About a year ago Americans embarked on a mission to oust Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq. Whether or not we should or should not be there is not the subject of this column. The polls indicate Americans are split about 50-50 on this war. And, odds are it will always be so . . .
. . . so . . . let the politicians rant and rave and call each other liars and hypocrites — I thought I would write about what some locals are doing because of the war in Iraq. I picked up a flier from the Goodrich area; it’s a black and white photo-copy of a color original.
Along the right side in big, block letters is: Support The Soldiers.
‘A local soldier’s National Guard Unit was activated to Iraq. They have been stationed on the edge of Baghdad, at what they fondly call the ‘hole,?? the flier states. ‘They are in an area completely destroyed by bombs, with makeshift quarters, bugs everywhere, no sanitation, dogs running wild and temperatures already hitting 90 degrees. They do not have a store at their location, so they must convoy through or around Baghdad for anything they need.?
This National Guard unit shipped out before Christmas. One of my cousins? husband shipped out before Christmas, too. My cousin and their son have been told that Mark (the husband and father) could be expected home in about a year and a half, barring anything disastrous.
The flier’s creator is trying to limit the number of convoys the soldiers make to the store — thus limiting the amount of times they become sitting ducks for snipers, bombers and any others whose aim it is to kill American GIs. So, they send stuff out weekly. That’s a good idea.
According to the flier, ‘we send out about 50 pounds of stuff a week . . .?
The flier also said there are ?150 male soldiers from Michigan in this unit.? Maybe Mark is a part of this unit?
At any rate, the flier posted the soldiers ‘initial wish list.?
n Powdered Gatorade (any drink mix that does not require sugar)
n Beef jerky
n Baby wipes
n Q-Tips
n Pipe cleaners
n Bubble gum
n Bug repellent with lots of Deet
n Bars of soap
n Flypaper strips
n Flea collars to put around their boots
n Flea powder to sprinkle around beds
n Permethrin products (a product used to treat clothes to prevent being bit by sand flies)
n Kleenex
n Toilet paper
n Boxes of snack crackers
n Nuts
n Cheese in a tube
n Packages of cookies
n Instant coffee
n Individual cream and sugar packages
n Candy that won’t melt
n Sunscreen
n Disposable razors
n Magazines and books (no nudity)
n Socks
n Brown t-shirts
n Microwave Chef Boyardee
n Fabric softener dryer sheets (fragrant) to keep bugs away.
‘We are not shipping anything in an aerosol container (mail regulations); bottled water/drinks (it weighs too much); pork products (against Iraqi culture, so it is not allowed). We do not need feminine products (it is an all male unit).?
Anybody who wants to help can e-mail me with your name and daytime phone. I’ll pass this information on to the appropriate individuals.
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