An astonishing letter from Iraq

The following letter--purportedly from the mayor of Tal'Afar, Iraq--appeared on a "milblog" (The Mudville Gazette) on Feb 13th, 2006:

In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful

To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tal'Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life.

To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months.

To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.

Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner.

Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpses of children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young.

This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi's followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zumar and Avgani finally destroyed them.

I have met many soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment; they are not only courageous men and women, but avenging angels sent by The God Himself to fight the evil of terrorism.

The leaders of this Regiment--COL McMaster, COL Armstrong, LTC Hickey, LTC Gibson, and LTC Reilly--embody courage, strength, vision and wisdom. Officers and soldiers alike bristle with the confidence and character of knights in a bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of a unique military operation, stands among the finest military feats to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves to be studied in military science. This military operation was clean, with little collateral damage, despite the ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and precision of surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city without causing unnecessary damage.

God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we will never forget. To the families of those who have given their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in reverence and to the souls of your loved ones.

Their sacrifice was not in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls hover around us every second of every minute. They will never be forgotten for giving their precious lives. They have sacrificed that which is most valuable. We see them in the smile of every child, and in every flower growing in this land. Let America, their families, and the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life.

Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this brave Regiment, I haven't the words to describe the courage of its officers and soldiers. I pray to God to grant happiness and health to these legendary heroes and their brave families.

NAJIM ABDULLAH ABID AL-JIBOURI
Mayor of Tal'Afar, Ninewa, Iraq

If the letter is authentic, we thank the mayor not only for writing a beautiful and touching letter, but also for having the raw courage to stand so openly in a country where terrorists are still killing an average of a dozen Iraqi civilians each and every day.

The letter says what those of us with military experience (including parents of those in the U.S. armed forces) know is true: American servicemen (and women) are absolutely the best. We are constantly awed by their heroic behavior and self-sacrifice.

Truly, these people are America's best and most noble. And that's a truth that the Leftists and Dems will fight fiercely to hide, because it totally demolishes the core of their theme.

Which leads to the question, Have you heard even the *slightest* mention of this moving, beautiful letter in the mainstream media? Of course you haven't--for the reason cited in the preceding paragraph.

The American media is eager to trumpet every single bit of bad news from Iraq, while good news or even praise from Iraqis is never mentioned.

If you want to have some fun, write a letter to the editor of your local paper and ask if they know this story. Since they typically only know what comes in on the AP wire, they've probably never heard about it. Accordingly, they'll either ignore you or claim you're making it up. They may even claim it's a hoax (a standard response to information one would like to bury).

Ask them to investigate. They won't, of course, but the request may get them to recognize (even if unconsciously) that the AP wire often doesn't represent the truth