[sweetjazz]

Hey PR -- First, I want to say that I really appreciate your service and sacrifice in the military. I have a lot of respect for what you do (I'll be the first to admit I couldn't cut it in the military), and I believe strongly that our soldiers deserve to be treated well -- both by giving them the resources they need for their missions and taking care of them after they come home. I hope you are able to find your way onto Party and rake in some extra bucks in between your deployments. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I don't necessarily agree with your opinion about this war, but I respect where you are coming from and I want to become better informed. My primary objection to the war in Iraq is that I fear that the presence of American troops in the Middle East is recruiting as many or more terrorists than you and other brave soldiers are killing and capturing. This is based on reading different sources regarding what is going on down there, as you are right that I obviously don't know anything first hand.

Maybe you could help answer some questions for me. To what extent is the "insurgency" in Iraq made up of Arab terrorists who were already plotting against the U.S. before the war in Iraq? How many of them are disgruntled Sunnis?

How good is our intelligence finding terrorists? We have been told that we have eliminated many of the members of al Qaeda who had leadership roles in 2001, and it looks like we have made a good deal of progress disrupting the organizational capacity of al Qaeda. In my opinion, this has been our best achievement in the "War on Terror." But is al Qaeda filling these holes with new recruits? Are other terrorist organizations being created with similar goals against America?

I too find the threat of terrorism to be very serious and worth fighting. I am just skeptical that we are on the right course to minimize the prospect of another major attack. I think we are blessed that we have not been attacked since 2001, but I am concerned that it seems like there are even more Arab terrorists with designs on killing many Americans.

Anyway, I'd love hearing more about what you have experienced, both in Afghanistan and Iraq. (I'd especially be interested in how similar or different you think the enemy is in these two locations.) You definitely have an insight that the rest of us don't, and it would be great if you could share it with us.

God bless you and thank you for what you done for me and other Americans.