Operation Truth: Hear It From The Troops

[OneBlueSky]

Operation Truth is a non-profit 501(c)(4), non-partisan veterans' organization that seeks to amplify the soldiers' voice in the American public dialogue. American servicemen and women have a voice that deserves to be heard; the issues and hardships troops face merit attention. Additionally, American troops have a distinct and important perspective that can influence the American political scene in a powerful way.

http://www.optruth.org/main.cfm

Hear It From the Troops

http://www.optruth.org/main.cfm?actionId=globalShowStaticContent&screenKey=hearHome&lnav=1

Welcome to “Hear it from the Troops” – your place to get the real stories from the men and women who have served. Here you will find first-hand accounts that give a glimpse into the life of a soldier: journal entries, letters, interviews, and much more. Browse through and become familiar with the tough reality that those who protect us face everyday. Remember, no one knows better than the soldiers themselves.

Providing for the Troops

http://www.optruth.org/main.cfm?actionId=globalShowStaticContent&screenKey=hear&htmlId=1236

Jefferies served as a First Sergeant with the 4th Infantry Division. Click here to see him discuss his experiences. Below, you'll find Perry Jefferies journal, in which describes some of the difficulties he encountered in Iraq while striving to take care of his soldiers. Problems included over-extended troops, deplorable living conditions and the lack basic necessities including food, water and supplies.



I watched America provide doors, floors, windows, plumbing, sewage disposal, and air conditioning for Iraqi troops while American soldiers on the same compound struggled with none of these things. Despite promises to make conditions equal for US and Iraqi troops, the construction never approached parity. Meanwhile, the Coalition Provisional Authority struggled to keep the new Iraqi Army from quitting as it prepared for its first big ‘graduation.’

Here are a few excerpts from some of my letters home during that time:

23 May – “We have food and water to eat and drink (2 meals a day) but none to wash with. I have been waking up with Charlie horses each night, I think from lack of vitamins or fresh fruit. I’d rather have news.

The administration systems here are totally broke. Some of the troops are on a ‘chemical recon’ now (looking for weapons of mass destruction) but I have even stopped carrying my mask – no one seriously believes that there is a real chemical threat.”

- more . . .

http://www.optruth.org/main.cfm?actionId=globalShowStaticContent&screenKey=hear&htmlId=1236

- home page . . .

http://www.optruth.org/main.cfm