I am occasionally sent emails that came from other military member si Iraq - I will add them as I get them

The following was written by a Marine in Falujha :

Kristin,
Any news or sports magazines would be great. I am not a coffee drinker, but I will be very popular if you send some good coffee. Erin sent me some Kona coffee and that seemed to go over very well. Don't tell Elliott this, but cigarettes and chewing tobacco are probably the best things for trading. I always carry some around with me. You never know when you will find someone who dips or smokes that you need something from.

It is like gold. Jack Daniels used to be my "big gun" for trading when in Asia or Europe, but the Muslims don't dig that very much. Having said all
that, I guess coffee is the safest thing he can send to help me.

He can also send candy or some small toys if he wants. We give them to the Civil Affairs guys to hand out to the Iraqi kids. I almost got mobbed once giving out some fruit, candy, and toys to the little ones around here. They are very preciative.

Hopefully, we can raise a generation of Iraqis thatdon't see us as "The Great Satan."

Well, things are starting to get back to normal around here....as normal as Iraq can be. We had 5 rockets shot on base yesterday, but nobody was injured. I think this is their last gasp of
resistance. However, these guys are good at blending into the woodwork and popping up later.

I don't think Iraq will ever be truly secured as long as we are here. We have already taken Najaf twice (once from Saddam, once from Sadr). Looks like Samarra needs to be taken again.

It is very frustrating work. We have a saying that for every one Muj we kill, we make five more.
The more I learn and read about Islam and these people, the less I understand them.

The Muj don't put forth any alternate political plan or have any ideas on how to run the government better, they just seem to want
chaos.

At least in Vietnam, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong had a developed political ideology and form of government to be put in place once they won.

The Muj don't think like we do. I think this all stems from the fact that they believe the only way they are guaranteed paradise is to die in jihad. Other than jihad, there is no guarantee for paradise. Kind of a depressing religion.

There is no concept of forgiveness. Once you sin, you are forever damned, so they are a very atalistic group of people.

The saying I hear when dealing with the local Muslims and Iraqi soldiers is "In'Schalla" which means "If God is willing." Sounds OK, but they use it as if they aren't responsible for anything, only God is.

If they kill someone or if they are a suicide bomber, then God willed it. Those are extreme
examples, but you get the point. In my dealings, In'Schalla is an excuse to be late for meetings or not deliver on a promise.

I guess God didn't will them to be on time or follow through on an action. I always try and fight the feeling that they are a hopeless people. After all, they have squandered every chance they have for success.

The have the bulk of the world's oil supply, yet they are still a third world country. Whenever I
feel that they are hopeless, I always try and find something good about them.

There are some Iraqi soldiers who are very loyal to us. The Shawani's (named after their commander Gen Shawani) are very loyal to the Marines and in particular our former Commanding General (Gen Conway).

Rumor is that they will only fight along side arines. Most of these guys are Kurds or Shia, so they jump at the chance to kill the Sunni around here.

They are one of the few units that don't run when the shooting starts. There are just so many tribes and factions here that it is difficult to keep
up.

The Muj and insurgents only have one thing in common, their hatred of the US. If we left Iraq, they would fight each other just as violently, if
not more, than they fight us. Makes me feel bad for the majority here who just want to have some peace and quiet and live their lives. We efinitely
won't win over here with high-tech weapons. This is very brutal guerilla warfare.

Every time I think I have seen the limit of how cruel humans can be, I always see something else that shocks me. It is just a sad situation
here. It will be crucial that the elections go well.

Sistani (religious head of Iraq) refuses to get involved in the political process other than to
encourage Iraqis to vote. He will not endorse a candidate and will not run himself. He thinks religion should be separate from government. I know he is not a friend of the US, but at least he preaches non-violence and urges Iraqis to help us rebuild Iraq so we can leave earlier. If more of the religious leaders were like him this would be better country.

I honestly think he is a good man. I hope I am not disappointed. The other religious leaders preach jihad and resistance. Sistani keeps most of them in check, but they still cause problems.

Just thank God every night that you were born in the US and not here. Hope you are doing well. I will write back as much as possible.

Thanks for the package. Say hi to everyone.