20 Things I’ve learned in Iraq.

1. The hardest battle a person can fight is against complacency.
2. If you act cultured you will always be the gay joke.
3. Never expect anything in return for you good actions. Most soldiers are takers.
4. Never smoke in a Porta-John
5. The only time you can be sure if your doing a good job is if no one mentions your work
6. I would make a good officer
7. Texas Holdem
8. I take way to much in my life for granted
9. This country is not good for my completion. (see number 2)
10. The scariest thing about a deployment is going home.
11. No matter what you’ve read, seen, heard the Iraqi culture is not beautiful.
12. I am naive.
13. 72 ways to prepare chicken
14. I have an incredible support structure.
15. If you’re the new guy you will be blamed by default.
16. I need to stay away from canned air.
17. what it means th really miss someone.
18. even though my rosy shades are a little dirty I will never take them off
19. I’m a smart cookie.
20. Ipods are the greatest invention ever created.

Happy Birthday lady.

I’m doing better. This place still sucks, and I still witness the most horrible atrocities imaginable, but there ate a lot of other people that do. The guys here have taken notice to my feelings and have uncharacteristically become sensitive to it. I talked to someone that I respect here and told him about all the strange things that have been happening to me. He said that my problem is that I feel inadequate because these things are affecting me, and they don’t seem to be affecting anyone else. He told me that war affects everyone. He said that I ware my heart on my sleeve, and I’m not capable of hiding my emotions. The point was that everyone here is affected. I just have a different view point. That’s not a bad thing. If there weren’t people like than the Iraqi people would be fending for them selves. I will carry this horror for ever. I will always hear things, or dream about this place. Instead of getting angry I should be thankful for the things I have.when this is all over for me and I go home I might feel like I did nothing. Its during those times that I need to remember that if it wasn’t for people with my attitude than there is no hope for these people.

Jill Carroll

Iraq's government has information about where abducted American journalist Jill Carroll may be held, US ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said.

Iraq's interior minister believes that the freelance newspaper journalist, who worked for the Boston-based Christian Science Monitor, is still alive, Khalilzad told the Fox News Channel.

"I did talk to the minister of interior, late last night, and he said that based on the information that he has, that she (Jill Carroll) is alive and that they have information with regard to where she might be held," the ambassador said.

"We are doing all that we can to help bring about a release and will persist with that. But the minister announced today that he's optimistic about her release," Khalilzad said.

"Anytime you have an American hostage, he or she is a priority for this administration," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan. "And their safe return is something that we remain focused on, and it remains a top priority."

Carroll was abducted on January 7 in Baghdad by armed men who shot dead her interpreter. A media report earlier this month suggested her kidnappers had set a deadline of February 26 to kill Carroll unless all female prisoners in Iraq were freed.

"We appreciate the wide ranging efforts being made by Iraqi and US officials to secure Jill's release. We hope that today's encouraging statements about Jill's condition and prospects for safe return are proved correct," Richard Bergenheim, editor of The Christian Science Monitor, said in a statement.

The US envoy also spoke about a recent flareup of sectarian violence in Iraq, saying that last Wednesday's bombing of a revered Shiite shrine in Samarra was designed to inflame sectarian tensions and trigger a civil war.

"This recent incident was the most provocative attack, and I believe they will try to do more dastardly things, because that's all that the terrorists know," he said.

"The reaction that's needed by the Iraqis -- they need to come together," Khalilzad said.

"This moment of great danger is also a moment of great opportunity for a new Iraqi nationalism," he added.

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These children have no hope for a life without constant death and fear if they don’t have role models. This country will never succeed if we expend all are effort on military patching, and forget that these children have no idea what a life without conflict is.
We need to stop worrying so much about their military and start consecrating on playgrounds.

heres a few reasons Why

The War became real for me today, someone was killed in our unit last night and because of my position here I am privy to all the details I don’t want to be. Its funny how people in the army become close by association. In reality I don’t even know him, in fact I didn’t even know who he was until I saw his picture. Then it hit me. This stupid joke we shared passing each other, a stupid joke that will never be shared again. And for what, I have no idea. What the hell is the point of all this. There are so many people dieing and not having a clue why. The premise of the war in Iraq is to make the world a happier shiner place, by pulling this country kicking and screaming out of the depths of self destruction. If this is true than why in the time I’ve been here have I not seen any schools built, or hospitals staffed. Why don’t we have more humanitarian aid? This isn’t going to be fixed by retraining the Iraqi army. We have to fix this by educating and supporting the people of Iraq. We have to show by example how a successful society survives. Its impossible to do this with all these hidden agendas, broken promises, and lies that our government dishes out to appease the media. We aren’t going to change a thing if the American soldier’s never know the reason there comrades fell.

outside my office