US first arrived. The buildings were mere shells, with no windows, doors, power, plumbing or dining facilities. Over several months, hundreds of workers were brought in and things got much better. Initially, some of the US Military held reservations about having locals working within our compound and security perimeters. Our Command Sergeant Major, Jose’ Rangel from the US Army NCO Academy Hawaii, was steadfast in his desire to keep the local Iraqi workers. Once our initial fears were gone, most of us have come to know the locals on a more personal basis. The local Iraqi workers reveled in their new jobs, their freedom to travel and speak freely for a change and spoke proudly of their happiness at finally being able to provide for their families. A guy here was able to buy a family car... a guy there bought his family a TV... another started feeling good because he could pay back all the debt he had incurred. During the poverty years under Saddam, while Saddam built palaces for himself with alabaster halls, gold bathroom fixtures and teak walls, the people suffered horribly. Those days are finally over.

I have gained special insight from some of the Interpreter-Translators (Its) here. One is a highly motivated, intelligent and talented young man... a recent graduate from Baghdad University with a degree in English Literature... and a rare Catholic in Iraq. He told me how the Iraqi people were tremendously thankful to America for freeing them from Saddam. He told me of Uday and Qusay's thugs openly abducting coeds from Baghdad University in broad daylight, never to be seen again. (The resort "play" area they were brought to... the torture rooms, the rape rooms... is now the Headquarters of the Australian Coalition Forces.) I talked to ex-Iraqi Army soldiers who deserted when we invaded, unwilling to risk their lives for Saddam. I don't think I have met a single Iraqi who had NOT lost a family member to Saddam's murderers. They weren't even upset at America for civilians who were killed by American weapons; they blamed the whole affair on Saddam. Now, several months later, I am still greeted and thanked by Iraqis who like the US military and are offering assistance.

We are in an isolated area... it is about a four hour drive to the nearest large US base) (Over the months, that four hours has become two hours, as the doctrinally correct 30mph convoy speed turned into 70mph for common sense safety. The convoys have to drive through Ba'aquba, a place you may have heard of in the news... a town hostile to Americans, along the way.) Just recently, they are letting some of us make a rare trip to get to a PX or have some amenities like a dip in the pool or eat some fresh lettuce or drink fresh milk. Saddam had kept the people in such poverty that the drive was strewn with mud huts, falling apart roads and hungry people everywhere. Now, things are starting to look up. New cars, new gas stations, people in bright new clothes and small shops are popping up all along the drive.

Smiles have replaced the old drawn, resigned looks we first met. To be sure, the desperate Ba'athists keep the drive less than safe... but their violence is desperation of the few... in no way indicative of 25 MILLION Iraqis making progress daily in their goals to have family, a home and a few nice things in their lives. (Most Iraqis are too preoccupied with providing dinner for their families to worry about political concerns. Worrying about politics is the purview of people who can afford the time... like the old rich Ba'athists who had the money... kinda like Americans who take dinner for granted too...)

Things continue to get better every day. I talk daily via the internet to my family and friends in the US. The electrical grid is coming back online throughout the country, clean water is available more and more everyday and now even the telephone system is starting to work (of course, here there is NO telephone service... only a rare satellite phone that cost $2/min... the satellite internet service I have set up into an "internet cafe" is our only link to family and friends.)

I recently talked with some of the locals we have hired as translators. As we talked, I told them that I knew they were all risking their lives to support American efforts and their own freedom. They knew about the American who was recently be-headed here in Iraq. They did not know I had seen the video, but they knew it was on my mind. I asked them why the thugs in Ba'aquba were allowed to roam free. Why weren't they turned in? The answer came as they all stared at their feet. It dawned on me then, that they were afraid. One went so far as to tell me they were ashamed that Americans were willing to die for Iraqi freedom, but few of their own countrymen seemed willing to do so for their OWN freedom. One of the IT’s is a voracious reader and has been reading up on American history. He chimed in, "All our heroes are ancient. Our proud history is old. We have nothing like your Astronauts, Daniel Boone, George Washington or Lincoln to draw upon. George Bush and you soldiers are the only modern heroes we know."

So... bottom line... things get better every day, here in Iraq. I know that little or nothing has been heard stateside about out work here at Kir Kush. More media attention has been focused on the Police and Civil Defense training. I want to note that according to the Commanding General over here, ours is the only training program in Iraq that is exceeding the goals and standards set when we first started to rebuild a New Iraq. I will bring home some NEW Iraqi Dinars and a new feeling of hope for the New Iraq and its people. There is no doubt that Iraq is on the move to a positive future. For me, a Sailor, this has been a once in a lifetime experience. One of the things that is helping me get through this, is the support and prayers of my family and friends back home. I wish all the people who think we should have never invaded this country, and liberated these people, could see some of the things I have seen and talk to some of the Iraqi people I have talked to. Lots of us here are single, but just as many are married with families, and we all feel the same way. We feel that we are doing the right thing by being here. Although I have witnessed some horrible things, and been nearly killed, all in all, this has been a positive, uplifting experience and one I will never forget. Once again, thanks for your support and prayers. I hope to see you all soon.

Donald R. Sawyer
ET1(SW)
United States Navy