Our troops!

http://isteve.blogspot.com/2005/11/letter-from-marines-father.html

Interesting! Click the link to read it all.

UPDATED: Email from a Marine in Ramadi: No way to tell if this email that's been going around is authentic, but it sounds realistic. [Actually, it appears to be written by the father of a Marine named Jordan after discussions with his son on leave after seven months in Ramadi.] First it discusses our weapons, then their weapons, then tactics, then strategy

1) The M-16 rifle : Thumbs down. Chronic jamming problems with the talcum powder like sand over there. The sand is everywhere. Jordan says you feel filthy 2 minutes after coming out of the shower. The M-4 carbine version is more popular because it's lighter and shorter, but it has jamming problems also. They like the ability to mount the various optical gunsights and weapons lights on the picattiny rails, but the weapon itself is not great in a desert environment. They all hate the 5.56mm (.223) round. Poor penetration on the cinderblock structure common over there and even torso hits can't be reliably counted on to put the enemy down.Fun fact: Random autopsies on dead insurgents show a high level of opiate use.2) The M243 SAW (squad assault weapon): .223 cal. Drum fed light machine gun. Big thumbs down.