Ray Reynolds, SFC Iowa Army National Guard 234th Signal Battalion, who served in Iraq offers this summary of what’s been accomplished there:
Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.
Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons stored there so education can occur.
The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be off-loaded from ships faster.
The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August.
Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in Iraq.
The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before the war.
100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed, compared to 35% before the war.
Elections are taking place in every major city, and city councils are in place.
Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.
Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US soldiers.
Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.
Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to prevent the spread of germs.
An interim constitution has been signed.
Girls are allowed to attend school.
He concludes:
Don’t believe for one second that these people do not want us there. I have met many, many people from Iraq that want us there, and in a bad way. They say they will never see the freedoms we talk about but they hope their children will [a sobering assessment – ed]. We are doing a good job in Iraq and I challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me on these facts.
UPDATE: Many of the assertions made by Reynolds were challenged by The Orwellian Times. I’m going to leave the “good news from Iraq” beat to Chrenkoff from now on.
Thanks to the readers who pointed me to the conflicting information.
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