For soldiers who have been to Iraq only....?
550325
I am in IRAQ right now and getting ready to leave next month.To the best of my knowledge all bases have phones (pay and DSN(digital sattelite network)internet access and most of all mail).DSN phones are free but usually have a certain time limit due to many soldiers wanting to use them.The base I am on is considered a " green" zone.For the most part we are very safe here.The military takes very good care of the troops over here.Of course there are troops that do not have it as good as we do here.Some of the smaller FOB`s(forward operating base)are not fully equipped as the base i`m on.You should have no trouble communicating with your uncle.Tell him i said to be safe.
561295
i have.  26Th MEU.  we patrolled the Mediterranean.  helped out a bit in Bosnia back in 1995. we were part of the IFOR.  I loved it. I loved being a Marine.  wish i would have stayed.
678353
my husband went and he cant wait to go back. he is very proud of what he is doing over there...i think part of it is the military brain washed him though. he has a thing about muslims stating there is a very fine line between a muslim and a terroist. And he doesnt trust them. He has killed some and has no nightmares...i know a bunch of people who are glad they went and dont mind going again.
1178465
From one who was there, and lost all his men, and lived to tell, you are very welcome. I was in Afghanistan in 2002. 19 yrs old. We had and are still having a hell of a time over there. We(the armed forces) need all the support we can get. On another note though, If I had the choice to go and fight knowing what would happen all over again, I would go in a heart beat. No thanks necceccary. We are just doing our job. (Semper Fi!)
449753
The few Iraqi people that i have meet. \nHave been ordinary people who just want their country to have peace. \nthey want the chance to rebuild their country, to live in freedom and security, \nSome thing which they have not had the chance to do since Saddam. \nThe few i have meet told me they don't mind the western soldiers being there, until the time is right for the Iraqi people to take over. \nif the insurgence will leave them to get on with it.
937214
My nephew was deployed to Iraq twice (a marine) I admire his bravery,his loyalty to his country. He was awarded a medal for his bravery when a road side bomb struck his vehicle. My family is sooo proud of him! He is home for good now, safe and sound.\nGod answered all our prayers and God Bless America and all the troops who are now serving!
335158
I'm in Iraq right now. Me being on here should give you an idea of what I'M doing...nothing. What's it like? HOT! Alot of people do have it pretty rough over here though, but I wouldn't say the majority have it all that bad. It just sucks being away from home for so long. I don't think it's really getting better. They're gonna fight us as long as we're here.
1015068
As a soldier, I am getting sick of not seeing my spouse. We have been seperated for 14 months. We both serve - him in Afghanistan and myself to Iraq. That being said, being in Iraq and seeing it first hand, I know that we cannot pull troops out of Iraq until stability is reached and the Iraqi government can sustain themselves. Unfortunately this will take years.
1018552
I was in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.  It was bleak.  After the war ended, many, many, many families were left homeless.  We had hundreds of Iraqi soldiers surrendering to us every day, just to get some food.  We helped many Iraqi families flee from Iraq into Saudi Arabia.  The skies black from all of the oil fields burning in neighboring Kuwait.  I lost a good friend there.
1151474
yep!!\nmarried for 3 yrs, were in the army, my hubby is in Iraq right now for a year..I love being a military wife. I wouldn't have it any other way..(except the part of them having to go to Iraq)
1005274
Look, I am an Active Duty Marine who just finished my 3rd tour of Iraq. I also have a brother who is Active Duty in the Army. I wish to share a few things. 1) If your husband joins the military, he will probably go to Iraq regardless of status (i.e. Active Duty, Inactive Reserves, Active Reserves, or National Guard),  or job for that matter. 2) It has been proven that the Active Army does a better job than the rest of the Army Components. They are better trained and react better under stressful or combat conditions. \n\nHere is a "war story". I hope you don’t mind me telling it to you. I was in a small city in the middle of the Al Anbar Province of Western Iraq. We were a small 5 man detachment from my Marine Company supporting the Active Duty Army Unit that was operating in the city. I should tell you that my unit supports both Army and Navy Units as well the Marines when they are in the same Area of Operations (AO) as us. Well, we had machine guns and spotters on the rooftop of the building we were working in and out of for security. Around 2 in the morning one night, an activated Army Inactive Reserve Unit convoy was going down the Main Supply Route (MSR) that ran beside the building. They saw our machine gun posts and spotters on the rooftop. Now, granted that they were green and inexperienced, that still is no excuse for their actions. However, when they saw the Soldiers/machine guns/spotters on the rooftop, they opened fire on us. They were shooting at us for five minutes, which is forever and a lifetime when your getting shot at. Fortunately, their Grenadiers didn't open on us or we would have taken a lot more friendly casualties than we did. We only had three wounded that night. The result of that night is that both myself and the Active Duty Army soldiers that I was working with learned that the Reserves are highly untrust worthy. \n\nSo, if your husband does join the Army, he, based on my experience with the Army, he should join the Active Duty Component, and both the Inactive and Active Reserves as well as the National Guard should be avoided. Be prepared for a lot of stupidity and hassle working the beuarcracy of the Military.  I would recommend that you talk to three or four different Army Recruiters so that they can all point out different things, that way you won't miss out on any opportunities that a single recruiter might forget to mention or not mention.  Honestly, the Air Force treats their people and families a lot better than the Army or Marines do. I wish you luck.
410423
thanks!\nmy husband was there and is going to Kuwait for a few weeks very soon and then back to Iraq next year.  \n\nwe appreciate it----ooo rah
879647
First, thank you for your service.  I honor all of our Veterans.  Second, I'm not a current service member but am married to an Army Veteran, have two currently deployed, with our youngest son leaving for Basic in June.  \nSupport?  Oh yes!  All one has to do is visit a post office on any given day and just observe the requests for 'custom forms'.  \nI belong to many support groups who send out a minimum of 25 care packges weekly.  We sponsor the 5 major hospitals in Iraq, our MAOs and many Veteran Hospitals here in the States. \nAs for me and my family, we will serve, honor and pay our respects to ALL Military members as well as our cherished Veterans.\nBTW, I lost a son in September.  This Mom knows the high cost of freedom and we choose to HONOR his memory by carrying on his dreams.\nAgain, thank you for YOUR service.
607148
As a veteran and recent retiree, I always thought it was funny that the people that always had the most negative things to say were the one that never had the balls to serve themselves, yet they criticized and ostracized our fine young men and woman fighting in the service of our country. I joined immediately after the Vietnam conflict and we were really hated, But we went on and did our jobs to make our country free and help others throughout the world. The lack of appreciation that Americans show for their military personel is mind boggling. My son just got out of the army and was fortunate to not have gone to Iraq (he went to Korea instead) yet he still gets flak all the time. Unfortunately with all the negative remarks in the media lately some people think that all military personnel are assholes and don't realize there is such a small percentage of soldiers that have ever caused any type of problems. I feel for you. as for the abuse, report it throught the site moderator and see if that helps. Good luck to you and thankyou for your service to our fine Nation.
422265
I served 3 years, 8 months and 10 days in the United States Marine Corps. I was a infantry machinegunner. (Look that up and it might mean something to you) I did 2 tours to Iraq. The first time I went 47 days without enough water to wash my body with. I slept on the ground, I slept in 3 hour increments.  The second time I went into Fallujah in March of 2004. There I lost my best friend and 2 other buddies after 28 days of continuos battle in the Jolan district. I spent the summer in various foxholes and bunkers at night, and foot patrols by day in 135 degree heat in full gear. Finally on my last patrol I caught shrapnel from a 155 mm artilery shell rigged as an IED (bomb) The shrapnel penetrated the right frontal and right temporal lobes of my brain 3 inches. Also took a 3 inch chunk out of my right shoulder. I have dementia, and severe headaches constantly. I am rated 100% disabled by the VA.......AM I A VETERAN?\nTechnically???? F*ck you, dont even say the word veteran unless you are talking about one of my brothers in arms!
892005
My brother served in Iraq until July when he was killed there.  But one of the things he always mentioned was the letters, cards, and little tokens of appreciate that total strangers sent to the troops.  A little something like a card can brighten someone's day.  When I was going through boot camp I got cards from people I didnt know but appreciated them just the same. Especially with the holidays coming up.
46716
That is certainly a decision that you and your family need to do some serious thinking about.  My husband, and I were also in the military, so I know how hard it can be when you are deployed.\n\nDo you know what you will do when you get out?\nWill you have to serve another tour over in Iraq?  How long will it be?\nWould you like to make a career out of the military?\nThere is a lot more information that I would need to know, and how you feel about them, before I feel like I could give any amount of decent advice on it.\n\nThank you for your service to our country!