[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 21940-21941]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     LETTERS FROM A MARINE OFFICER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LAMAR S. SMITH

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 6, 2004

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to submit for the 
Congressional Record two letters that were forwarded to me by Bill and 
Bonnie Nofsinger. Their nephew, 1st Lt. Robert I. Nofsinger, is 
stationed in Iraq with the United States Marine Corps.
  Lieutenant Nofsinger's letters contradict much of what has been 
reported in the national news media about the war on terror in Iraq. 
Reports have led some Americans to conclude that all of Iraq is in 
turmoil and despair, which is not supported by the facts. Much of the 
country is making the successful transition to stability.
  Lt. Nofsinger writes:
  ``When you watch the news and see doomsday predictions and spiteful 
opinions about our efforts over here, you can refute them by knowing 
that we are doing a tremendous amount of good. So spread the word.''
  Mr. Speaker, I will follow Lt. Nofsinger's advice and spread the word 
by submitting his eloquent and heartfelt letters for my colleagues and 
others to read.

       Hello Everyone: I am taking time to ask you all for your 
     help. First off, I'd like to say that this is not a political 
     message. I'm not concerned about domestic politics right now. 
     We have much bigger things to deal with, and we need your 
     help.
       It seems that despite the tremendous and heroic efforts of 
     the men and women serving here in Iraq to bring much needed 
     peace and stability to this region, we are losing the war of 
     perception with the media and American people.
       Our enemy has learned that the key to defeating the mighty 
     American military is by swaying public opinion at home and 
     abroad. We are a people that cherish the democratic system of 
     government and therefore hold the will of the people in the 
     highest regard. We love to criticize ourselves almost to an 
     endless degree, because we care what others think. Our 
     enemies see this as a weakness and are trying to exploit it.
       When we ask ourselves questions like, ``Why do they hate 
     us?'' or ``What did we do wrong?'' we are playing into our 
     enemies' hands. Our natural tendency to question ourselves is 
     being used against us to undermine our effort to do good in 
     the world. How far would we have gotten if after the surprise 
     attacks on December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor, we would have 
     asked, ``Why do the Japanese hate us so much?'' or ``How can 
     we change ourselves so that they won't do that again?''
       Here in Iraq the enemy is trying very hard to portray our 
     efforts as failing and fruitless. They kill innocents and 
     desecrate their bodies in hopes that the people back home 
     will lose the will to fight for liberty. They are betting on 
     our perceived weakness as a thoughtful, considerate people. 
     Unfortunately our media only serves to further their cause. 
     In an industry that feeds on ratings and bad news, a failure 
     in Iraq would be a goldmine. When our so-called ``trusted'' 
     American media takes a quote from an Iraqi doctor as the 
     gospel truth over that of the men and women that are daily 
     fighting to protect the right to freedom of the press, you 
     know something is wrong. That doctor claimed that of the 600 
     Iraqis who were casualties of the fighting in Fallujah, the 
     vast majority of them were women, children and the elderly. 
     This is totally absurd. In the history of man, no one has 
     spent more time and effort, often to the detriment of our own 
     mission, to be more discriminate in our targeting of the 
     enemy than the American military. The Marines and Soldiers 
     serving in Iraq have gone through extensive training in order 
     to avoid shedding innocent blood.
       Yet, despite all of this, our media consistently sides with 
     those who openly lie and directly challenge the honor of our 
     brave heroes fighting for liberty and peace. What we have to 
     remember is that peace is not defined as an absence of war. 
     It is the presence of liberty, stability, and prosperity. In 
     the face of the horrendous tyranny of the former Iraqi 
     regime, the only way true peace was able to come to this 
     region was through force. That is what the American 
     Revolution was all about. Have we forgotten?
       Freedom is not free and ``peace'' without principle is not 
     peace. The peace that so-called ``peace advocates'' support 
     can only be brought to Iraq through the military. And we are 
     doing it, if only the world will let us!
       If the American people believe we are failing, even if we 
     are not, then we will ultimately fail. That is why I am 
     asking for your support. Become a voice of truth in your 
     community. Wherever you are, fight the enemy's lies. Don't 
     buy into pessimism and apathy and say that it is hopeless, 
     that they hate us too much, that this part of the world is 
     just too messed up and it is our fault anyway, that we are to 
     blame.
       Whether you're in Middle School, working a 9-5 job, retired 
     or a stay-at-home mom, you can make a huge difference! There 
     is nothing more powerful than the truth. So, when you watch 
     the news and see doomsday predictions and spiteful opinions 
     about our efforts over here, you can refute them by knowing 
     that we are doing a tremendous amount of good. Spread the 
     word. No one is poised to make such an amazing contribution 
     to the everyday lives of Iraqis and the rest of the Arab 
     world than the American Armed Forces. By making this a place 
     where liberty can finally grow, we are making the whole world 
     safer.

[[Page 21941]]

       Your efforts at home are directly tied to our success. You 
     are the soldiers at home fighting the war of perception. So 
     I'm asking you as fellow soldiers to do your duty; stop the 
     attempts of the enemy wherever you are. You are a mighty 
     force for good, because truth is on your side.
       Together we will win this fight and ensure a better world 
     for the future.
           God Bless and Semper Fidelis,
     1st Lt. Robert L. Nofsinger USMC.
                                  ____

       Dear Friends: Well, my unit has come to the end of its time 
     here in Iraq and I wanted to send a final note. During the 
     past seven months 3rd Battalion 11th Marines has accomplished 
     much. Our artillery Battalion was given the mission of convoy 
     security and provisional MP (Military Police) duties. From 
     that mission gnaw other duties and we eventually ended up 
     accomplishing a wide range of tasks.
       We were assigned to assist the Iraqi Border Patrol along 
     the Saudi Arabian border. Along with that came the 
     responsibility to care for the nearby town of Nukhayb. It is 
     a fairly small town that had been ravaged by two wars, 12 
     years of sanctions, and a tyrannical government that 
     neglected its basic needs. Over the course of seven months, 
     our small civil affairs section was able to spend roughly 
     $1.3 million on the infrastructure, people of Nukhayb and 
     outlying areas. The projects included the following:
       Hospital renovation and medical supplies; school 
     refurbishment; water supply improvement; sanitation 
     equipment; regional fire department; agricultural 
     cooperative; multiple power generators and transformers; 
     equipment and gear for local Iraqi Security Forces; 
     electrical rewiring; refurbishment of local government 
     buildings; establishment of employment programs; and local 
     mosque refurbishment.
       Nukhayb is now a thriving active community with a renewed 
     sense of direction. The local economy is rapidly increasing 
     and is already far beyond where it was at any time during the 
     past 30 years. 3/11's main mission was to provide convoy 
     security for military and non-military convoys throughout 
     Iraq. This was done with the utmost patience and 
     professionalism. The Marines of 3/11 being trained as 
     artillerymen, performed tremendously as provisional 
     infantrymen without skipping a beat. As this war has only 
     further proven, Artillerymen are the ``go to'' Marines of the 
     Marine Corps. In the end 3/11 was responsible for escorting 
     hundreds upon hundreds of vital convoys throughout the 
     theater.
       In addition to this responsibility 3/11 was asked to 
     supervise and run a provincial Iraqi Security College where 
     Iraqi Security Forces were trained to take control of their 
     country. The college was so successful that it is now 
     entirely run by Iraqis.
       Continuing the Military Police role 3/11 also maintained 
     and operated a provincial detention facility where detainees 
     were treated with respect and humanity. Long before incidents 
     at other prisons in Iraq were discovered, 3/11 set the 
     highest of possible standards in the country for quality of 
     care and facility conditions. The detention facility has been 
     heralded as a hallmark in our area of operations and brings 
     much praise to the battalion.
       All along the way 3/11 was asked to step outside its area 
     of expertise and provide the highest level of performance, 
     and each time the expectations were met and exceeded. Few 
     units if any can claim to have accomplished such a wide 
     variety of missions in such a short period of time. The 
     Marines of 3rd Battalion 11th Marines can return home to 
     their loved ones knowing they provided absolutely vital 
     contributions to the war in Iraq. The Iraqi people have never 
     known liberty in their entire history and now they finally 
     have a chance to live free. With Marines and soldiers out 
     there like those from 3/11, the war on terror will be 
     definitively won and the world will know a higher level of 
     freedom and prosperity than it has ever known. I personally 
     want to thank each of you who have supported me through this 
     journey. I will never be able to put into words, my 
     appreciation for all you have done for me. My definition of 
     family has grown exponentially since being over here and I 
     thank you. But more than just your personal support I am 
     grateful for your support of the cause. Not everyone in 
     America is educated enough to understand the full importance 
     of what we are doing in this part of the world and I am so 
     thankful that you all do. Freedom and liberty are fragile and 
     America seems to be one of the only countries actively 
     fighting to ensure that they do not perish from this earth. 
     Your continued efforts at home are much needed in spreading 
     the truth. Together we will win this fight and secure a 
     better future for the whole world.
           God Bless and Semper Fidelis,
     1st Lt. Robert L. Nofsinger USMC.

                          ____________________