Information from the front: Here is my talk with a Soldier in Afghanistan tonight:

[The Straight Story]

I am hesitant to post this, but will. This guy was my partner at work, and my friend. We spent a lot of time together, and I miss him a lot. A damned fine guy.

I was going to respond to a post here to me:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2848632

And a fine thread it is. But I wanted to start a new thread with the conversation I am having with one of my engineers who is on the front lines.

I changed my name and his here.

For the record: My friend is black and immigrated here. I cannot say much more than that as I want to protect his identity.

The Straight Story says:
yo
The Straight Story says:
question for you

My [e-mail] says:
yes

The Straight Story says:
what do you think we should do in Iraq now

My [e-mail] says:
dude we should have more people there from the start

The Straight Story says:
true
The Straight Story says:
but do you think we should just leave?

The Straight Story says:
or stay and help them?

My [e-mail] says:
i think we should leave what can a infantry guy do there? we are traing to kill

The Straight Story says:
do you think more will die if we leave or less

My [e-mail] says:
i believe we are doing too much

My [e-mail] says:
i think we need more people for a short time after than then we should leave

My [e-mail] says:
reading all the reports here i get a clear picture of whats going on in here

The Straight Story says:
I am discussing this online: My take, we helped make the mess and need to clean it up, but I also see where us being there may not help (or it may help and save lives). You being on the front lines (as it were) can you see any reason for us to stay or should we get the hell out asap?

My [e-mail] says:
i agree

The Straight Story says:
I guess I am asking - if we leave, will more die then if we stay?

My [e-mail] says:
if we leave we will save more us lifes but there will be more of their if dead

My [e-mail] says:
is like a race war over there man

My [e-mail] says:
it really is

The Straight Story says:
I am not out there risking my life like you are so I wanted your opinion

My [e-mail] says:
and the sad thing about it we cant even tell how is how

The Straight Story says:
who is who ya mean?

My [e-mail] says:
here in afgan is a different story

My [e-mail] says:
yeah

The Straight Story says:
so what would you recommend on both fronts (afghanistan and Iraq)?

My [e-mail] says:
stay in afghanistan and kick ass, we have a better chances of completing the mission here but we dont have enough people here. Iraq is a civil war. if we stay we are going to have more guys kill, but if we dontt they are going to kill more people

My [e-mail] says:
dealing with people in afgan is like dealing with the mob

My [e-mail] says:
the only way to can kill the mob is by actually killing it

My [e-mail] says:
there has been allot of progress here

My [e-mail] says:
is just that we dont have enough people to cover a whole country

My [e-mail] says:
for every 10 miles there 3 of us

My [e-mail] says:
not even close

The Straight Story says:
so would you say, pull people out of Iraq and send them there?

The Straight Story says:
and are you really looking for osama

My [e-mail] says:
if we leave iraq is going to look like we just kick their butt and fuck up their home and did nothing else

The Straight Story says:
true

My [e-mail] says:
we have a few guys looking for him, but nothing serious is like if they run into him kill him other than that continute your mission

The Straight Story says:
and what is our mission there now anyway? hell, I am confused about it all!

My [e-mail] says:
nothing going to change if we get him

The Straight Story says:
I just want you back here

My [e-mail] says:
to hell the afgan people

The Straight Story says:
why do you say that?

My [e-mail] says:
dude we would build a school and 3 weeks llater the taliban kill the teacher

The Straight Story says:
damn

My [e-mail] says:
the news does not say that

My [e-mail] says:
there so many stories

The Straight Story says:
so who are you fighting now anyway???

The Straight Story says:
the taliban, osama, war lords?

My [e-mail] says:
one day we where on a convoy and we had a video camera on the vechicle in front of us and it got hit by a ide

My [e-mail] says:
the guy die

My [e-mail] says:
See people here expect us to give them job

My [e-mail] says:
well their were no jobs before

The Straight Story says:
what seems to be the major issue as you see it?

My [e-mail] says:
we have to give them stuff for them not to set ied on the road

My [e-mail] says:
money

The Straight Story says:
?

The Straight Story says:
I don't get it

My [e-mail] says:
people will change sides to the group that helps them

My [e-mail] says:
if the taliban gives them 10 they will plan a ied

My [e-mail] says:
if we give them 20 they will not

My [e-mail] says:
dude these people live in mud houses'

My [e-mail] says:
they are like 50 years back

The Straight Story says:
what do they want there???

My [e-mail] says:
they want want every human wants

My [e-mail] says:
the ability to secure a job

My [e-mail] says
family

My [e-mail] says:
feed their family

My [e-mail] says:
the same stuff

The Straight Story says:
let me ask you this - are you helping them, or do they see you as hindering them in their quest? And how much does religion play a role?

My [e-mail] says:
we try to kill their weed fields but we are not replacing it with anything else

My [e-mail] says:
dude they want us here

My [e-mail] says:
we give them so much money

My [e-mail] says:
their is a little religion but they want america here

My [e-mail] says:
we give them money but they will not pay their people

My [e-mail] says:
is crazy

My [e-mail] says:
is like 10% wants to control 90

The Straight Story says:
so what do YOU think we should do, you are on the front line - what is it the people there want?

My [e-mail] says:
the goverment is crazy and not truefull

My [e-mail] says:
we should bring the troops here to afgan. FINISH THE JOB.

My [e-mail] says:
the people want our help

My [e-mail] says:
do you know that we spend less money in afgan thatn any war in history

The Straight Story says:
no

The Straight Story says:
Just do me a favor man, stay safe. I miss ya.

My [e-mail] says:
we have man

My [e-mail] says:
i will man

The Straight Story says:
I will stay online all week , check in as you can. I worry about you a lot.

The Straight Story says:
The wife was asking about you tonight

The Straight Story says:
wanted to make sure you were ok

My [e-mail] says:
our deep discussion about everything working at night. I am in a safe zone right now. is like a city.

My [e-mail] says:
but we get attack every other day during the summer

The Straight Story says:
I miss our nights together

My [e-mail] says:
they dont do much fighting during the winter

The Straight Story says:
we got a lot to catch up on

My [e-mail] says:
yes, i have to get ready for work. Dude we work 7 days 13 hours here

The Straight Story says:
well, just stay safe for me ok, and I will be here if ya need someone to talk to, and you have my cell number right?

My [e-mail] says:
yes thanks. see you later

The Straight Story says:
later buddy, and call if you need me

My [e-mail] says:
whats the number i will call you in a hour

(waiting on him to call me)

[On the Road]

1. Well, That is One of the More Persuasive Things

I have ever read on Iraq and Afghanistan. It is much more informative than most of the bloviating by talking heads concerned about geopolitics.

[The Straight Story]

2. Just talked to him again

Guess there were attacks there today:

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/12/03/afghan.violence.ap/index.html

I am happy to report though he is ok and calling me in a few minutes.

[On the Road]

4. If You Get a Chance,

please post your conversations. It's really good input AFAIC.

[seabeyond]

3. veryinteresting. thank you for sharing. i really appreciate

hearing from the actual people there. trust them above nad beyond anything else i hear. thanks