This "Letter of Apology" was written by Lieutenant General Chuck Pitman, US

Marine Corps, Retired:

"For good and ill, the Iraqi prisoner abuse mess will remain an issue. On the one hand, right thinking Americans will abhor the stupidity of the actions while on the other hand, political glee will take control and fashion this minor event into some modern day massacre.

I humbly offer my opinion here:

I am sorry that the last seven times we Americans took up arms and sacrificed the blood of our youth, it was in the defense of Muslims (Bosnia, Kosovo, Gulf War 1, Kuwait, etc.).

I am sorry that no such call for an apology upon the extremists came after 9/11.

I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were Islamic Arabs.

I am sorry that most Arabs and Muslims have to live in squalor under savage dictatorships.

I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth.

I am sorry that their governments breed hate for the US in their religious schools, mosques, and government-controlled media.

I am sorry that Yassar Arafat was kicked out of every Arab country and high-jacked the Palestinian "cause."

I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or offer more than a token amount of financial help to those same Palestinians.

I am sorry that the USA has to step in and be the biggest financial supporter of poverty stricken Arabs while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame the USA for all their problems.

I am sorry that our own left wing, our media, and our own brainwashed masses do not understand any of this (from the misleading vocal elements of our society like radical professors, CNN and the NY TIMES).

I am sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people of Iraq out of the "food for oil" money so they could get rich while the common folk suffered.

I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families of homicide bombers

upon their death.

I am sorry that those same bombers are brainwashed thinking they will receive 72 virgins in "paradise."

I am sorry that the homicide bombers think pregnant women, babies, children, the elderly and other noncombatant civilians are legitimate targets.

I am sorry that our troops die to free more Arabs from the gang rape rooms and the filling of mass graves of dissidents of their own making.

I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more Arabs than any other group.

I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to seize control of Iraq and return it to a terrorist state.

I am sorry we don't drop a few dozen Daisy cutters on Fallujah.

I am sorry every time terrorists hide they find a convenient "Holy Site."

I am sorry they didn't apologize for driving a jet into the World Trade Center that collapsed and severely damaged Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church - one of our Holy Sites.

I am sorry they didn't apologize for flight 93 and 175, the USS Cole, the embassy bombings, the murders and beheadings of Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl, etc....etc!

I am sorry Michael Moore is American; he could feed a medium sized village in Africa.

America will get past this latest absurdity. We will punish those responsible because that is what we do.

We hang out our dirty laundry for the entire world to see. We move on. That's one of the reasons we are hated so much. We don't hide this stuff like all those Arab countries that are now demanding an apology.

Deep down inside, when most Americans saw this reported in the news, we were like - so what? We lost hundreds and made fun of a few prisoners. Sure, it was wrong, sure, it dramatically hurts our cause, but until captured we were trying to kill these same prisoners. Now we're supposed to wring our hands because a few were humiliated?

Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of our own people killed, mutilated and burnt amongst a joyous crowd of celebrating Fallujahans.

If you want an apology from this American, you're going to have a long wait!

You have a better chance of finding those seventy-two virgins.

Chuck Pitman Lieutenant General, USMC (Ret)

John sends me photos from time to time and I thought they would be nice to include here. EMail below sent to me by him with this photo.

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Pictured is John McAuliffe, Pres. of the Cent. Mass. Chapt Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, WW-II and Mitt Romney, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.The event on Wed. Aug. 17, 2005 at the Worcester National Guard Museum celebrated the "GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM',

32 soldiers of the Mass. Nat. Guard received special ribbons from Gov. Romney.The ribbons were the Mass. Defense Expeditionary Ribbon and the Mass. Defense Ribbon. Remarks were made by the Governor and by Brig.Gen.Michael D.Akey, Mass.Air Nat. Guard and the Awards presented by: Col. Manuel J. Constantine, Assis. Adj. Gen. Mass. Nat. Guard. and by the Governor.

Gov. Romney stopped to shake the hands of some 20 Battle of the Bulge Veterans and thanked each one personnaly for his/her service.in WW-II. They were special guests for the occasion.

Attached Files

  John_M_with_Govenor.JPG (Size: 144.4 KB / Downloads: 0)

Given to me by Al Kincer. Our condolences on yet another loss of an engineer. Sigh!

H. Sinclair Johnson of Spartanburg South Carolina passed away 19 May, 2005. WE of Co B & The 48 Engineer © Battalion will miss him and wish His Family well.

At Recons request posting a pic for him.

Just wanted to check in and say hello. My name is Jason and I am one single-minded World War II History researcher. I mainly focus on researching the 60th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Go-Devils. My grandfather was in this unit as they set out from North Carolina in 1942 for North Africa. After Operation Torch finished up they went on to invade Sicily, then France during the D-Day invasion and finished up on the German Eastern border, linking up with the Russian Army. The unit has quite a story. If you are interested in learning more, please stop by my website

60th Infantry Regiment

I would love to hear from you all. This looks like a great forum and I hope I can add to it as much as possible. Just FYI, I am in the USAF, serving as a Captain and stationed currently in Germany. I have found out about so many small stories from WWII here it is just unbelievable. Why just a few blocks away from my home sits a pill box that was once part of the Maginot Line. I feel pretty lucky to be in such a history rich place right now. If anyone needs anything, feel free to ask.

Cheers

Jason