Liberty Belle
Well-known member
I got this from our neighbor girl, a former Miss Rodeo South Dakota, who got it from a cowboy minister friend of hers from Nebraska. He forwarded Cory's letter just before the last election in Iraq and this young soldier is due home this month:
Please pray for Cory, a friend and supporter of our ministry, who will soon be returning home from Iraq to his wife and son in Fremont, NE. He still has some sensitive work to do there as the days countdown to the election there in Iraq. Pray that God brings him and his battalion home safely.
Almost Home, Still a Ways to go
This is close to my last email from Iraq to all of you. Can you believe almost 18 months has gone by. My son was 3 when I left, now he's 5. The huskers have gone from a losing season to playing the Wolverines in the Alamo Bowl. Gas went from 1.72 all the way up to 3.00 plus and now coming back down in the low $2 range. So much has happened at home that I can never get back and people still ask was it worth it. I was sickened to see what the Media has put out recently that America is now saying it wasn't worth it. See I don't much care for the media anymore, from where I stand they have made this war harder on the soldier than almost anything else.
What have we done? What have we done?!? Saddam is out of power, the one who lied a thousand lies, killed hundred of thousands of innocent people. If you don't think Al-Qaida was working with him you are wrong, flat out wrong. Plus these murderers didn't have any place to go after we kicked them out of the Stans. Where did you think they would end up next. If you think you can defeat terrorism by turning your back or waiting to get all the other underhanded countries on board with us, you are still living in that same state of denial. Terrorism will be fought from here on out. If not by us then no one will fight it, and you will never be safe to travel again. Is that what America wants? I know I don't. Do you know how many master mind terrorists we killed or incarcerated? Out of the deck of cards that we started with, we are down to about 9 left. These guys were not going change hobbies because we sent our troops home.
Iraqis are voting for the third time in a year. One of my IA friends who I call Sadik (friend in Arabic) is 37. I am 38. He said he was so proud to vote for the first time in his life he cried. He's my age and he had never been able to vote. This guy is 5'5" and about 125 pounds soaking wet but it's all heart. He's the reason I have no problem with giving up part of my life of freedom and comfort so that another human being doesn't have to fear the night or the knock on his door late at night.
Another leader, Moammar Gadhafi, has given up his WMD on his own, he has seen what happens to those that don't play fair. How many of those people that said "it wasn't worth it" even know what country he is the leader of? Syria is out of Lebanon now. Most importantly there is not one terrorist over here that has gotten a good nights sleep since we've been here. People, this is just some of what we have done over here.
My battalion in particular has run thousands of patrols, found hundreds of weapons caches, dismantled hundreds of IED's, taken 2 HVT's off the deck of cards based on information from the people we have arrested. Opened up two schools, medical facilities, a new police station, improved their road system by securing engineers who come in and work. We had almost 70% of the registered voters in our AO vote. We don't even come close to that back home. And we aren't even in a Shia area. We are in the middle of the Sunni triangle. The MIDDLE. Not one serious incident in our AO against civilians during the last vote. We have done this by constantly patrolling, constantly walking the streets, shaking hands, helping where we can to show these people America does care. So the next time you see another report about how it wasn't worth it or that we are not making progress, just know you know someone over here who thinks different. Who thinks its worth it. Who has seen the progress first hand. We still have a ways to go but by God it was worth it.
I am proud to be an American and I am proud to call you my friends. I have felt God's protection over here because He cares and you prayed for us daily. The election is our last major operation so we will need your prayers even more. I will be outside the wire this time for a couple of days making sure our battalion can talk. I say this so you can be specific with your prayers and also to let you know I am not afraid and have no regrets. It's been 18 months but it was worth it. We did make a difference in this area. We are still making progress. I plan on being back in the states in late Jan so be watching your email boxes for major plans of serious frivolity. I miss you all and look forward to the day when I can look you in the eye and give you hug and say thanks, you too made a difference in my life.
Your friend and brother
Cory
Please pray for Cory, a friend and supporter of our ministry, who will soon be returning home from Iraq to his wife and son in Fremont, NE. He still has some sensitive work to do there as the days countdown to the election there in Iraq. Pray that God brings him and his battalion home safely.
Almost Home, Still a Ways to go
This is close to my last email from Iraq to all of you. Can you believe almost 18 months has gone by. My son was 3 when I left, now he's 5. The huskers have gone from a losing season to playing the Wolverines in the Alamo Bowl. Gas went from 1.72 all the way up to 3.00 plus and now coming back down in the low $2 range. So much has happened at home that I can never get back and people still ask was it worth it. I was sickened to see what the Media has put out recently that America is now saying it wasn't worth it. See I don't much care for the media anymore, from where I stand they have made this war harder on the soldier than almost anything else.
What have we done? What have we done?!? Saddam is out of power, the one who lied a thousand lies, killed hundred of thousands of innocent people. If you don't think Al-Qaida was working with him you are wrong, flat out wrong. Plus these murderers didn't have any place to go after we kicked them out of the Stans. Where did you think they would end up next. If you think you can defeat terrorism by turning your back or waiting to get all the other underhanded countries on board with us, you are still living in that same state of denial. Terrorism will be fought from here on out. If not by us then no one will fight it, and you will never be safe to travel again. Is that what America wants? I know I don't. Do you know how many master mind terrorists we killed or incarcerated? Out of the deck of cards that we started with, we are down to about 9 left. These guys were not going change hobbies because we sent our troops home.
Iraqis are voting for the third time in a year. One of my IA friends who I call Sadik (friend in Arabic) is 37. I am 38. He said he was so proud to vote for the first time in his life he cried. He's my age and he had never been able to vote. This guy is 5'5" and about 125 pounds soaking wet but it's all heart. He's the reason I have no problem with giving up part of my life of freedom and comfort so that another human being doesn't have to fear the night or the knock on his door late at night.
Another leader, Moammar Gadhafi, has given up his WMD on his own, he has seen what happens to those that don't play fair. How many of those people that said "it wasn't worth it" even know what country he is the leader of? Syria is out of Lebanon now. Most importantly there is not one terrorist over here that has gotten a good nights sleep since we've been here. People, this is just some of what we have done over here.
My battalion in particular has run thousands of patrols, found hundreds of weapons caches, dismantled hundreds of IED's, taken 2 HVT's off the deck of cards based on information from the people we have arrested. Opened up two schools, medical facilities, a new police station, improved their road system by securing engineers who come in and work. We had almost 70% of the registered voters in our AO vote. We don't even come close to that back home. And we aren't even in a Shia area. We are in the middle of the Sunni triangle. The MIDDLE. Not one serious incident in our AO against civilians during the last vote. We have done this by constantly patrolling, constantly walking the streets, shaking hands, helping where we can to show these people America does care. So the next time you see another report about how it wasn't worth it or that we are not making progress, just know you know someone over here who thinks different. Who thinks its worth it. Who has seen the progress first hand. We still have a ways to go but by God it was worth it.
I am proud to be an American and I am proud to call you my friends. I have felt God's protection over here because He cares and you prayed for us daily. The election is our last major operation so we will need your prayers even more. I will be outside the wire this time for a couple of days making sure our battalion can talk. I say this so you can be specific with your prayers and also to let you know I am not afraid and have no regrets. It's been 18 months but it was worth it. We did make a difference in this area. We are still making progress. I plan on being back in the states in late Jan so be watching your email boxes for major plans of serious frivolity. I miss you all and look forward to the day when I can look you in the eye and give you hug and say thanks, you too made a difference in my life.
Your friend and brother
Cory