From: Commanding Officer at MWSS-171 to his Marine

[Specter 0]

I posted this because I thought it would be a neat read. It is NOT here to start a political firefight. I just thought it might be nice to see what was actually accomplished.

Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2003 8:14 a.m

From: Commanding Officer at MWSS-171 to his Marines.

Marines and Sailors,

As we approach the end of the year I think it is important to share a few thoughts about what you've accomplished directly, in some cases, and indirectly in many others. I am speaking about what the our government and each of you has contributed by wearing the uniform, because the fact that you wear the uniform contributes 100% to the capability of the nation to send a few onto the field to execute national policy. As you read about these achievements you are a part of I would call your attention to two things:

This is good news that hasn't been fit to print or report on TV.

It is much easier to point out the errors a man makes when he makes the tough decisions; rarely is the positive as aggressively pursued.

Since the President declared an end to major combat on May 1...

...the first battalion of the new Iraqi Army has graduated and is on active duty.

...over 60,000 Iraqis now provide security to their fellow citizens.

...nearly all of Iraq's 400 courts are functioning.

...the Iraqi judiciary is fully independent.

…on Monday, October 6 power generation hit 4,518 megawatts-exceeding the prewar average.

...all 22 universities and 43 technical institutes and colleges are open, as are nearly all primary and secondary schools.

…by October 1, Coalition forces had rehab-ed over 1,500 schools - 500 more than scheduled.

...teachers earn from 12 to 25 times their former salaries.

...all 240 hospitals and more than 1200 clinics are open.

...doctors salaries are eight times what they were under Saddam.

...pharmaceutical distribution has gone from nothing to 700 tons in May to a current total of 12,000 tons.

...the Coalition has helped administer over 22 million vaccinations to Iraq's children.

...a Coalition program has cleared over 14,000 kilometers of Iraq's 27,000 kilometers of weed-choked canals which now irrigate tens of thousands of farms. This project has created jobs for more than 100,000 Iraqi men and women.

...we have restored over three-quarters of prewar telephone services and over two-thirds of the potable water production.

...there are 4,900 full-service telephone connections. We expect 50,000 by year-end.

...the wheels of commerce are turning. From bicycles to satellite dishes to cars and trucks, businesses are coming to life in all major cities and towns.

...95 percent of all prewar bank customers have service and first-time customers are opening accounts daily.

...Iraqi banks are making loans to finance businesses.

...the central bank is fully independent.

...Iraq has one of the world’s most growth-oriented investment and banking laws.

...Iraq has a single, unified currency for the first time in 15 years.

...satellite TV dishes are now legal.

...you can buy satellite dishes on what seems like every street corner.

...foreign journalists aren't on 10-day visas paying mandatory and extortionate fees to the Ministry of Information for "minders" and other government spies.

...there is no Ministry of Information.

...there are now more than 170 newspapers.

...foreign journalists (and everyone else) are free to come and go.

...a nation that had not one single element - legislative, judicial or executive - of a representative government; now does.

...in Baghdad alone residents have selected 88 advisory councils. Baghdad's first democratic transfer of power in 35 years happened when the city council elected its new chairman.

...today in Iraq chambers of commerce, business, school and professional organizations are electing their leaders all over the country.

...25 ministers, selected by the most representative governing body in Iraq's history, run the day-to-day business of government.

...the Iraqi government regularly participates in international events. Since July the Iraqi government has been represented in over two dozen international meetings, including those of the UN General Assembly, the Arab League, the World Bank and IMF and, today, the Islamic Conference Summit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today announced that it is reopening over 30 Iraqi embassies around the world.

...Shia religious festivals that were banned, aren't.

...for the first time in 35 years, in Karbala thousands of Shiites celebrate the pilgrimage of the 12th Imam.

...the Coalition has completed over 13,000 reconstruction projects, large and small, as part of a strategic plan for the reconstruction of Iraq.

...Uday and Qusay are dead - and no longer feeding innocent Iraqis to the zoo lions, raping the young daughters of local leaders to force cooperation, torturing Iraq's soccer players for losing games, or murdering critics.

…plastic shredding machines are now used for shredding plastic.

...children aren't imprisoned or murdered when their parents disagree with the government.

...political opponents aren't imprisoned, tortured, executed, maimed, or are forced to watch their families die for disagreeing with Saddam.

...millions of longsuffering Iraqis no longer live in perpetual terror.

...Saudis now plan to hold municipal elections.

...Qatar is reforming education to give more choices to parents.

...Jordan is accelerating market economic reforms.

…Kadaffi has renounced his WMD program and welcomed U.S. and British inspectors to verity it.

...the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for the first time to an Iranian - a Muslim woman who speaks out with courage for human rights, for democracy and for peace.

...Saddam is gone.

...Iraq is free.

...Yet, little or none of this information has been published by the Press corps that prides itself on bringing you all the news that's important.

Iraq under US lead control has come further in six months than Germany did in seven years or Japan did in nine years following WWII. Military deaths from fanatic Nazi's, and Japanese numbered in the thousands and continued for over three years after WWII victory was declared.

It took the US over four months to clear away the twin tower debris, let alone attempt to build something else in its place.

Now, take into account that Congress fought the administration on every aspect of their handling of this country's war and the post-war reconstruction; and that they continue to claim on a daily basis on national TV that this conflict has been a failure.

Taking everything into consideration, even the unfortunate loss of our brothers and sisters in this conflict, do you think anyone else in the world could have accomplished as much as the United States and this administration in so short a period of time?

These are things worth writing about. Get the word out. Write to someone you think may be able to influence our Congress or the press to tell our story.

Above all, be proud that you are a part of this historical precedent.

God Bless you all. Have a great Holiday.

Semper Fidelis,

CO

[ReconSnake 0]

Ooh-F*ng-Rah!

[warhawk 0]

Outf*ngstanding!

Stout Hearts

=UE=Warhawk

[Specter 0]

Semper Fi ! !

[Cpl Ledanek 247]

OUTF#$#STANDING MARINES!!!!!!!!!!!

SEMPER FI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[Csmith_Fan 0]

first..yes this is a bump considering what's been on the news lately,,but also wanted to drop some comments on the topic.

First...copied and pasted the memo to my aunt who is a VFW Post commander. She said it now is posted proudly on their bulliten board at the post. Have gotten alot of "That's right...way to go" type comments on it. Good for the Marines.

Copied and pasted most of it and sent it to my Congressman, Carl Levin (oooer...Head of the Arms Committee..wtg me!) and got back a premade email. Ok figured on that...

..so I've decided to take it to the next level (which I hope others do as well). Sent an email to Fox and Friends concerning Sen. Kennedy's latest comment on how Iraq is Bush's Vietnam (also pointed out the 3rd Inf. and the Marines destroyed the Rep. Guard in Iraq faster than it took Sen. Kennedy to phone the police about his accident at Chappeuiddick [sp..sorry]) as well as a comment as to why the good we have done over there hasnt been addressed by the media like the vacinations, etc.

...also sent one like it to MSNBC. So you can say, I've been using current news topics to bring some of the facts of this topic (thr memo) to light to the media, in hopes that they will ask "What is he talking about ? Let me research this more..." and possibly do even a 30 sec, spot on it.

I'm doing my part to at least let others know the military isnt just blood, guts and killing other people and yes, this memo is a good starting point (of course adding in the Berlin Airlift as well as other examples helps.).

Thanks to Phantm for posting the memo.

[Kewl 0]

Military deaths from fanatic Nazi's, and Japanese numbered in the thousands and continued for over three years after WWII victory was declared.

Never saw this when it was first posted; well done. However the above quote is b.s as regards to Germany; there were no significant (or any really) deaths attributed to former Nazi figures in post-war Germany.

[budgie 1]

This is good news that hasn't been fit to print or report on TV.

Since the President declared an end to major combat on May 1...

All of this information is available through various international news media outlets. Nothing I've read here is news to me.

I truly appreciate the sacrifice of the good men and women who have perished in Iraq. More than three quarters of the (to date) 636 deaths have occured since May 1.

Faces of My Heroes

Edited April 7, 2004 by budgie

[Csmith_Fan 0]

All of this information is available through various international news media outlets.

It's not that they have or have not access to the info...it's the fact that while they do, most of the media would rather report about the negative bits...

...sort of like Don Henley's song "Dirty Laundry" sings about....

[budgie 1]

Good point there. No news is good news.