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"It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you." -Vice President Dick Cheney

Recently as part of the non-profit organization “Operation Soldier, I had the privilege of being part of a team that was invited by the 101st Airborne, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, under the command of Colonel Michael Steele, to personally assess the equipment needs of the various Iraqi police departments within the Salah Ad Din Province. I was joined by Fresno Police Officer Brian Burry and Fresno County Reserve Deputy Ron Sawl.

“Operation Soldier” accumulates surplus police safety equipment such as ballistic vests and helmets from police departments around the country and sends it to the military in Iraq and Afghanistan for distribution to civilian police officers.

During our time in Iraq, we visited Tikrit, Bayji and a police academy in Sulaymaniyah which is located in the Kurdish region in northern Iraq.

We had the opportunity to meet quite a few American Soldiers and talk to them. One question I asked virtually everyone at the end of the conversation was “what can I do for you when I get back home?” Interesting enough, virtually everyone said the same thing; “Sir, tell the truth about what is going on here.”

So here goes.

There must be two Iraqs; the one I visited and the one the national media is reporting on because the Iraq I saw is nothing like the one you see in the news every night. The Iraq I saw was made up of Iraqi’s anxious to establish their new democracy, and they are working hard to make it work.

They are tired of who they call the “terrorists” hurting their people and they will readily tell you that in this region, those who are engaged in this terrorism are not even Iraqis but are Iranians, Syrians and other foreigners.

While the Iraqi’s are anxious for the Americans to leave, they are appreciative for what we are doing and are glad we are there. Being free from Saddam Hussein means a lot to them.

The current mission of our military is to turn the country over to the Iraqi people by giving them the basic training and tools necessary for a functioning democracy. It is working. While they are certainly not finished, significant progress is being made and the Iraqi people we met are very eager to succeed.

Certainly one of the basic needs of a democracy is a functioning local government. We saw first hand a Provincial Government meeting with the Governor and the various Mayors and City Councils from the cities of the Province and marveled at the spirited debate as they experienced the process of democracy in an area that until recently had none.

We met with police officials from the Provincial level down to a police substation in the very dangerous city of Bayji. While Iraqi police officers are prime terrorist’s targets, there are huge waiting lists for those who want to serve. New Iraqi police officers receive ten weeks of training at one of five police academies and local departments are pretty much functioning on their own. The roll of the American’s with the civilian police departments is to help train and advise them.

Iraqi police officers, however, are lacking much of the basic safety equipment they need to protect themselves. The gear that Operation Soldier provides is very much needed.

Certainly the biggest surprise on this trip was the visit we made to the Kurdish part of Iraq and the city of Sulaimaniyahh. The Kurds, who were brutally terrorized by Saddam, are thriving, growing and have already established themselves as exactly what we are in Iraq to do.

 We saw new construction everywhere with schools, housing and even a huge performing arts center being built. We walked though a sprawling public market with an abundance of everything from fresh food to furniture. Everywhere we walked Kurdish people would come up to us and thank us for what America did to free them.  The Kurds treated the two soldiers who were with us like rock stars. I have never experienced so much genuine affection for just being an American.

 The Kurdish region of Iraq is an amazing success story and it is disgraceful that it is not being told to the American public.

Much of Iraq is still a very dangerous place, but significant progress is being made. Our men and women of the military who are undertaking this task are doing a remarkable job and if given the chance they will succeed. Whether it is the gunner of an armored Humvee or the soldier serving dinner in the mess hall, everyone we met was fully committed to the mission and took their job very seriously. We can all be very proud of the job our military is doing.