This is MAJ Brian Adelson's letters and pictures from Iraq. The VFW is going to sort of adopt him by sending care packages, letters and emails to him. He gives a great account of what is going on there, as you will see in the following letters.

Letter # 3, though it is the first that I received. I will see if I can get copies of the first two, but we'll start with this.

Marharba (Hello),

Well, after almost two months of wondering, training, and getting ready we were finally called in to action. The fear of the unknown quickly became the fear of the known. On Sunday morning at around 1000 hrs (10:00 am) while sitting around we heard the radio call that the Iraqi unit we are advising hit an IED (Roadside bomb) while driving in a convoy. Note: We had taken over operational control of this unit less than 24 hrs prior and the soldiers we replaced had never had an incident...lucky me. Anyway, as the Commander of the unit activated his reserve force the news kept getting worse. The initial report was that there were multiple injuries, several insurgents in the area, and a bomb in a local school. I asked the Commander what he would like us to do and he said, "Help". I said, "SERIOUSLY"? Actually, we responded immediately. My soldiers suited up and were ready to move within minutes. While driving to the scene of the incident my mind was racing with thoughts of what I would see and how I would handle it. I was actually surprised with how calm I was. Call it confidence, trust in my skills and my soldiers skills, or stupidity, I knew that we would do exactly what we needed to do and not get hurt.

I have to say that the Iraqi's performed flawlessly. As we rolled into the area, it was completely secured and they had cleared the area of all civilians and detained one of them that mistakenly tried to run.

Thankfully, there was only one minor injury. There was no insurgent activity and there was no bomb. We quickly cleared the IED site and secured all the evidence. We actually detained another person. He denied any knowledge of what happened, until the Iraqi's explained how beneficial it would be to cooperate. They do have a way with people.

Please know that I do not tell you this to make you worry more about me, but to actually let you know that we are o.k. Our counterparts were actually upset that we took up security at the scene, because they want us to trust them. They feel loyal to protect us. They would be upset if anything happened to us. At least most of them.

One of the Majors that I am close to actually told me that he hopes we are attacked by terrorists so that he can show me I am his Brother...I told him that my Mother is not going to like him much. But that is the way the Iraqi people are, extremely loyal.

The more I interact with them the more that I am proud and happy to be able to help them. Every soldier that stands up to fight for freedom is truly at risk. I am not sure if you saw in the media that several soldiers were found killed in Mosul, but they were from my unit. If anyone finds out that they are in the Army, it could mean death for them and their family, no joke. They work each month for around $200 U.S, and the insurgents will pay $400 U.S. to provide them information on who is a soldier (The numbers are not in their favor). Also, there is no banking system, so the only way to get the money to their family is to go on leave. In some cases soldiers spend 2/3 of that money to pay a taxi to get home, and are seriously risking their life to do it. My goal is to figure out a way to get them home safely.

When you see these soldiers they are just kids. It is kind of funny when you take their picture. They love the digital camera, because you can see it on the screen once you take it. As soon as you snap the picture they run to the camera to see the picture (Lord, help the guy who has a regular camera). Then they go outside the gate and fight like warriors. They are amazing to work with.

I have to say this is a great experience. There are so many things that I want to tell you that it could take a year. Thankfully, I may have one.

As I close I would like to use this forum to say "Happy Birthday" to my Dad. I would tell you his age, but I think he stopped counting a few years ago. Dad, have a great day and know that I will be thinking of you and wishing that I could be there to have cake and ice cream with you. You will have to give my helping to Sarah, you know how she loves it. I love you!

Again, I want to thank everyone for their continued support. Many of you have done such wonderful things for me and I am touched. There is an Iraqi saying, "Behind me is a thousand". It means that behind them are their family, clan, and tribe. I understand that completely. Without all of your support and encouragement this would be much more difficult.

I received a lot of positive responses on my picture (And some negative, but I deleted those) so I am going to attach a few more to this message. I am trying to respect those that may not have cable access.

The first is from the day that we arrived in Iraq. Not sure if any of you has ever done a tactical landing in an aircraft, but it feels like you are falling out of the sky and then BAM you hit the ground. As we walked off the tarmac, I was still trying to find my stomach and watch out for mortar fire when I saw him...that is right, Santa Claus. I immediately knew everything was going to be all right. If you look closely, Santa is wearing body armor and has his Kevlar helmet in his hand. I asked him if he knew something I didn't. At least I had my rifle. I guess Santa with a rifle may scare the kids.

The second is from the IED location. Notice that I like to travel with big guys and big guns. That is an RPG over my head. If you look closely, the one soldier is wearing a ski mask. It was actually a warm day, that soldier is wearing a mask so nobody can identify him, as stated earlier, it could be dangerous if anyone recognizes him.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. I am trying to figure a way to post them on the internet so that you can access them easier. I will let you know as soon as that happens.

I do hope that all of you are doing well and getting ready for the holiday season. I miss you and think of everyone often.

Sincerely,

Brian

P.S. Many of you have asked for my address so I am attaching it. Let me thank you in advance for anything that you may send. Not sure what to ask for, but I promise you this, whatever it is, I will appreciate it.

MAJ Brian Adelson

CMATT- 3rd Division 4th Brigade

12 Bn AST/Al-Kasik

Task Force Olympia

APO AE 09334

Letter #4

Well, that is what life is like here. It is the little things that keep us going. And I have to thank you for all that you are doing to make my visit to Iraq much more fun and enjoyable. We get mail regularly…that is once every few weeks, and many of you have sent packages, cards, and letters. The snack food is awesome. It keeps me out of the chow hall, which can be risky for a variety of reasons. I have been “Adopted” by a local Cub Scout Den (That is local from Home), and I am very excited about that. Many of you are keeping in touch via email. *Just a note on email, I now have plenty of access to the internet, so please keep the emails coming. I am able to web cam and IM with many of you. It is great to web cam with Reiley and Sarah, and be able to see their smiling faces. Heck, sometimes I feel as if I am not that far away.

I am guessing that by now you have figured out that I am okay. I realize that it has been a few weeks since my last update and I apologize for that, so you should sit back, grab some tea, turn off the phone, and get comfortable…this is going to be a long one.

I am gathering that the news back home is not portraying the most positive outlook on life over here, but in my little world life is great. That is because when I watch the news, I can’t understand it. All we get are Arabic channels. We have had a few bumps in the road, and sometimes you start to wonder if we can accomplish our goals. But for the most part we are keeping a positive attitude. As the elections approach things continue to heat up. Lucky for me, I have not heard much…and I mean that literally. We had a ceremony the other day and as it ended I guess a few rockets flew over our head. Everybody was talking about them and wondering where they landed, and I was like, “What Rockets?” That seems to happen all the time, and to be honest I am not so sure it is a bad thing. I do have a note to self to have my hearing checked when I get back home. It is possible that I am in denial. Maybe if I believed that somebody was shooting rockets at me, I would be a little nervous.

We continue to develop great relationships with our Iraqi counterparts. We spend most of the days with them and during the evening have meetings. I use the term “Meetings” loosely since for most of the night we are watching TV, drinking Chai (Tea), and telling stories. It is like a big game of charades. They speak very little English, and we speak very little Arabic. Not to mention a further challenge is that many of the officers and soldiers in the unit are Kurdish. They speak an entirely different language. Sometimes the Kurds can’t understand Arabic either. So we do a lot of pointing and use other hand gestures (Nothing bad). The Colonel that we advise draws a lot of pictures. It is kind of fun. I love to watch when someone is talking, and they can tell the person that they are talking to does not understand…You see them lean forward, slow the pace, change their accent, and say the exact same thing. The result is usually the same.

I have an interpreter which helps. Thankfully, he is very patient with me, and has figured out that I enjoy talking. It is very difficult to interpret and I can tell when his concentration and patience has worn thin. I usually will just keep talking to mess with him. Also, we are probably not being the best role models. We have taught him a few common English phrases that probably aren’t that appropriate. It is funny to hear him say some of things that we have taught him…Probably a little juvenile on our part, but what did you really expect.

Some of the highlights of our trip include a few days that we spent at a summer spot often visited by Saddam. During one of our missions the Iraqis wanted to show us a few of the hot spots in the area. They brought us near the border of Kurdistan and had a picnic at a summer resort. Supposedly the story goes that nobody could come to the place while Saddam was in power. He would use it exclusively for his family and the only other people allowed there were his servants, and from time to time a few dancing girls. I am not sure if the story is true, but it sounds kind of cool. It was a beautiful spot on the water. And we were able to have ice cream for the first time since getting to Iraq. Remember, it is the little things that make the difference. They even took us out in a row boat. I am not sure if it was that safe, but sometimes you have to live a little.

Many have asked if this is rewarding, well I would like to share a few stories that have really made me think of how proud I am to be taking part in this operation.

The first was with an Iraqi General. During a meeting (Again I use the term “Meeting” loosely) he was explaining to me the challenges the Iraqi people have been through. Basically, they have been fighting the Bath party for over 50 years. He explained that they were tired and looked to the Americans as the answer to helping them free their country. He certainly hopes that we finish what we started. He also asked me to pass along to my family and friends at home that the Iraqi people want freedom and they respect what we have.

Another incident that really left me speechless, and many of you know that does not happen to me much, was with our Iraqi unit. On our uniforms we wear an American Flag on our right arm. One of the Captains on my team gave a flag to one of the Iraqi Officers. One of the Iraqi Colonels asked if he could also have one. He specifically asked for one from a uniform. We didn’t really think anything of it, and thankfully one of the guys was willing to cut it off his uniform to give him. Anyway, when we presented it to him, somebody asked why he wanted a used one.

He looked at us and held up the flag and said, “When my son and daughter are older, I want to tell them about the Americans that came to help free his country. He will show them the flag and say this is so I can always remember them”. He then put it in the pocket over his heart, and he has kept it there. Honestly, I was speechless.

And finally, while interviewing a few suspected terrorists we had an interesting discussion. It turns out that they were not terrorists. They were from Syria and one of them asked me when the Americans were coming to free them. Well, this same Colonel that we gave the flag to immediately looks me in the eyes and said, “I will fight with you”.

I thanked him and said he could come visit me in NY, but there was no way I could be responsible for freeing Syria too. One Country is enough. That was my inside voice, my outside voice said, “No problem, as soon as Iraq is free we will head your way”.

As I close, I would like to share with you some sad news. A few of you wrote to me when the Dining Facility was blown up in Mosul right before Christmas. Well, for those that don’t really know where we are, Mosul is very close to us and in our Operational Area. We had a team there, and sadly we lost one of them during the explosion. He was not one of the 10 from my team, but we had trained together since Indiana and had become very good friends.

He was an awesome soldier and as a friend I mourn his loss. As a soldier I am very upset, because I know that if the enemy tried to fight him like a man, he would still be with us. His name is Paul “Karp” Karpowich. He had just learned that he was selected for promotion to Master Sergeant. He left behind his wife, Amanda.

Well, I hope that you are all doing well and I certainly hope you enjoyed this update. I was kind of kidding when I started; I didn’t really think it would be this long, sorry.

Thanks again for all of the wonderful support that you are giving to me and to Lisa and the girls. It is overwhelming and we truly appreciate it.

Attached are a few pictures. I hope that you enjoy them.

The first one is of me and Karp in Kuwait. He is on the right with sunglasses on head. Not sure if you can tell from the picture, but he was a warrior. He was a very young guy that rose through the ranks very quickly. He will be missed.

The second one is of me and one of the Iraqi officers during our trip to Saddam’s summer place. For those of you that have gotten all of my updates, this is the officer that wants us to get attacked by terrorists so that he can prove to me that he is my brother. I just wanted my Mom to get a look at him.

Take care and look for more news from Iraq soon.

Brian

MAJ Brian M. Adelson

AST Team Leader

12th Bn, 4th Bde, 3rd Div

Letter #5

“Freedom is not Free”

I am not sure if many understand this as much as the Iraqi people do today. For the first time in history they had a free election and I was lucky enough to have a front row seat (Some may argue that this wasn’t the first free election that Iraq has had, but I researched this with several Iraqi people and in their opinion it was). I was kidding with my Iraqi counterparts explaining that in America a front row seat to an event like this would cost you big money…and I guess leaving my family, friends, and job in the States is big money. Well, as usual I tried to make the best of it, and all I can say is, “Unbelievable”.

Many have asked what my duties would be during the elections and for security reasons I could not tell, but now that it is all over, I would like to try and share some of my experiences. The Iraqi unit that I advise had the mission of securing several polling locations to make it safe for the Iraqis to vote. To minimize danger, the planning for this was held very close hold and nobody, well except a few of us, even knew the locations until around 3:00 pm on Saturday. They also attempted to keep the minimum number of sites to make security easier. That is important to know, and you will understand why in a minute.

During the weekend I kept thinking about how much different our voting experience is in America. I would imagine that on November 1, 2004 many of you conducted business as usual. Going to work, caring for family, possibly on vacation, but life was just routine, with maybe the occasional, “Who are you going to vote for?” conversation. On Election Day, many of you probably got up early to hit the polls before the crowd. Some may have chosen to go at lunch because it was close to work or on your way while running an errand, a few may have chosen to go on the way home from work, and others may have decided to run out after dinner to cast your ballot.

To compare that to here…On Thursday evening the roads closed. Basically, people were told to stay home or risk being shot at, and I can attest to the fact that vehicles moving after the “No Roll Policy” went into effect truly risked being shot at. On Friday, the Military descended on many villages and set up security...Armed soldiers patrolling the streets to keep the polling locations safe. Merchants were not able to open their shops. Although, in the village we were in we made an exception for the bakery. He was a smart entrepreneur, giving us freshly baked bread, before asking us to pull a few strings for him. I also coordinated to have the local drug store remain open for a few hours on Election Day, because working in retail I understand what it means to have competitive hours. A curfew was enacted and anyone caught out after dark was arrested and held until after the elections. On Election Day, just to get the opportunity to vote, most people had to go through at least two searches and sometimes three just to get the chance to stand in line. We don’t even like to get searched when we board a plane.

As different as I found it, I was actually surprised how well people took it. I mean we were telling them that they could not work, go to school, drive, or run any errands for their wife. All they had to do was get up and watch TV for a few days and not feel guilty about being lazy...not a bad deal. I am sure they also understood how dangerous this weekend could be, and many may have looked upon us as saviors.

For us, it was great to walk around the city and talk with some of the locals. You could sense that some people liked Americans, but then there were those that didn’t. We were talking with the kids and passing out candy and taking pictures with them. Some of the adults would come over and make their kids stay away from us. We truly understood and just continued to talk with people and tried to gain their trust. By the end of the weekend you could almost sense a change. We basically had free movement around the town. I am sure that being heavily armed helped us a little.

As many of you know, I enjoy meeting new people. I was trying to get them excited about the election, asking everyone if they were going to vote. On Election Day I would make them show me their finger to ensure that they had gone to the polls. I think that my interpreter thought I was crazy, as many of you will agree to…but many would eagerly hold up their hand to prove that they had voted.

I was having a discussion with the Iraqi Colonel that I work with and he tells me that many people will not come out to vote, because there are too many terrorists in this town. All I could think was that I was out walking around all day and talking with people, there is no way they are terrorists. A few minutes later the soldiers started to bring in several detainees that were arrested. We had intelligence on many people in the village that were planning to try and sabotage the elections and our unit conducted raids throughout the night and arrested many people. I believe this was the reason that we did not have any incidents in our area.

As I said earlier, we limited the number of polling sites so that we could secure them better. Well, the local politicians did not think that was fair to all of the villages in the area. How can we have a free election if we do not provide access to polling sites in all villages? Since people could not drive how would they get to polling locations that were in other villages? The locals requested a meeting with the Iraqi General and said that they would provide their own security for the sites; they just needed an election official and ballots. I thought this was amazing. The dangers were very real to each person and place that had voting going on. They wanted their right to vote and they were not going to let the terrorists stop that.

At the end of the day over 30,000 people in our area were able to vote. The turnout was overwhelming and more than anyone expected. There are only around 50,000 voting age citizens in this area.

We were sitting around watching the news at the end of the day and you could feel the emotions. One of the interviews that we saw was of an older woman, and she was saying that she was sick but would not miss this opportunity. In some of the Officers I could see tears in their eyes. They had dedicated their lives to this, and many of them went without sleep to make sure that it was successful. To know that their efforts were worth it was very rewarding.

I was having a discussion with the Village mayor and another local politician and he was telling what life was like under Saddam. The local politician was forced to leave his home and live in another area while Saddam was in power. He only returned after the Americans came in. He said to me, “Allah paved the way for the USA to come in and rid Iraq of Saddam”…he didn’t want to give us all the credit. Saddam was in power for 35 years and they could not stop him. Many are thankful for what we did.

On this day in Iraq, the news was very positive. I am sure that in a few days the focus will be on the challenges that Iraq faces in establishing a new government, but for a few hours the people could feel a sense of relief and accomplishment…It was a great day for the future of Iraq.

As usual I have added a few pictures. I hope that you enjoy them.

The first is of a family that we met. This little boy saw us walking around on a rooftop and runs to the window and yells to his Daddy that the Americans have finally made it. He made him come out to talk with us. I am not sure how he knew, but he believed we were there to help. He gave us all a hug, and truly made us all feel good about why we were there. A funny thing about the father, he has three wives and this little boy is one of eighteen children…that is why he looks a little tired.

The second one is of me making some new friends. They are all future voters.

The last one is of the Election site. If you look over my shoulder, the building with the green trim is where history was made. If you look closely you can see the line of people waiting to cast their vote.

Well, that was my adventure during the Elections. I felt blessed throughout the day to be a part of it all.

I hope everyone is well and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Take care,

Brian