A WEEK IN RAMADI... makes one ever more appreciative of the blessings of life in America AND of the amazing job being done by our troops here. The picture above is me interviewing one of the courageous young men who work here each day to help secure and improve the city. It's an honor to be here to document their efforts.

During my time in the Al Anbar province's capital city, I alternated between optimism at the areas that are clearly improving here and amazement at the stark reality of daily life for both the local residents and the Marines, Sailors and Soldiers working by their side to make it better. Nearly four years of combat and countless attacks by violent, ruthless insurgents have been piled on top of years of pre-war neglect to create a situation that would be challenging for civil engineers and workers to correct even under the best of circumstances. The good news is that local residents, encouraged by their tribal leaders who are as sick of the insurgents as we are, are steadily signing up for the Iraqi Army and Police to improve the security situation in their community and allow life to improve. Every day, these local security forces are training with their American mentors and getting steadily better. The common denominator among all rational people, Iraqi and American, in this area is that we all want life to be safer, better and more secure for the local residents. That common ground is a fertile place for cooperation to begin.