Oct. 12, 2003 - 21:25 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

I Wonder

An article in our Denver Post on Sunday October 12th, makes me shake my head in a, "huh -- whazzat he say now ?" mode. The article is by Ledyard King of the Gannett News Service. Titled, "Letters Sent Home From Army Unit All The Same."

Quoting follows, "Letters from hometown soldiers describing their successes rebuilding Iraq have been appearing in newspapers across the country as U. S. public opinion on the mission sours."

"And all the letters are the same."

Mr. King brings this forth, "A Ganett News Service search found identical letters from different soldiers with the 2nd Battalion of the 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, also known as the 'The Rock' in 11 newspapers."

Mr. King describes the content, "The five-paragraph form letter talks about the soldiers' efforts to re-establish police and fire departments and build water and sewer plants in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk where the unit is based."

It continues, "The quality of life and security for the citizens has been largely restored, and we are a large part of why that has happened," the letter reads." "It describes people waving at passing troops and children running up to shake their hands and say, 'Thank you'"

The letter continues, "The majority of the city has welcomed our presence with open arms," the letter reads."

Mr. King says, "It is not clear who wrote the letter or organized sending it to soldiers' hometown papers."

Then comes the rat under the rug to my opinion. Mr. King says, "Six soldiers reached directly or through their families said they agreed with the letter's thrust, but none of the soldiers said he wrote it, and one said he didn't even sign it. A seventh soldier didn't know about the letter until his father congratulated him for getting it published in the local newspaper in Beckley, W. Va."

Mr. King sheds a bit more light, "Sgt. Christopher Shelton, who signed a letter that ran in the Snohomish, Wash. paper, said Friday that his platoon sergeant had distributed the letter and asked soldiers for the names of their hometown newspapers. Soldiers were asked to sign the letter if they agreed with it, said Shelton."

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Is this true ? ? ? ? What machinations and devious thinking caused this to be propagated ? Propagated propaganda by highly paid semi-professional spin doctors maybe ? Who is the guilty honcho behind it ?

Thinking about it, wouldn't most GIs feel that their unit was the best and that it was doing a bang up job ? Especially if the Sergeant of the unit was handing the letters out ? How many signed it feeling that if they didn't, KP duty wouldn't be far behind ? Who mailed the letters and who mailed copies to the newspapers ? Form letters ? ? ? ? ? ? Rubber stamp tactics reminiscent of a strong arm government maybe ?

Holy Cow what sort of comic opera tactics are coming up next ? I Wonder . . . . . . . .

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