Soldier wants fair and accurate reporting

"We, the soldiers, keep breaking the back of the enemy. You, the media, keep rejuvenating the enemy."

DesMoinesRegister.com
By John Carlson

"A tired and disgusted Iowa soldier fired off an e-mail a few days ago, telling family and friends how things are going in Iraq.

A Blackhawk helicopter pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Jim Funk has flown more than 80 combat missions since he arrived there in October.

He described his Boone-based unit's successes after 5,000 hours of flying out of LSA Anaconda, a huge American base north of Baghdad. He talked about the tragedies he and his fellow Iowans have witnessed and his worries of becoming complacent as he goes on mission after mission.

Morale?

'We're treading water,' the Ames man told the people closest to him. 'We continue to kick butt on missions and take care of each other, even though we know the American public and government DOES NOT stand behind us." Read on.