FIRST PERSON UPDATE

I've just returned from a briefing by a senior officer from the 1st Armor Division who flew back here especially to talk to family members in light of the recent extension.

It was a good briefing...and frankly, he took some liberties and shared with us a surprising level of detail.

Out of concern for the security and well being of our Soldiers I'm not going to publish those details on the world wide web.

Instead, I'll give a summary...and if you've come to trust me over the time you've been reading here...then now is the time to apply it. Generally these comments are about 1st Brigade. I have no information on 2d Brigade.

1st Point: If we are sad that the 1st Brigade has been extended there is, from my perspective, very good reason to be HAPPY about the (currently planned) mission of the 1st Brigade and their location to be. Again...you'll just have to trust me. No place in that country is without danger...but there are more dangerous locations and missions than those we are inheriting. For some in the Brigade, sleeping, showering and dining conditions may actually improve soon over what they've been used to. Wait for your soldier to contact you and chances are you will get the details that will make sense of this.

2d Point: If you see it in the popular media there is a 90% chance that it is wrong or incomplete on some important detail. Why? The media doesn't "get it"...meaning they don't understand military operations, terrorism, the vagueries of birthing democracy. The media isn't embedded with the soldiers seeing from the inside...the top notch reporters, as a rule, have been pulled out of the area, leaving us with young, hungry guys who want to make a name for themselves....and how do you do that? Well, it isn't by reporting happy stories, apparently...nor buy covering the big stories that aren't "convenient" to cover. He said "I've been studying military history for 30 years...and the recent battle of Kut, which no one reported, is the most significant military reversal in the shortest time I've ever heard of. You'll be impressed when somebody finally writes the story."

3d Point: Our guys may go through a period in which their ability to communicate with the loved ones at home may decline. However, a special task force in the Division is already working on additional quality of life initiatives.

4th Point: The G1 (Personnel Officer) of the Army has said that assignments that were programmed but affected by this extension will be honored...if you thought you were going to Fort X, you will go to Fort X.

5th Point: We are fighting 4 enemies in Iraq. Islamic extremists from within the country, terrorists who have come to Iraq, former Baath party dead-enders and finally, criminals.

6th Point: The uprising last week was "relatively minor". And if you've seen reports that al Sadr is offering to negotiate, well, there "ain't gonna be any negotiations".

Take heart...the saga of the Ready First Combat Team is better than it might look from where we sit.

I trust him...you'll have to trust me.