Some
Good News from Iraq
By Ray Reynolds,
Ray Reynolds is a medic in the Iowa Army National Guard, serving in
Iraq
.
As I head off to
Baghdad
for the final weeks of my stay in
Iraq
, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not believe the media. They
have done a very poor job of covering everything that has happened.
And just so you can rest at night knowing something is happening in
Iraq
that is noteworthy, I thought I would pass this on to you. This is
the list of things that has happened in
Iraq
recently: (Please share it with your friends and compare it to the version
that your paper is producing.)
* Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
* School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.
* Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons stored there
so education can occur.
* The
port
of
Uhm Qasar
was renovated so grain can be off-loaded from ships faster.
* The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August.
* Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever
in
Iraq
.
* The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before the war.
* 100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed, compared to 35% before
the war.
* Elections are taking place in every major city, and city councils are in
place.
* Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
* Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
* Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.
* Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side
with US soldiers.
* Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.
* Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to
prevent the spread of germs.
* An interim constitution has been signed.
* Girls are allowed to attend school.
* Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the first
time in 30 years.
Don't believe for one second that these people do not want us there. I have
met many, many people from
Iraq
that want us there, and in a bad way. They say they will never see
the freedoms we talk about but they hope their children will. We are
doing a good job in
Iraq
and I challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me on these facts. If you are
like me and very disgusted with how this period of rebuilding has
been portrayed, email this to a friend and let them know there are good
things happening.
Ray Reynolds, SFC Iowa Army National Guard 234th Signal Battalion
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