April 3, 2004

Hello to everyone,

The past few months have been very memorable. I have had some good and bad times since I have arrived in country. The news is the best source of the bad news that we have to deal with. My unit is in the city of Mosul. We do not hit the news as much as the towns down south, but believe me we have our share of problems. The last two major issues that were in the news about civilians were just outside the gates of our compound. We do everything possible to protect ourselves and the civilians who work here. No one in our unit has been hurt so far. I hope to continue that trend.

The real reason for us being here is to rebuild the country and turn the government back to a democratic society. My unit is the vehicle that deals with the population of Iraq. We have 16 functional teams that deal with government to education, from economic development to public works (water/sewage/infrastructure). We will work with the different agencies that handle these departments and identify the problems. We then work with the Iraqi managers and leaders to solve the problems. We get to spend a lot of money on good projects. There are a tremendous amount of problems. The education system had no funds because the previous government used the money to fund the military. There were also bias between schools. The Islamic schools would be provided more funding from the old government, whereas, the other religions and ethic groups were given little to none. Most of the industry was run by the country. All the profits, if any, went to the Baath Party leadership and/or Saddam. The whole country was on civil servant payroll, but the government paid them very little. Teachers were paid 4 dollars (USA) a month. That was only enough to feed a family for one week. The infrastructure from electric to water had been neglected for over 25 years. No maintenance programs. (Bob and Rick would go nuts here) We have a lot of work to do, and we are making great strides, under the threat of danger behind every corner. Most of the people of Iraq are very nice. You see the pictures on TV and think that everyone in Iraq hates us. The majority are just like us. They want to take care of their family and be free to enjoy life. There are a few that are not happy. They are the extremist or the Baath party individual who lost all of their power and money (tough *&^^%%). Well we will handle them in due time.

The weather is nice and cool. The days get hot, but the nights are real nice. We are getting ready for the 125-degree heat. We have to carry all the equipment and wear our protective vests. They don’t let bullets in and they don’t let air in either. The combined weight of all our equipment is about 50 pounds per person. The smaller troops have problems with the weight, but they get used to it. Well the other thing that the Army has done for me is to come up with a weight loss program that works. Three square meals a day (some food you like, some you do not like) and that is if you make it to the dining facility before it closes. They have an excellent walking program where you carry 50 pounds for two or three miles each day. (Protective vest, helmet, and weapon). Then for kicks you have to run a few miles a week to stay in shape for a physical fitness test that I still have to take even when I am at war in Iraq. There should be a law passed against PT tests while in country. (FAT Chance... Ha Ha!) I thought that at WHV I did a lot of walking. Well, the program does work, I have lost 22 pounds. I am a lean mean fighting machine. Well at least I look the part. (minus the Glasses)

Well I have to go, but I would like to take this time to thank everyone and especially those who sent me letters. I thank you all for the support. To those individuals that put the care packages together, I and the members of my unit thank you. It is funny how much you miss the items that you sent, when you can’t get them here in country. I have to thank my staff and of course Art for continuing to support me while I am away. A special thanks to Debbie Sabin and Rosemary Magargal for the extra effort they put into supporting me and the troops of my unit. We at the 416th Civil affairs Battalion salute you.

Thanks again and I will keep in touch. Hope everyone liked my pictures. I am sure the glasses got the most comments.

DON’T FORGET TO SUPPORT THE VETS

LTC Mark P. Phelan