A HOLY WAR

I received the following information from a military member:

“My job in the military is with EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal), and I am serving my second tour in the Middle East. We carry plenty of weapons but, so far, none of my men have had to pull a trigger but that doesn’t mean we haven’t suffered our share of abuse. Some time ago, in the middle of the night; we were attacked by rocket fire. One man, not from our unit, was killed; at least three more were injured. Several had their tents ripped apart by shrapnel but escaped harm. Conditions here are gruesome at best. We are often away from military bases and must live on MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat) and any food our relatives send us by way of stateside packages.

The enemy likes to store their bombs and explosives under schools and hospitals. Perhaps, since it is a ‘holy war,’ it doesn’t matter if innocents are killed.

Our ‘showers’ consist of stripping down and pouring bottled water over our bodies. Daytime temperatures can exceed 120 degrees F. We must wear all sorts of body armor and this makes the heat even more unbearable. Many of our people do not know when they are scheduled to go home because those called to replace us are scarce. Our morale can be very low at times. Certain numbers of our group have received inadequate training and can be a danger to the rest of the men. It is not uncommon for a spouse to write and say that they have found another in our absence and therefore desires a divorce. Suicide watch becomes necessary.

The native military can seldom be trusted and can be bribed into things like removing a land mine only to place it on the same road, farther down the line. Some of our interpreters live back in the States in Michigan. They do what they can to help us understand the culture. I have learned numerous things to stay alive but most of all; I have learned gratitude for the living conditions in my country and can hardly wait to be reunited with my family. Receiving mail is a really big deal. We fight the enemy here so that we will not be forced to fight them on the streets of the USA. Pray for us.”