(Note: The following is the straight poop from Iraq via an e-mail from someone in the battle)

"Cooker update...

Can you forward to those who may care? I will only get one NIPR email out.

What I do: I am the fires planner at Division, I spend most of my time at the DMAIN, but daily fly with the CofS up to the Assault CP and/or DMAIN to huddle with the CG and ADC-M (kind of cool flying over the battlefield in a blackhawk escorted by Apaches)- I wrote the plan that the Division is executing, at least the fires portion.

I write the Fragos that give orders to the BDEs in the Division to execute (tell them where to go and what to kill) would rather be executing myself, but understand the importance of my job. 3ID is making history once again, we LD'd and attacked across Iraq to fight at An Nasyriah (Tallil once again), fought at As Samawah, put forces on the East and West of the Euphrates and fought up to An Najef (250 miles of constant fighting and maneuver which has never been done in history, especially in 48 hours).

We destroyed 2 Divisons and 6 Divisions have decided not to fight or have formally capitulated (news never reports this, though), probably have killed close to 10,000. Progress slowed up for the logistics (ammo and fuel) to catch up and for the light guys 101/82nd augmented with some heavy forces/ a TF for the 82nd and a TF for the 101st- not wanting to repeat Somalia- in fact Delta/rangers/seals used some of our heavies in their raid last night into Nasyriah) to get a handle on the LOCs and to secure the towns (Nasyriah, Samawah, Najaf, etc).

We are continuously sniped at and receive periodic mortar fire... bottomline, they shoot, they die- every soldier, regardless where they fight on the battlefield, is getting a chance to engage and kill the enemy. Iraq has these maniacs, death squad guys (Saddam Feddyen), DGS forces, IIS, and Ba'ath party forces that we spend most of our time killing...they continuously make suicidal charges at our tanks, brads, and checkpoints, we are happy to send them to hell!

You would not believe the carnage, imagine your street you live own with body parts about knee deep, with hundreds of vehicles burning to include the occupants, we fill up trucks of body parts daily- this is every checkpoint we run. There really is no front line, the battlefield is non-contiguous with an asymetrical threat, I sleep in a fighting position. The plan is going exactly as scripted, the news is full of shit, we have control of central Iraq and south and have attacked with basically two forces (3ID and 1MARDIV) [emphasis added], 3ID has had 1 KIA to a sniper, 4 to a car bomb, 2 to traffic accidents, and 2 MIA (lost in the ambush at Nasyriah (probably dead).

We highly encourage all Arab freedom fighters that want a piece of America to come to Iraq so we can send you to hell with your brothers (send some Democrats over too!). Drink a beer for me or a glass of sweet ice tea.

If you are looking at the news today, you will see that we have now isolated Karbala, you should be able to start figuring the rest out. Game on! The Medina Division and whoever else decides to deploy south of Bdad will die shortly. Don't know how long our Division will be
able to keep up this pace, but we are prepared to do it. I must go, pray for our soldiers and their families............. Cooker"