After my post yesterday, I needed to sit and think a bit about what I need to say to y'all. I know I am not the only person over here working in Iraq right now. I don't know if there's anyone else on this forum who is, but for those of you who've expressed your thanks for me being here, I humbly and graciously appreciate your support.

I am but a small cog here. My function is lost in a sea of bureacracy and things much larger than my daily existence. For me, I was asked to come here and help out, and so I came. I am being paid well for my services, to be sure, and that is what I needed to have for my family's security while I am gone. It is a poor replacement for me being there, I know, but they can accept it, and it tips the scales at decision making time. Were it just me to care for in this world, I'd have come for much less.

Why I am here has to do with much more than simply my job here. I wanted to come here and understand for myself why this is so important. I have tried to convey this to all of you, I hope that you understand. I cannot give you a complete understanding of how important it is for Americans to be here now, only a most general idea. When you think of Iraq, I want you to consider how our country would've faired during the revolutionary war without France's help. There are a lot of similarities we can compare between the two conflicts, but there are also some striking differences. In any case, do not believe everything you hear or see or read in the media. Fox news comes the closest to the truth, but an awful lot of it is missing or misleading.

I also want you to know that this forum is one of only a couple links I have back to my life at home. You are all a lifeline for me, for my sanity, for my courage. Being able to post here and read other's ideas is a means of my survival in a place where it would be quite easy to quit, run away back home, and forget this whole mess. You give me a strength to endure, and that is helping me to do a better job, and inspiring others around me to the same.

It is my greatest hope that being here will help make things better for us all in the long run. It is something I can do that has some meaning, and I am grateful to serve. Forget about the money, the first time a mortar lands near a greedy person, they realize the money means very little here. It is hope that makes this place and time have some meaning.

God Bless you all. If it is in you, pray for all the people here. Not just us ex-pats, but for the Iraqis that are taking a stand in the face of doom. It takes a lot of guts to shake your fist at death. I have had the privilege to know some very strong people. They deserve our respect.

So, as B&J would say, "Thank you for your support".

Sincerely,

Big Benjammin' <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />