Active Unit News

What Our Families Are Hearing From their Soldiers:
Bob Babcock - "Deeds not Words"
President, Americans Remembered, Inc. - http://www.americansremembered.org
President, 22nd Inf Regt Society - http://www.22ndinfantry.org
Past President/Historian - Nat'l 4th Inf Div Assn - http://www.4thinfantry.org
babcock224@aol.com


What Our Families Are Hearing from their Soldiers in Iraq:
In the absence of much news (especially good news) on the internet over the past 24 hours, I have expanded this section and included more updates from our families:
1) Our son is with the 2nd BDE H/10 CAV from Ft. Hood and in Baqubah last we heard. (Can somebody please tell me the company, unit whatever that this brigade troop is attached to? The scout troops are rarely mentioned in any articles) His brother received a letter from him on Friday, May 30th. The letter was dated April 16th and postmarked May 14th. He says that they are fired on sporadically but everyone is staying in fairly good spirits. He also remarked the following: "I am glad I am here - no matter how bad my life ever gets I will know it could be worse. The people are glad to see us - they say Bad Saddam - Great American - America number one! Iraq is a terrible place and the people here need our help." We have sent letters on a daily basis since he departed Ft. Hood on April 7th and mailed 6 packages of which he has received one. He is finally starting to get a few letters and has been able to phone his wife 3 times since he left. Like most other requests I have read he asks for lots of bug spray. He also says that they need socks, t-shirts and underwear. Bob, my heart swells with pride at the magnificent way our soldiers are handling this situation. Their compassion is evident and something that will be remembered by the Iraqi's for a long time. I agree with your view of the media's ignorance to the fact that there is still so much danger to our troops. Thanks again for your support. God Bless our troops.
2) My son is the BSO with HHC of the 1-8 infantry, with the 3rd BCT, 4ID , that is "roughing it" as you pointed out, about 20 miles south of Kirkuk. Last night I got my first communication from him, an e-mail. He is well. The mail is arriving and GREATLY appreciated. They have basically MREs and water, so everything is welcome. Poptarts and Tang and Slim Jims (no pork) have been a big hit......as well as foot powder, insect repellant, and wash wipes. One request was for a pillow.....and any reading material or DVDs..... He said, not to me, but to his wife, that they are fired on every day. I agree with you, Bob, that it is disappointing how the war has dropped off the public's radar screen.
3) .......its a shame that the news agencies seem to have forgotten our soldiers still in Iraq........I am thankful for every little bit of Information you find.....I hope the mail situation continues to improve.....the "outgoing" mail is terriable....My Son is with the 4th ID 1/22 INF B company...He has sent quite a few letters, that I have not recieved......He said he has "requests" in the letters, and I would gladly send his requests if I recieved the letters to tell me what they are.....He relayed this info to me in an 8 minute phone call from Iraq on last friday evening.....His unit now has a satallite phone......My continued prayers for all of our Soldiers, and I hope the time passes quickly, So we can bring them ALL home soon.
4) I received my first phone call from my husband on May 27th, around 11:30 pm Colorado time. He is 1-8 A CO, 3rd BCT, 4th ID. He said that things are going very well for them. He sounded wonderful; his spirits were very high. He asked for bug spray, sunglasses, his personal CD player & CDs and DVDs. (Somone must have a portable DVD player or a Lap Top.) He also said to keep the goodies comimg! I also received my 2nd letter from him on May 28th, and in it he spoke of a raid that they completed in 12 minutes. Everyone, all the way up to the Division Commandar said it was very well done, and the people who had seen the video taken from above said it looked picture perfect. Just another example of how well trained our guys are. I'm so proud!
5) I would also like to say thank you on the updates for 1-68 AR out of Fort Carson, CO. My husband is a platoon leader in Charlie Company and it is very beneficial to hear news of any our guys. I have received 6 letters over the past 3 days, ranging in dates from April 24 to May 2. He said around the beginning of May was when they started to receive their first mail. He asked me to send lots of food (like he had to tell me that, ha ha), 3 X 5 note cards, envelopes, and pens. Apparently pens don't work well there and tend to dry up quickly. He said most of their work was consisting of pulling guard duty and manning checkpoints and had, fortunately, not had any problems.
6) Just wanted to tell you that I FINALLY got a letter dated 5-4 from my boyfriend today 2/20 FA, 4ID. He says they have been on the move for some time now. That they stayed in abandoned bombed buildings left by the Iraqi army. He says that he has only received 2 of my letters 2nd one is dated 04/03. (I write every 3rd day since he left March 28 and sent 6 packages) He said the mail is very slow when they are moving through the country. He says there are no phones so he is unable to call home. But he was able to shower and wash his clothes! This has been the biggest relief for me today and it made my day! Thank you and keep up the good work for all of us who go unheard.
7) My daughter-in-law received a call from my son Saturday evening, the first time she had spoken with him since they entered Iraq. He is in the 4th I.D. 2nd brigade. She said the telephone connection was not good. She informs me that he was in good spirits, but, homesick. She had received a letter from him last Tuesday that he had written on April 29. He requested, stationary, pens and stamps. He is getting mail and packages we have sent him. (Ed Note: Not sure why he needs stamps, I think all mail from a combat zone is free, except for packages).
8) I just wanted you to be aware that I received THREE letters from my son in yesterdays mail. (Her son is in A/1-68 Armor, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4ID out of Fort Carson) Unfortunately they were dated 4/25, 4/27, 4/28. Over a month old!!! He stated he was hoping to get some mail soon so it appears that all the mail that I have sent as well as many other family members had not arrived by that point. I laughed and cried at the same time. He started off his first, "So there we were, surrounded by Iraqiis and taking fire from all sides. Our situation was looking hopeless......" Nah just kidding, sounded like the start of a good story though didn't it! He talked about traveling thru Iraq, thru the outskirts of Bagdad, how the country was very poor and that the things he saw were worse than any slum or ghetto he had ever seen, how some cheered them and some gave them the finger or shoe, how the further north they went the more hostile it was... He described 4/27 mission where they attacked a suspected Special Republican Guard compound where several hundred para-military forces were expected to be; 2 Iraqis killed, 1 wounded, and 4-5 prisoners. No American's killed. Some humor in his letters, "I do know for a fact that Iraq is a pretty miserable place and if you every had plans to come here you should probably reconsider. Antarticia is probably better than here as are Death Valley or the Sahara Desert too." "A little lizard just crawled next to my foot, glad it was not a snake". "I had a can of cold spaghettios for dinner last night. In any normal situation, that would be disgusting, but for me right now it was alright". "The craziest thing I saw though is how the Iraqi people drive. New York City drivers have nothing on these people. One van actually hit our vehicle along the side as it swerved back into the right lane before hitting a bus head on in the left lane. I am fairly certain you do not need any sort of drivers license in this country". " But in the words of Forrest Gump, thats all I have to say about that". I really laughed at some of his comments. It is nice to see they still have a good sense of humor. I wanted to share this as these words are precious to me as I know any word from your loved one is precious to you. Feel free to share any of this with anyone if you feel it will help provide a smile or any support. Also as a last word, he said baby wipes and bug spray are still good to send. Thanks (loving and proud mom)
9) Bob, Just a note to let you know that I finally received a call from my son last night from somewhere north or Ba'quabah. He is in 4th ID 2-8 and said that they are in barracks up there guarding prisoners. They are now cooking as well, so we know that they are at least getting hot meals now! He sounds really upbeat and has even gone to the board to qualify for his next promotion since getting there. The phone connection was poor and cut out after only a couple of minutes so if anyone gets a call make sure to ask questions quickly. I did not even get a chance to find out about the mail situation or what they are in need of. He said that he had been trying to get a call into us for a week. Please share this with everyone else.
10) In the past two weeks I have received several letters from my son who is with the 4ID, HHC, 3BCT, The letter was mailed post marked on May 7, not sure when he wrote it. He called on Mother's Day, and then again a week later. He does not give an exact location, just north of Bagdad, and says they are moving around a lot. He said he has gotten quite a bit of mail and packages from home. He did say however that he has men in his company who get no mail, and no cigarettes, he requested I use some of his money, and purchase 15 cartons, and mail them ASAP, which I did. He is also requesting some DCU's summer weight, which I have not been able to locate. He is with the signal corp, so we do get e-mails occasionally, the last one was two weeks ago. If anyone out there has someone in this group... would be nice to know. He said he met a young soldier whose great grandparents were from our home town, what a small world.. as our home town is about 450 people.
11) Hi Bob. Thank you for your unwavering dedication and advocacy of the soldiers and their families. You are very much appreciated, and a blessing to families! I received a letter last Thursday (5/29/03) and a phone call today (6/2/03) from my future husband, who is with the 1/8 out of Fort Carson, CO. He was very frustrated by the time he called, as it took him trying on and off for about 36 hours to contact me. He was on a sattelite phone, somewhere in Northern Iraq. He, of course, could not divulge particular information. He requested music, so I'm off to purchase a CD player and his favorite country and oldies tunes. There are only 4 phones available at various times during the week, and the guys rotate. Our conversation lasted roughly 15 minutes and then we were cut off. He also requested snacks; MREs get redundant (yes, they are eating 3 squares). Sports magazines and books to read also top the list. Mostly, he requested letters...constant letters. He said letters for these guys are like Christmas presents. He did receive all the letters (to date), cards, postcards and packages that his mom, dad and I sent from Claremore, OK and Colorado Springs, CO. Overall the soldiers are doing well, and are just ready to come home.
12) Hi Bob, this is the second week that I have heard from my husband. He is stationed with HHB 3/29 out of Ft. Carson. He called me last week on Tuesday (horrible phone delays) and I recieved a letter. This week I have received 2 letters and he called again this morning. He sounded MUCH better, and says the guys are all in high spirits. They are taking showers more regularly and have been receiving more and more mail. He made a comment that they are looking at returning sometime in Sept or Oct, but we all know how that is. I pray for them all, and cant wait for their return!
13) My husband is with the 299th Engineer BN. A Co. I was so excited to see what COL Campbell had written about our Engineers!! I received letters last Thursday, Friday and Saturday! The one funny story my husband wrote about, and I'd love it if you'd share it to your site, is this: "Yesterday I was standing in line for the outhouse and heard a rustle behind me, I quickly looked to see what it was and lo and behold it was a familiar site: A blue Walmart bag stuck on a bush, flapping around. I laughed as I thought to myself, no matter where you are, there is always a Walmart nearby!" The mail I received ranged from April 26th thru May 7. So I guess the mail system is getting better.
14) Our Son, of the 4ID 3 Brigade, has been able to call us 3 times since May. He is moving a lot and has not received any of our mail and we have not received any of his. The last call we got from him was about 2 weeks ago. He called to tell us he ran over a land mine and that he was ok. He is getting a medal for Bravery since he helped his wounded partner, kept her calm and did everything he was supposed to do. We are very proud of him but still worry daily. We are having a big BBQ in honor if his 22nd B-day this Sat (June 7th) and to also honor those who are still there as well and cannot be home to celebrate with their families. All of our friends and families are excited to come and Support the Troops!
15) Received an email today from husband in 534th Sig Co. Said they were being laughed at by everyone because they were the only ones doing PT tests:) Other than that they were all doing okay. They're receiving more mail now and some really old mail has finally caught up with them. Hopefully all will be home soon in healthy shape!

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