Can you circulate this?

This is a letter from Ray Reynolds, a
medic in the Iowa Army National Guard, serving in Iraq

As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay in Iraq, I
wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not believe the media.
They have done a very poor job of covering everything that has
happened. I am sorry that I have not been able to visit all of you
during my two week leave back home. And just so you can rest at
night knowing something is happening in Iraq that is noteworthy, I
thought I would pass this on to you. This is the list of things that
has happened in Iraq recently (Please share it with your friends and
compare it to the version that your paper is producing.)

* Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.

* School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.

* Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons
stored there so education can occur.

* The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be off-loaded from
ships faster.

* The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August.

* Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first
time ever in Iraq.

* The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before
the war.

* 100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed, compared to 35%
before the war.

* Elections are taking place in every major city, and city councils
are in place.

* Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.

* Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.

* Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.

* Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side
with US soldiers.

* Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.

* Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to
prevent the spread of germs.

* An interim constitution has been signed.

* Girls are allowed to attend school.

* Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the
first time in 30 years.
Don't believe for one second that these people do not want us
there. I have met many, many people from Iraq that want us there,
and in a bad way. They say they will never see the freedoms we talk
about but they hope their children will. We are doing a good job in
Iraq and I challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me on these facts.
If you are like me and very disgusted with how this period of
rebuilding has been portrayed, email this to a friend and let them
know there are good things happening.

Ray Reynolds, SFC Iowa Army National Guard

234th Signal Battalion

P.S.

From www.snopes.com I found this response to the letter.

In regards to the question of authorship, it is true that SFC Ray
Reynolds, a firefighter in civilian life, is a National Guardsman
whose 234th Signal Battalion unit was called up to active duty, and
that he wrote this piece. As Sgt. Reynolds responded to inquiries
about his message:
I did write it and I am in Kuwait now on my way home. I wrote it
while at home because I felt that too many people were exploiting the
violence in Iraq to sell papers and gain votes. Sometimes the silent
majority need to be awakened to respond to the bad things in our
world. I am passionate about our President's decision and support
this rebuilding whole heartedly...Yes legit..I am a fire fighter in
Denison, Iowa and to verify, call Mike McKinnon of the Denison Iowa
fire department