Will They Ever Trust Us Again?: Letters from the War Zone

It makes you know that supporting our troops means more than sticking a flag on your car or a "support our troops" sign. I was so moved, I went to www.booksforsoldiers.com and sent three care packages.

Having sat here and read the reviews for this book I am deeply disturbed by people who claim support for our men and women in uniform who are posting negative reviews of this book, regardless of how you feel about Michael Moore the letters are not written by him, Just because you feel that these letters do not represent the majority does that mean no one should listen to what they are saying. In the interest of fairness, I wrote a letter to Michael that appears in this book, I wrote it to him because no one in the mainstream "liberal" media wants to hear what the other side has to say. I would suggest to people that if you have enough time on your hands to actively seek out a book you haven't read to give it a bad review and you actively support this "president" and this war, The armed forces are looking for a few good men and women like you.

Dear Haters of Michael Moore, I want you to know that I am one of the people featured in this book. I was contacted directly by Michael Moore's Personal assistant who was helping him in the compilation of the book. This was following my 12 May 2004 Nationwide UNPAID Article entitled "West Point Graduate and Disabled Desert Storm Veteran Speaks Out Against Iraq Occupation". He very courteously asked me if I would allow Michael to publish either that or another article I had published in 9 states. It kind of reminded me how I have read from a number of families of soldiers and marines killed in Iraq who received no contact whatsoever from ANY administration officials after their sons deaths in Iraq. YET, they did get personal phone calls from John Kerry. I bet that makes you Bush Worshippers sick at your stomach to know that this commander in chief had not attended the funeral of a single deceased Iraqi Vet the last time I researched that in June. To him Commander in Chief means as he stated at the War College Speech in May. "If more troops are needed I will send them" Shortly thereafter he said that it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. It reminded me of Lord Fahrquad in SHREK 1 when he reminded his troops that some of them would die but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. Some speechwriter really screwed that one up, but just ask yourself WHAT LEVEL OF SACRIFICE will this President allow to get his "safe for democracy Iraq", his Safe For American Corporations and Oil Barons Iraq. That is what this is about and do not forget it! I gave my permission to be in the book and added a caption specifically requesting for readers to vote and do what it takes to prevent a second Bush term on November 2nd. I also had a requirement for Michael Moore to note the dates of my articles and their context of being published just before the President's War College speech--which was nothing new--once again. I don't care how Brian or others feel about Michael Moore. I have ordered the book before I get my own copy and will be reading it starting next Tuesday because I am curious to see how eloquent --those who don't have to spend all of their time lying to cover up bigger lies (The Bush Administration)-- can be.. I give it 5 stars because I am one of the authors the way I see it and it is people like Brian and the presently deceived Bush Wing of the Republican Party that do not want the voices of soldiers and their families heard. Ronald Reagan never would have let this get out of hand--he would have been intelligent about it and not driven by greed, oil, connections, or grudges against Saddam. He simply would have done what was right--that is why I left the Republican Party and you Moore haters are stuck in the Bushes. 5 stars for the way Mr. Moore and his crew sought the permission of me and my friends to get the truth out about this miserable continuation of the war in Iraq--A WAR THAT WAS WON IN APRIL 2003--and is being lost by a

I have read the book as I am interested in the troops. The book is not about Moore, its about the men and women who are serving or have served all over the world. Some of the letters are from officers, but mostly from the average soldier. The book also encludes the thoughts of their families. The people who fight for our nation do not have a voice. The press doesn't report about them unless they are killed, and usualy not a name unless they are beheaded. Our troops are real people who have a story to tell. I suggest you listen.

I am not an alleged soldier. I did write an email to Michael Moore, and gave him express permission to use portions of my email in this book. I felt compelled to respond to the reviewer who implied that I am not a real veteran of the Iraqi war and the 'war on terrorism.' I wrote a letter to Mr. Moore after I returned from Iraq because when I was sent to Iraq in March 2003 and throughout my ten months of service in Baghdad I was extremely upset at fighting a war that was not necessary. When I and my comrades signed up for the Armed Forces we knew war was a possibility, but we trusted that our government and our leaders would only call upon us to risk our lives if war was absolutely necessary and only as a last resort. The Iraq war was not absolutely necessary and was not waged as a measure of last resort. Mr. Moore's recent documentary seemed to echo my sentiment, so I wrote him with some of my thoughts. You will now find some of these thoughts in his book. Please at least flip through this book in the bookstore, if you can find it. We are real soldiers, and we are really upset at being used in a war that shouldn't be. I wouldn't expect the book to be filled with those soldiers and officers who support the war; generally, a lot of us at one point or another have had to convince ourselves that the war is necessary and good, which is sometimes the only way to keep yourself going. What you will see in the book are those us of who have stopped lying to ourselves, those of us who are now home, and some of us who were lucky enough to get out of the military so we can stop being pawns in a game we don't belong in. I was lucky to find my way out of the military through special exceptions to stop loss policies, but many members of the military are looking at endless deployments with little time at home with their families; our military is stretched extremely thin, and I am very concerned that if we as a country ever really need the might of our military it won't be there for us. -Andrew Balthazor