This is an email I received from a fellow US Army Ranger and friend stationed in Iraq I thought I would share.

Hey Ranger,

First of all, I thank God for all the training, preparation and wisdom you provided me as a young captain in your command and care. I would not be ready for this if it weren't for you Colonel.

I wanted to send an update from Iraq. I am fine and have settled down in Northern Iraq in Mosul in the Army Operating Base, MAREZ. I am charged with running a cell of Soldiers and Iraqi Local Employees in working with the Government of Iraq for Mosul in helping to fix the city. I have been traveling throughout the city lately meeting with the Iraqi City Officials attempting to assist them in finding ways to help fix their city. It is a little hard though when you have a city that has been stuck in war for the last 6 years. It is almost to the point of where do you start.

There are planned projects from Sewer Systems, to Electrical Systems, to helping repair the Hospitals, Roads, Bridges and building Schools. I am working with a 150 million dollar budget and have a year to try to get the city to start on the road to recovery for the people of Iraq. I do this with people trying to hurt us, literally, when we go through the streets in 120 degree heat with people who speak a totally different language.

To see the city, you would be shocked. This area of Iraq dates back to 500BC which makes it a little over 2500 years old and has been conquered by and part of Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, the Roman Empire, Napoleon, and most recently part of the great Ottoman Empire. In the last 100 years both the French and the English have had authority over the area. The city is in utter shambles. Sewers run onto the street and finally into the rivers. Electricity is only about 4 hours a day to most places and the drinking water is of poor quality. Trash literally is everywhere you look and signs of the last stand of Al-Qaida are definitely evident in the destruction to most building and structures.

So occupation by the US in this area is nothing new, but it is time for us to leave as the government is standing on its own feet. So that is why I am here; to get this new government on its feet. A little different from last time when I was going house to house trying to find the bad guys, and one heck of a lot different from when I served under you here during Desert Storm.

As I stated above, I have a team of Iraqi engineers, several translators, a bunch of Army Engineers, Civil Affairs Teams that specialize in City management and Government, and then several undercover Iraqi Engineers that travel though the city for us to examine projects for us and report back to limit our visibility in the city.

My living conditions here in Iraq are high standards compared to the last time I was here. I live in a little metal box that is 16' X 8' and has air condition. Imagine the metal box on a semi truck sitting on the ground or one of those POD moving boxes and that is where I live. I have to walk to the showers and latrine, but the rooms are nice and clean. Due to my rank, I live by myself as compared to some Soldiers who have to have 4 people in this size room. The Dining Facility where I take my meals is about a mile away, so it does get old walking back and forth to meals three times a day, especially in the 120 degree heat, but again, it is great compared to past times in Iraq.

On July 1st, the US took all Soldiers out of every city in Iraq. This is a huge first step to allowing the Iraqi people to self govern for the first time in almost 50 years. Sadam was in charge from '79 till 2003 and was a dictator. Prior to him were other dictators dating back till the early '50s. In most cities everything has gone well. The cities are celebrating throwing parades and the Prime Minister of Iraq declared June 30th an Iraqi National Holiday as the first day of true self control. Unfortunately in Kirkuk, another Northern City, the terrorist sent a car bomb into the city parade and killed around 40 women and children and wounded another 140 other innocent by standards.

Here are examples of problems in the city I am attempting to get fixed. The pictures below are of the main roads to the Hospital of Mosul. As you can see they are destroyed. There is interest from investors from Japan and Germany in investing into the Hospital and then working with the US for money to fix Roads, Sewers, Water Systems, Trash Collections, Bridges and Schools for the City. Once granted the money, I will work with the Government of Iraq on the develop of the City plan for the major essential services.