Words from the front

On daily life

'Soldiers get literally hundreds of flea or mosquito bites and they can't [use] cream or benedril to keep the damn things from itching. The army issued mosquito netting, but didn't give anyone any poles for their cots, so the stuff is basically useless... Meanwhile, soldiers are living in the dirt, with no mail, no phone, no contact with home and no break from the daily monotony at all.

I went to a division last May and practically got in a fist fight with this captain up there over letting my private, who hadn't contacted home since we left the US, send an email over his office's internet. This clown spends his days sending flowers to his wife and surfing the net, and he won't let my private send an email to her husband - fucking disgraceful and all too typical of today's army.'
An officer

On morale

'A lot is being said about poor morale. That seems to be the case all over the place. It's hot, we've been here for a long time, it's dangerous, we haven't had any real downtime in months and we don't know when we're going home.'
Private Isaac Kindblade, 671st Engineers

Infantry prayer

'Almighty God, whose will it is that we be leaders of men, hear us as we come to you for guidance in this awesome responsibility.

Let us never forget our duty in the men whom we lead. May we instill in them the qualities of loyalty, integrity, and duty. Grant us the patience in dealing with the mistakes of our fellow man.

Give us courage, O Lord, in the face of danger, keep us pure in heart, clean in mind, and strong in purpose.

Keep ever before us our goal which is not to perpetrate war, but to safeguard peace and preserve your great gift to man, freedom. May you always be near to guide us in decisions, comfort us in our failures, and keep us humble in our successes. We ask your divine blessings and leadership as we discharge the honor and responsibility of leading men in the service of our country.

Walk close to us always, our father, that we may not fall. Amen.'
Prayer sent home by a US infantryman

A soldier on officers

'Well, my overall impression is that the colonels and above only care about themselves and making sure they are living well. I believe that they think that if they are living well, then everyone else is living well, because they never leave their cushy palaces to see the real fighters and killers... I continue to believe that once an officer makes the rank of major, he receives a frontal lobotomy, courtesy of the army.

I have no desire to be a major in this army, and I'm looking forward to commanding a company or two without the risk of ruining a career... I know that I don't see the whole picture, but some of the things that go on here just boggle my mind.'
A soldier in Baiji, north of Tikrit

On the inequalities of army life

'...as we crammed 50 soldiers into two medium-frame tents near a pond full of dead fish which was also infested with mosquitoes and there was absolutely no field sanitation support for miles, he [the commanding officer] was living in his own room inside an air-conditioned building, had his own king-size bed, his own bathroom, his own refrigerator and his cappuccino machine. It was two weeks before he came down to see where the soldiers were living... I do believe the colonel is entitled to a higher standard of living. However, the inequality was astounding, and even more so was the fact that he tried to hide it, by posting guards at the entrance to his hallway.'
A soldier in Baghdad

On lax discipline

'We rolled past three army convoys that had zero security set up - not a single weapon in sight... Four days ago a group of army Military Police stopped just outside our compound to buy sodas and ice from local Iraqi vendors. While I find it ironic that military police are violating camp rules on this matter, I was more concerned with the fact that nobody set up any security.

'One of the gunners was in the back of his Hummer [armoured personnel carrier], arranging his ice cooler. The second gunner was smashing blocks of ice. About half of the men on the deck of the Hummer were running around without their weapons.

'The fact that two other soldiers have died in the past weeks doing just this was totally lost on them...This lax attitude is not only getting soldiers killed but also making this entire operation look worse than it really is.'
A navy corpsman

On the capture of Baghdad

'The commander was bragging yesterday that his brigade took Baghdad. I am all for feeling great and wonderful...But the fact remains the city was looted right under his nose, because he could not control the city. There are still armed gangs of fedayeen and former Republican Guards roving Baghdad at night, a situation I will fill you in on in another letter from the front.'
A colonel

Tips for survival

'Talk to units in the area. Ask questions. You will learn so much. Talk to the army. They do good things also. A can of dip [sauce to dip tortilla chips in], cigar, pack of smokes and a handshake go a long way. Make a cup of coffee, and give half to a young marine. Watch your marines' eyes: they tell you everything. Look at your NCO's eyes and you know what is going on.'
A marines officer