MORE REASONS TO BE PROUD OF OUR SOLDIERS

Despite seeing things that many civilians could barely imagine, Smith said our soldiers in Iraq are in good spirits.

“Morale is high,” he said. “We make the best of what we’ve got.”

When he first came under fire in Iraq, Smith said he was mad rather than afraid.

“The first time I was shot at, I was more pissed off than scared. You want to shoot back and defend your guys.” Smith has seen much good come out of the American mission in Iraq.

“We’ve built schools. We’ve built water lines. Overall the local Iraqis feel safer.

“The kids are great. They come up to you and want to touch you, but you have to limit that because you never know what they are carrying.

“It felt good knowing the kids have a future,” he said. Smith believes many combatants in Iraq have crossed the border from neighboring Syria and Jordan in attempts to turn the U.S. mission into an Islamic jihaad. “Keep the soldiers in your prayers and minds and don’t forget what you do in your daily life, there was someone killed defending it.”