Latest update from Blacksheep 6

I got another great e-mail from my buddy Will. Howard Dean can go straight to .... France... that'll work. Hello all! Just in time for my next Iraq update is the general election scheduled for 15 December. We have been diligently preparing for this event since mid-November and I am looking forward to the results. As some of you might remember, My battalion had 10 polling sites within our area of operations and 3 in my company sector. Well, thanks to the results we experienced from the last election, we have added 2 more polling sites in my company AO. That really does not affect my platoon, the Blacksheep, because we have draw the Division Ready Reserve Force (DRRF) duty again. My platoon is on stand-by to react to any major events in the Division area of operations and we are stoked! The last voting session was a huge success last time and we are hoping for the same results. Also, since we are the DRRF, I have the unique advantage of observing all of the events in the area without a major concern for close in tactical operation (unless we are called out). The locals that I have spoken with over the last few weeks are all saying that they will be participating in the upcoming election. This should all prove to be very interesting. As always, I try to provide some insight as to the mindset of the warriors and locals we have been working with over here so that all of you get an on the ground perspective from those of us who are doing the job. We are all very tired right now and the holidays have been rough since we are away from our loved ones. Despite all of this, morale is still high and we are doing the job well. I had dinner last night with one of the Iraqi Army commander's that I often work with, LT Hassenein. We had a dish that consisted of flat bread, meat deep-fryed with a breaded coating and vegetables. The food was great and I really enjoyed getting to know LT Hassenein on a more personal level. The LT said that he is honored to be working with us and that he has learned a lot more from this company than he has from any other group he has worked with. That says a lot for the commander and all the great soldiers that the National Guard has sent over. The IA is a taking a bigger responsibility for the actions in my battalion AO and we will soon be turning over our entire sector to them. We will be moving our tactical operations to a new location but the troops will be staying where we are now. All of us really believe in what we are doing over here and we have seen the difference a little caring can make. This conflict is not one that can be measured with a win or lose type of grading scale but the Iraqis I know and have worked with all say that they look forward to a brighter future that they ever could have had under that despot Saddam. Despite what the media may say, we are making a difference and although it is hard work, marred by violence and conflict, we will leave Iraq in better moral stead than we found it. The boys and I have all dedicated ourselves to make a difference and we are doing it. There is a plan in effect and we are successfully implementing it. Here's the latest story from our AO: The battalion was conducting a cordon and knock operation north of the FOB. In doing so, my platoon was occupying the northern most blocking positions. A few months earlier, I had an IED blow up in front of my vehicle that resulted in a local female being injured. My platoon performed first aid and escorted the family to the local hospital since the incident occurred after curfew. They were extremely grateful, and thanked us profusely. One of our positions was located directly in front of this same family's residence. Now those of you who know what a Bradley Fighting Vehicle is know that it is a frighteningly loud vehicle. The local tend to stay away from us and call our sighting system the "All Seeing Eye." You can hear our vehicles approaching from at least a kilometer away so we trade silence for firepower. There is nothing more beautiful to an Infantryman than hearing that beast inbound to your location for pick-up. We were concerned about disturbing the locals so we tried to keep the vehicles as quite as we could. The father of the family that we had previously helped came out to say that this was the best night's sleep he had experienced in months. He even asked us to park our vehicles outside of his house as often as possible since they made him feel safe. Take care all, more to follow soon. Blacksheep 6 out!