My nephew in Iraq.

[rwork]

I thought I would tell story.He is retired 20 years Navy.Married with 2 kids 11 and 14.He is I might add comfortably retired and was working pretty good job.He is diehard Republican.We have had alot of discussions about bush* and Iraq.He agree's it was a mistake that we went into Iraq,but he loves bush*.He almost cried when * landed on carrier.He has mentioned many times that Clinton did'nt support our military and let it get weaker.Well anyway he is in northern Iraq near Mosul.He left right after the suicide bombing that killed 22 people near Musul.Our family is deeply disappointed in him.We know it is not about the money.($80,000)per year.We think it is boredom and not being happily married.Before he left,he told me that he just wanted to do his part.Which was a bunch of crap.Email from him this morning he discribed the area he was sent to.He said he has never seen any land so flat.Nothing growing,not even one tree.He signed with KBR as generator mechanic,which he has very little experience in.He thinks they mostly want live bodies.He said they have men from Turkey doing all the work.We just drive around and look at the generators.He said there are small biting flies that cause injuries that won't heal.He mentioned a man who was sent back to the states for treatment, but was killed on a motorcycle while in the States, How ironic.He will be there for a year working 12 hour, 7 days a week.I told him boredom would be his biggest problem.I will tell more of his story as time goes by.

[flamingyouth]

1. I'm sorry he's there

I have a friend who's in the Army and he's in Mosul. He says very similar things about the contractors there - "they mostly want live bodies." He also said a lot of them left after the bombing last week (not that I blame them).

[Turn CO Blue]

2. Baghdad Boil

Sand Fly Bites Cause "Baghdad Boils" — Hundreds of Cases

There is yet another hazardard for servicemen/servicewomen in Iraq to guard against. Hundreds of soldiers are suffering from sand fly bites that can leave pretty horrible rashes and scars. AP reported:

Scientists and doctors refer to the disease caused by the parasite as cutaneous leishmaniasis. But soldiers serving in sand-fly rich Iraq call it, with little affection, the "Baghdad boil."

The sores are not painful or contagious, but left untreated they can last up to 18 months and leave permanent, burn-like scars. Since the flies bite exposed areas, many soldiers have sores on their necks, faces and arms.

<http://www.poynter.org/dg.lts/id.2/aid.64352/column.htm>