Here is a letter from a friend in Iraq, there right now, hear what he is saying:

10 Apr 2006:
Hey friends how is everybody doing? Everybody seems to know what the Mp's and Infantry does, they go out and hunt down the insurgents and bag guys. But nobody really know's what it's like for the Transportation soldier. you see while the bad guy's are running FROM the Infantry, their LOOKING for us. they need to stop the supply lines and thats us. All missions are different so let me tell you what it's like for me. We travel from Kuwait to the southern Iraqi city of Scania in the day time, but when traveling North of Scania you have to travel at night. The roads in Iraq are not like the ones in the states, most of the roads we travel on are full of pot holes and craters from years of misuse, and of course war. The trucks we drive are heavily armored which may make you feel safe but takes away any room you would normally have in the cab, so now it's dark, the roads are bumpy, and your legs are cramped. We travel anywhere from 4 to 12 hours at a time. We take a break after a few hours, once we stop our trucks in the middle of the road we open our doors and search the ground and surrounding areas for any possible booby traps or movement. The roads are usually empty so traffic is not a problem. after we're sure nothing is there we grab our weapons and step out. we get a few minutes to check our loads, get water, eat if we have it, and relieve our bladders. It is sometimes hard to walk when you first get out of the truck because of the cramped cab, plus all the bouncing around inside the cab hurts your back, gives you a headache, your eyes hurt because you strain them trying to peer into the darkness to try to see any movement out in the dark. while we're on the ground this is when we're the most at risk so we keep an extra sharp eye out. Now we have to climb back into the trucks and finish our drive. Remember the roads are full of pot holes and the insurgents use them to place IED's in (roadside bombs), some places it's impossible to avoid hitting them because your on a one lane paved road going into the desert from one base to another, and it is full af nothing but holes, it's like playing a game of "Russian Roulet" you never know if the next pot hole will be the last pot hole you ever hit, then there are the times when your convoy gets ambushed and there are people shooting at you from the right and left, and all you can do is try to speed up and hope they don't have any RPG's (Rocket Propelled Grenades). So everytime we roll out the gate I make it a point to call my family and let them know I Love them, because I never know if this is the last time I'll get to speak with them. So while the Infantry is busy searching for the insurgents and bragging how tough they are, maybe people should take a moment and think of us. We are the ones facing the IED's, and ambushes, and Rock throwers. we are the ones in danger of getting rammed by vehicle filled with explosives, (although that last one is rare, it does happen), We bring the supplies, medical, food, water, Ammo, without us the Infantry could not survive for long. We face alot of dangers, and we face them every single day and without hesitation because we know that we have to get the supplies through. We are the main targets out here, we are the ones the insurgents have to try to stop, I'm proud to be an AMERICAN, and even prouder to be a SOLDIER. Not everything is bad over here, we are making a difference, building new schools, building water treatment plants, ETC.... Don't let the media make you believe that everybody hates us and wants us to leave right now. They do want us to leave but they want to feel safe first, most of the people I talk to want us to stay until the goverment is set up, and the insurgents are gone. I'll update more soon.

Your Friend in Iraq,
SGT Ron Walters