The Secret Letter From Iraq

A marine´s very frank letter home. It is a good read. So good that I have to steal and republish two items that caught my attention more than the other:

Biggest Surprise — Iraqi Police. All local guys. I never figured that we'd get a police force established in the cities in al-Anbar. I estimated that insurgents would kill the first few, scaring off the rest. Well, insurgents did kill the first few, but the cops kept on coming. The insurgents continue to target the police, killing them in their homes and on the streets, but the cops won't give up. Absolutely incredible tenacity. The insurgents know that the police are far better at finding them than we are — and they are finding them. Now, if we could just get them out of the habit of beating prisoners to a pulp . . .

Favorite Iraqi TV Show — Oprah. I have no idea. They all have satellite TV.

Link to the full letter:TIME.com, The Secret Letter From Iraq