Flight Pundit

Donald Sensing has a leter form a Top Sergeant who was present with the Rumsfeld visit in Iraq that the press spun out of this world again.

This email is from a first sergeant serving in Iraq who was present last week for one of the troop visits by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The email was forwarded to me by a Tennessee Army Guard field-grade officer. One of his comments was,

Once again our soldiers (and vets) do not recognize what the press reports. Our experience is in the full context of events and I suppose only we can or will tell that complete story.

Here is the first sergeant’s report:

This is a shotgun blast response to the media reports on Secretary
Rumsfeld’s visit to our Camp. I was fortunate enough to be there and even shake the man’s hand. When the media reports were released concerning the event, I could not believe what I saw and heard. There are over 12,000 troops on our base. Only 2,000 or so had the opportunity to attend the gathering and I can tell you, those were hotly contested seats.

Not as the media would have you believe, so we could voice our displeasure, but rather to have the opportunity to see and hearthe man we admire. Mr. Secretary spoke for 10 minutes or so on the war in Iraq and what freedom meant to the people of Afghanistan. He was there for the recent elections and shared his wonderful insight. After his prepared remarks he opened up the floor for questions and made it very clear that nothing was off limits.

Folks, this is extremely unusual for a dignitary to do. Also, we as leaders, were instructed to not screen our soldiers questions. They were to be honest and from the heart. Mr. Rumsfeld fielded a number of questions, took down notes for the ones he did not have answers to and genuinely enjoyed talking to the soldiers.

Afterward, he spent over an hour with the enthusiastic troops who literally mobbed him and would not let him leave. He smiled forall, shook hands and had pictures taken. It ended only when his security forced us away.

He was applauded, he was given a standing ovation and he was loved. He stood there like a professional, like a man, and he took the heat because that’s what leaders do. And yet somehow, the American media turned that wonderful event into “disgruntled troops meet with Secretary Rumsfeld” headline. Incredible.

The morale is high, the equipment is good and improving daily. Disregard what you read and hear from the media and trust in the American fighting men and women to do the right thing. We have excellent leadership and are doing what we signed up to do.

Even if there are issues the Men and Women in country know better than the second guessing with pre-disposed bias of the media. If the media would show the facts and not there spin then they might have some integrity. Until then they will not.

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