The earning about a firewall shoul;d be heeded. After the following e-mail from my son was printed in the local paper, my home was shotgunned and 0ver $2000 in damage done.

God Bless America,

Charles Leach

22 Oct 2003
> Yo,
>
I had a terrific day and experience today. Went to a small squatter village
nestled between the boarders of our FOB (Forward Operating Base) and the
lake. Civil affairs have been laying the ground work/ gaining trust,
building rapport with the elders over several weeks. We went to evaluate
medical status and needs. Spent an hour and a half to two hours. Over
whelmed by some of the most beautiful children in the world. Treated a few
villagers. Made many surgical glove balloons. Gave up my tootsie roles.
>
Hope to help execute a program of on going, continuous care for the villages
along our perimeter. Need to devise a system that will become
self-sustaining, and Iraqi local run in the future. Do not want to create
dependency. In the interim, I need stuff. Bubbles, a soccer ball, paper,
pencils, crayons, other simple kid stuff. I will send pictures of these
children. One little girl - I would guess to be about three years old-had
dirty blond hair and blue green eyes. I'm very curious as to how that
happened. She was absolutely beautiful.
Another little boy about 4 years old is evidently an orphan. An older boy
told me in broken English and motions.
>
Once the children realize that you are a "doctor", they become quite
animated in convincing you that you need to see them. They point at their
throats and fake cough. One young boy was very tender - or so he
indicated - as I looked at his leg. He had an old, scarred, but completely
healed burn to the entirety of his lower left leg. The scar tissue probably
itches a lot. There are definitely strictures from the scarring which will
eventually affect his range of motion. However he was in no pain - he
returned to running and playing with no apparent disability shortly after I
had finished examining his "painful" leg.
>
They have an extraordinarily talented goat. He can casually climb vertical
chain link fence. He skillfully negotiated the fence to go from
> pen to pen. He tends to just stand fixed to the fence at various levels
like an enormous gecko from time to time. The goat's got skills.
>
I guess several of the villagers squeeze a living out of fishing the lake.
This is a large lake. You might see it on the globe. There is a chain of
lakes running north and south along the Euphrates River. We are at the lake
due west of Baghdad.
>
I enjoyed this experience. I was very happy that I have been given this
opportunity. Kids are cool. They transcend cultural, religious, and
political boundaries. They give you hope and something to smile about in
the most disparaging parts of the world.
>
> NO GO 23 Oct 03
>
We just received word from decision-making levels well above me that the
Village Medical Project is a no go. I feel rather decimated by this. I can
't describe the positive feeling I had being in that village yesterday. I
was thrilled by the prospect. It made tactical as well as humanitarian
sense to me. Tactically and security wise it made sense to endear ourselves
to the villages buffering our AO. It would likely yield some intel and
cooperation. Humanitarian wise, it was just the right thing to do. I
estimate that we could have provided basic medical care for all surrounding
squatters for about $5000.00 monthly. This would of included basic family
practice medicine, immunizations, diabetes screening, and more, for less
than what it is costing to have me here.
>
I will still send pictures. I would have liked to have the chance to make a
positive impact on these children's lives. I would like to have the chance
to reduce the likelihood that these young Iraqis will be the next generation
of militant Jihad.
>
>
> Ron
>