War in Iraq? What war? NO combat troops???!

To hear BHO tell it, and the mainstream media parrot, there is NO war going on in Iraq, and we have no combat troops there anymore. War? What war? To those of us paying attention, we keep 50,000 troops still there in our hearts, knowing they are still on the frontlines of this Global War on Terror. You only have to listen to the stories - and names - of our warriors in Iraq still paying the ultimate price for freedom of the Iraqi people to know that no matter how BHO 'keeps a campaign promise,' Iraq is still a very dangerous place for our warriors.

In an email earlier this week, I was given an insight into the reality of Iraq, by someone who is actually there. Full disclosure: I have no way of verifying this, since it was sent to me via a trusted source to whom the email was addressed. It did not come directly to me.:

The REAL story!

Hey, everybody! I just wanted to send a quick update and give y'all the REAL story on what's going on over here with the troop withdrawal. The picture is of my crew and I on a break during a mission. [ed. note: I have excluded the picture, and names, for OPSEC reasons..] The guy to the far left is my gunner ****and the guy in the middle is my driver ***. They go with me on every mission and are great guys.

The reason I'm sending this out is because I have had a few people ask if I left Iraq early because all of the combat troops are out of Iraq and I wanted to let everyone know the real deal. It's kind of ridiculous how the news is saying that the last of the "combat" troops are out of Iraq because of Pres Osama (I mean Obama). He says that it was his campaign promise. Take our Brigade for example. We were originally called a HBCT (Heavy Brigade Combat Team). Well, since Obama said he would pull all of the "combat" troops out by Aug, all they did before we left was change our name from a HBCT to a AAB (Advise and Assist Brigade). We have the same personnel/equipment layout as before and are doing the same missions. The ONLY difference is that they changed our name from a HBCT to an AAB and that's how he is getting away with saying that he has pulled all of the "combat" troops out. ... And it's funny how the media is buying all of it, too.

So no the last combat troops are not out of Iraq. We are still here. [emphasis mine] There are other Brigades just like ours that are doing the same missions that are still over here. Sorry for going on about it but we are just sitting over here watching it and are like "You've got to be kidding me!" So anyway now you know the REAL story, so that's why I'm not coming back early. You have to watch those liberals, they're sneaky!

Anyways I hope everyone is doing well and I'll see you soon!...

Fact is, we DO know that there are 50,000 of our men and women still there. We DO know that they are still armed with weapons of war. We also know, all too well, that they are still being attacked and killed. THAT to me is a combat environment. .that IS reality.

Then I get the following (directly) from Vets For Freedom:

VFF Blog Keeps the Focus on Iraq and our Warriors

Dear Vets for Freedom supporters,

On Tuesday evening, the commander-in-chief declared an end to combat operations in Iraq. While making the announcement, President Obama also stressed that danger remains for the almost 50,000 U.S. troops still on the ground.

As the warriors, veterans, and military families receiving this e-mail know, we cannot turn our backs on the brave Americans serving at this very moment in Iraq. As Capt. Pete Hegseth, the executive director of VFF, said on Fox News earlier this week, winning the peace in Iraq "is going to require a sustained commitment from a lot of men and women remaining in harm's way."

The American media, which I was a part of for just over eight years, briefly paused to notice the sacrifice of our military over the past few days. But if previous patterns hold, the Iraq war will again vanish from the public narrative in the coming weeks. The Unknown Soldiers blog, which recently became an official partner of Vets For Freedom, will not make the same mistake.

Dates marked by politicians, Republican or Democrat, must not trump reality on the ground. In recent weeks, The Unknown Soldiers has brought you the personal stories of Spc. Faith Hinkley, Sgt. Brandon Maggart, and Sgt. Jamal Rhett. The tragic August combat-related deaths of these volunteer warriors in Iraq show us that while our military has won great victories on the battlefield, the men and women still in harm's way command the attention and respect of the public.

Of course, The Unknown Soldiers will also continue to bring you daily coverage of the war in Afghanistan and the American heroes leading us toward success on that critical front.

Despite all of our military's incredible accomplishments, many of our fellow countrymen--led by the national media--have changed the channel on America's post-9/11 struggle against terrorism.

It's time to change it back!

God bless,

Tom Sileo

VFF Blog Editor
Send story ideas to: unknownsoldiers@vetsforfreedom.org

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by clicking 'Like' and follow @SoldiersBlog on Twitter.

Good to know that at least some Americans are still watching our troops, paying attention to what is REALLY going on.