I am very happy to introduce the newest blog of the month T.F. BOGGS Tim Boggs is a 23 year old Sergeant in the Army reserves and is currently about half way through his second deployment to Iraq. He volunteered for his second tour.

He started his his blog last August and has some amazing posts. Like this interview with his fellow soldier SSG Newton. This is the first in a series of interviews Sergeant Boggs plans to conduct with the men in his unit. He calls it “Whos Fighting For You” . I can’t wait for the next one.

I highly recomend his post titled The Future of Iraq where he explains the children of Iraq will determine its fate in the end.

His latest post What We Do is also a must read. They are all must reads imo which is why he is the latest Blog of the Month.

Tim agreed to be interviewed for this post my questions and his answers are below. I hope you find his answers as interesting as I did. He has also agreed to answer a few questions from readers so if you have any questions for Sergeant Boggs please leave them in the comment section. Be sure to visit his blog often and keep Sergeant Boggs and his brothers at arms in your thoughts and prayers.

Here goes:

Where are you from originally?

I am originally from Columbus, Ohio. I am a die-hard
Buckeye.

**editors note** No doubt a regular appearance on Hugh Hewitt’s show is in the making with that answer.

Whats your job in the Army?

I am currently in a transportation company. I am in a platoon that provides security for convoys as they deliver supplies to various bases in our area of operations.

What do you do when you are not working? Do you have things like a gym or basketball court, Soccer field etc?

In my free time I usually do one of four things. First I try to communicate as best I can with folks back
home whether it be through email, phone calls, or letters. Second I keep up with my blog and try and
think up posts that will keep people coming back for more: which is in itself another job. When not doing
those two things I work out in our gym each day that I am able to. Whether it involves lifting weights,
running or playing ball I get up there to unwind. I spend the rest of my time reading and watching movies,
mostly reading though.

How about your internet and television access?

As far as internet goes we have a satellite connection that was set up by some Turkish entrepreneurs on our base. I have my own connection in my room so it is pretty easy for me to stay in touch. We pay a pretty penny for it but it is definitely worth it. As far as television goes a guy in my unit hooked us up with the AFN cable network that is available here. We have about eight channels to choose from and can usually find something good to watch.

Is your enlistment up any time soon and if so do you plan to re-enlist?

I am only halfway through my first enlistment and do not plan on re—enlisting when my contract is up. I am grateful for the experience I have had in the military but I feel that I could be of better service to my country in other capacities.

You mentioned that you were a writer for your college paper do you have plans of writing in the future?

I would love to be able to continue writing in the future. To what capacity I do not know but I love to write and definitely see myself doing it for some time to come.

I know you have a few blogs listed on your website who are some of your favorites and why?

The website that I first started reading years back and that has had the most influence on me is Frontpage Mag. I greatly admire David Horowitz and the editors of frontpage and many of my ideas and encouragement come from their site.

I admire Hugh Hewitt for being a stand-up guy and a great role model for Christians looking to have an
influence in today’s world.

A site that I have only recently started reading is www.americancitizensoldier.blogspot.com. Buck is only
about a half an hour away from where I am stationed and has been a great encouragement to me. He is really
the only other milblogger that I read. He is a smart and funny guy and tells it like it is.

Of course there are many other blogs that I read but those are a few of my favorites.

***editors note** Has Hugh signed that agreement yet?

Are you familiar with Soldiers Angels? If so do you know anyone who has an Angel that coresponds with them?

I am not familiar with Soldiers Angels but I feel that I should be. I do not know anyone else who has heard of the site either. I will check it out though and try to spread the word.

This is your second deployment to Iraq. Do you see anything different from your first deployment and if so what are they?

I see many changes in Iraq compared with my first deployment. The first time I was here it was the beginning of the war in 2003 and the country was pretty much untouched by Americans. One great example of how things have changed it the port of Umm Qasr in southern Iraq. I lived at the port for about 5 months and saw the changes that took place there everyday. Saddam sunk many ships in the port in order to prevent Iran (and possibly Americans) from using the port as a way to attack him, therefore the waterway was
cluttered and inaccessible to big ships. Several companies were contracted out to clean up the port and
build it back up as a means to bring supplies into Iraq. By the time I left Iraqis were pretty much running the show there from everything to off loading ships to providing their own security. The port was a vital step in getting Iraq back onto its feet.

This year I have seen many more Iraqi army and police personnel and their equipment is much better. They
have better training facilities too. Roads are starting to be improved and if we could get the bad guys to quit blowing up the road that might actually be halfway decent. Everyday there seems to be a new rebuilding project underway so I imagine it is only a matter of time before things really start to turn around.

Do you interact with any Iraqis?

I have limited contact with Iraqis this deployment. The first time I was here I was able to interact with them on a daily basis. At the port of Umm Qasr I had several Iraqi friends that I would see on a daily basis. We formed a great friendship and I would love to see them again. The contact I have now mainly
revolves around seeing Iraqi army and police at checkpoints on the road and occasionally stopping to
talk to them. There are also Iraqi workers on my base so from time to time I chat with them when they do
work for us.

Are you friends with any of them? If so do you plan to stay in touch with them when you come home?

Like I said earlier I did make a few friends here the first time but I am not able to stay in contact with them. I would love to form some lasting friendships here so that I could continue to follow their progress
in the years to come.

In your latest post you talk about how you believe the children of Iraq are the future and the hope of Iraq for Democracy and mention how the US servicemen treat them with kindness.

Can you tell us some of the things you have seen American Soldiers do for Iraqi children?

I have seen soldiers do great things for Iraqi children from everything to giving them food, candy, clothes, toys, and wheelchairs. I have seen soldiers play games with them, hold them, hug them, smile and laugh with them. We see that Iraqi children need our help and we are willing to go to great lengths to
provide for them. As soldiers we get paid to drive, shoot, build, and keep order but we help children
because it is the morally right thing to do, it is completely selfless and I believe the children know or
will come to realize that.

Are the parents around when the soldiers are giving them toys or school supplies etc and how do they react to that?

The contact I have had with adult Iraqis is limited but I had a unique opportunity on my first deployment to live next to several Iraqi families and interact with them on a daily basis. Their parents were nothing but happy for us to play with their kids and thanked us for caring. I recently wrote a story about my
experience with those families and it will appear on Michael Yon’s site in the near future. Well either his
site or a site I think will be called The Frontline Forum. I will link to it on my site as soon as it
comes out.

Do you think we are winning over the hearts and minds of the adult Iraqis?

Well I think that is a difficult question for me to answer. In some areas of Iraq, mainly down south, I do believe we are doing that. We have also won the hearts and minds of people like the mayor of Tal Afar who wrote a thank you letter to American soldiers which I linked to on my site awhile back. I mentioned in a recent post that I think adult Iraqis view us as a necessary annoyance for the time being. I think they
realize we are here for an important reason but at the same time they want us to go home as soon as the job
is done so that they can have their country back. I completely understand their position.

Do you get any sense of what percentage of the Iraqi people support the “insurgents” or “Baathists”, “terrorists”, etc?

I have no idea about what percentage of Iraqi people support the terrorists. Whatever it is I feel sorry for them. For someone to support a group of people who have no regard for human life is sad. Terrorists see no difference between killing soldiers and killing civilians, as long as terror is spread they are happy.
Forget cultural relativism or what they believe their God tells them to do, in this world there is a moral
order. Killing, torturing, and raping innocent people is never right and is at odds with morally right
actions. I believe terrorists are evil, plain and simple.

Which brings up another question over here the bad guys have different names depending on who you talk to. What do you guys call the bad guys?

We call them many names all of which are bound to offend in some fashion or another. We generally refer to them as “Hajii” which is just like calling the VC “Charlie”.

I think you read the recent interview I did with two Iraqi journalists living in baghdad. They both said they haven’t seen any progress in the reconstruction or the Iraqi security forces.

I know you mentioned just from the radio chatter it seems the Iraqi security forces are taking more of a lead. Have you seen any progress in the reconstruction or the Iraqi security forces?

Definitely. One major problem with pre-invasion Iraq was that they had no NCO core in their military. This led to a lack of leadership among the enlisted core of the military and led to many abuses by officers in Saddam’s army. We have started training Iraqis how to be NCO’s and have instituted NCO training schools. Training an army from the ground up doesn’t happen overnight but I do believe a lot of progress has been made in the Iraqi security forces. Like I said on the post you mention, Iraqis are starting to take over in
certain areas of Iraq and Iraqis are responding positively.

Were any of the answers from 24 steps or Treasure of Baghdad surprising to you? Did any of them stand out? what did you think of their answers in general?

I found their answers to be a bit negative and I am by no means a “the glass is half full” kind of guy. However, I cannot blame them for their negativity about the Iraqi security forces, why there are terrorists, or why they think there is bloodshed in Iraq right now. I used to joke that as soon as we ousted Saddam the everyday normal Iraqis became American overnight. They wanted electricity, water, jobs, peace and they wanted it NOW! These things take time and hard work. Of course Baghdad was beautiful before we bombed it but is something really beautiful because it is pleasing to the eye, or does it really become beautiful when it can be enjoyed by anyone at anytime, while at the same time being completely free to do and say as they want and live without fear of an evil dictator telling them what to do and think?

Have you guys had any journalists embedded with you or interviewed any of the men in your unit?

Neither of the units that I have been in Iraq with have had an embedded reporter with them. Nor have any of the guys in my unit been interviewed by anyone in the media.

Are you familiar with this Zogby poll that so many people are upset about and claim is bogus?

I am some what familiar with the Zogby poll that people are upset about.

Do you know anyone who was interviewed for this poll?

No I do not.

Do you think the poll is valid?

I think the poll is invalid. I personally am not a fan of polls and especially not this one. I believe the questions were purposefully misleading and unrepresentative of how soldiers actually feel. I believe Zogby and the man who financed the “poll” have an agenda which is shown in their final results.

Are any of your buddies talking about this at all or is this just a stateside blog frenzy?

No one over here that I have come in contact with has even heard of the poll and most likely no one would even care. If there is a frenzy over the results of the poll it is completely stateside. We are here to do
a job and choose to let those at home argue over how we feel. We have to do our job regardless and have
more important things to do besides worrying about some guy with a funny name.

Can you name 3 things that are happening in Iraq that we are not hearing about here at home?

Yes. Terrorists are being killed everyday, soldiers are happy, and life continues as normal despite what the blue-mosque-background-reporters tell you.

Lots of folks here in the states will go up to soldiers when they see them on the street and say thank you, or buy them a meal or a beer. Has that ever happened to you?

I have been at the receiving end of this kindness several times. As soon as I got off the plane from my first deployment I had a man come up and thank me for serving the country. I was still in a daze from being back in the states and this man did a lot to welcome me home. Right after that I sat down to lunch with
another friend going home with me, and someone in the restaurant paid for our meal.

If so how did that make you feel?

These acts of kindness made me feel welcome and glad to be back in a country where complete strangers are willing to do things for people they don’t even know. I cannot thank those people enough for what they did.

Would you encourage us civilians to do that sort of thing or do you kinda think who is this freak coming up to me?

I would definitely encourage people to do these kinds of things, the freakier the person the more
appreciated the gesture is. So if you are a freak go out there and thank a soldier when you see him at an
airport.

Well I think that’s enough for now, is there anything else you would like to say to folks back here in the states?

Thanks for reading and giving me a few minutes of your time. I greatly appreciate people who take the time to
find out what is really going on in the world. Remember it is www.boredsoldier.blogspot.com

Tim Boggs

That concludes the interview. Again I hope you enjoyed it and found Sergeant Boggs’ answers interesting and informative. If you really want to know what soldiers in Iraq are doing and thinking then visit his blog.

Please when you see our men and women in the armed forces out and about go up to them and thank them for their service. If you would like to do more then visit Soldiers Angels and volunteer.

Now fire away with any questions you may have. I will select the three best and pass them on the Sergeant Boggs to answer.