Today I saw on TV that my brother is in the town of Kut, so I called my mom. She already knew and said we got a letter from him this afternoon.

John says the town of An Nasyaria was a sad place. They were the 2nd platoon to go in and they did encounter some heavy fire. They did great and their comander complimented them for doing such a great job. They did not suffer any casualties or injuries at all. But the first Platoon to enter the city wasnt so lucky. They lost 66 men. The letter was written on March 28th and it was written on the back of an empty MRE. He said they are doing well, but they were hungry, tired and dirty. They only get 2 MRE's a day and they dont sleep much. He said that the town was very sad, it was probably the poorest place he has ever seen. The homes were made of mud, stone and scraps the people found. There were farm animals wondering all over the place and in and out of the homes and buildings. The main road thru the town was paved but thats it. It was the only paved road there.

They made camp at a school which was suronded by a brick wall. That was where they killed a goat, made a fire and cooked it for his company. He said it was chewy, but it was one of the best meals he had in almost 2 weeks. He also said they are getting their mail, but only ocasionally. The war was not as they had expected. He said they were going house to house thru the town and clearing each one as they went along. He also said there were alot of people, not Iraqi soldiers putting up fights. It turned into urban warfare which they were not expecting, but as a whole, it turned out well. A lot of marines died there but it was all for a good cause. They are wondering how the war was looking from home. He said he and his company are fine, and not to worry. They will be home. He has lost weight but will gain it back on the boat ride home.

I guess my next care package will include some news papers too...

 

 

Yeah make sure you send them a recent paper so they can see and read how their kickin some serious butt over there. I never even though about how they can eat animals that are wandering around like goats and stuff like that. I remember watching a firefight where there was a cow walking in the disatance, right in the line of fire, I would accidently shot that bad boy!!

-Rick