30 Apr 2004 Amid the Nightline Controversy, Remember: Our Troops Are Doing A Great Deal of Good

Believing that it is the best way to respond to ABC broadcaster Ted Koppel, The National Center for Public Policy Research today has posted on its website an extensive list of the achievements of just one of the many U.S. units operating in Iraq.

On his April 30 broadcast Koppel will recite the names of all the Americans killed in combat in Iraq.

The list recounts the achievements of the 16th Combat Engineer Battalion, part of the 1st Armored Division, which has been in Iraq since the war started and remains on active duty there at this time. It was provided by Spc. Joe Roche, who serves with the 285-soldier unit.

Earlier this month, newspapers nationwide ran an essay by Roche entitled “Keep the Faith: A Letter from Iraq.” The essay’s positive recounting of the U.S. military’s achievements in Iraq received extensive public attention via talk radio and the Internet.

The list of the unit’s achievements over a year’s time includes combat operations and very many humanitarian missions.

The achievements list is too long to recount in a press release, but can be viewed at https://nationalcenter.org/2004_04_01_BlogArchive.html#108329938064126347 online.

“The magnitude of the accomplishments of this under-300 man unit in a year’s time is simply astonishing,” said Amy Ridenour, president of The National Center for Public Policy Research. “Yet this is simply one unit of many U.S., British and other coalition forces operating in Iraq. I strongly encourage Americans to review this list and others. Our troops are doing a great deal of good.”

“Keep the Faith: A Letter from Iraq” and other comments from Spc. Roche about his observations in Iraq are available at https://nationalcenter.org/RochePage.html online.

The National Center for Public Policy Research is a non-partisan, conservative/free-market think-tank established in 1982 and located on Capitol Hill. It can be visited at https://nationalcenter.org online.