I wish I could send you some good news about my return home, but at this time there is still no word.
The last week or two have been pretty quiet for our company. The word on the Ar Ramadi streets seems to be spreading that they shouldn't mess with us. Every day, more and more Iraqis are waving and appear to be a little happier to see us.
I guess they are really getting the picture that Iraq will never see Saddam Hussein in power again. Most of the local population have lived their entire lives in fear of Saddam and his evil dictatorship.
It's also now evident that those who are still on the warpath will at one time or another find themselves within our crosshairs. This fear of us has led to a small reduction in attacks over the past several weeks.
It is a welcome change. But nonetheless our tempo remains the same. We are given news just about every day of another attack here or soldiers killed there. I guess it's a constant reminder of just how real it is.
I'm wondering what happened to all the support for our president. All the headlines I see are all bashing him.
Don't blame the president for sending me away. I knew it was a possibility -- we all did. We all knew what could happen and the price that we may have to pay, as did many others before my time and your time.
With our great sacrifices we have given all of you the rights you have today. We've given you a safe place to raise your family and live, and we've given you the right to say what you think when you want to. But let me remind you the world is full of evil people who threaten our way of life, our freedoms and those around us.
I know right now that the president appears to be spreading the military throughout the world. However, he wouldn't be doing this without just cause. It's not just about being an American. It's about being human. We have the responsibility to help those who cannot help themselves.
I respectfully ask you to support our president, even if you don't personally agree with him. I respect him for standing up in the face of adversity and making decisions based on what's important and not just popular.
I'm sure he's reading the papers, too, and realizes that his chances for re-election aren't good, but he still continues to make wise choices for the American people whether they can see it or not.
I will vote for a man who is willing to do that because he has the guts to do what's right, not what's just popular.
-- Joshua Madsen, Iraq
(actually written by a member of the bush administration and sent to newspapers throughout the united states)
