More Iraq News You Won't See on TV

Michael Yon continues to post dispatches from Iraq. His pieces are honest, "everyman" type of articles that cover battles that the troops he is embedded with are fighting, as well as the more mundane but positive stuff that our brave soldiers are doing over there.

In his 1/20 post, he talks a lot about Gary Sinise's "Operation Iraqi Children," a charity that takes donations for school and other supplies specifically for children. Yon saw both ends of this charity's work, and reports on them here. Truly great work; this charity certainly seems worthy of serious attention.


Yon also writes about the exploits of Major Mary Prophit, who is a Civil Affairs officer in the U.S. Army, stationed over in Iraq. He describes some of the multitude of firefights the Major has been in -- so many that her fellow troops began to refer to her as a "bullet magnet" -- as well as much of the humanitarian work she's done; much of it with children there. Along the way, she told a story about a suicide bomber hitting their base, the funerals that followed, and what also happened just days later. A story I have yet to hear in the mainstream media:

"...two days after the memorials for the soldiers lost in that bombing, we lost another soldier. He was at a combat outpost in the city and a suicide bomber in a dump truck full of explosives came charging toward his post to try to overcome the barriers and kill the platoon of soldiers that were stationed there. [Oscar Sanchez] held his ground and caused [by firing his machine gun] the driver to detonate his load prematurely, before the truck was able to strike the building. This soldier lost his life and saved the lives of the rest of his platoon. His memorial was yesterday. He was 19 years old, and leaves behind a young widow. Today the battalion is out in force and determined to keep taking the fight to the enemy."

Yon goes on to mention that Major Mary is a reservist. Her "real job" is back in the states as a Library Assistant in Randle, Washington. Amazing, uplifting stuff. Why, oh why, can't the mainstream media cover stuff like this, instead of constantly ranting about all the negative aspects of this war?