Iraq's "Year Of The Police"

This morning, G. Gordon Liddy read his listeners a letter from a Marine officer who had just returned to Iraq for his third tour of duty. He had two main points: The insurgency is designed to make us fail and therefore can't be allowed to succeed, and this year is the "Year of the Police" in Iraq.

Much of our military focus is on training the Iraqi police force, as evidenced by this Marine's participation in a multi-Service task force designed to bring Iraq's counterpart to the FBI up to speed.

Equipping the Iraqi police is also critical, and that's where organizations like Operation Soldier come in. Here's a couple brief updates on their activities:

• Several police departments along the California coast -- Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Paso Robles, Cal Poly and Cuesta College police -- just donated enough police gear to Operation Soldier to equip 60 officers.
• That gear will supplement 20 tons of police gear Operation Soldier shipped to Iraq in March -- enough for 1,700 to 1,800 police officers.
• To date, Operation Soldier has sent over 10,000 bullet-proof vests to equip Iraqi police.
• Another shipment is being assembled now.
  

Here's an MSNBC story on their operations.

If you're a police officer, or know a police officer, please get going on a campaign to collect last-generation gear for Operation Soldier.

The group's Patriot Down program, which helps pay travel expenses so families can visit their husbands, wives, sons or daughters who have been wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan, can put financial support to good use, too.

Don't you just love America's gung-ho, we-can-do-it spirit? It's just amazing.