Hello again.

First, let me thank all who have responded with the outpouring of love, prayers, and well wishes.

Next, I think a quick explanation of the generals we are talking about is in order as many have questioned why the Chief would feel so strongly about this. For those new, the Chief, up until a month ago, was stationed at a POW camp. These places aren't pleasant. They are hot, sandy and uncomfortable. The generals whom the Chief is referring to are from this camp. He considers them to be good men, some to be heroes. These are men who followed our instructions to the letter from the very beginning of this conflict. These men ordered their troops to surrender without firing a shot. They saved literally thousands of lives, both Iraqi and American. Since that time, they have fully cooperated with the US forces, all the while being incarcerated in less than ideal circumstances. For 5 months now, they have languished in the camp, away from family and friends and living in a situation that is far from desirable.

The Chief has come to love and respect some of these generals. He knows their minds and their hearts. They are fellow soldiers; they are not the sadistic bastards that ran Iraq for so long. They care about their people and want to be part of the rebuilding process. They see the vision of a future Iraq, one that can take a prominent place in the Middle East and be a beacon of peace and prosperity for those around them.

The Chief has seen evil in Iraq. He knows what it looks like. He has seen the slime of the earth, the slickest of conmen. He knows we need good people in Iraq, good Iraqi people to help curb the evilness.

So this is why he is asking for your prayers. This is why he hopes and prays that Sec. Rumsfeld will come to fully understand the situation and grant their release. It is hard, if you haven't been working with them and know they are part of the solution and not the problem, to grant the release of men that can hold the kind of power a general can. Yet, these are the types that we need if we are going to succeed in rebuilding Iraq.

Again, my prayers are with him, but, of course, my prayers are always with the Chief.

Regards.

Plunge