Heads in the sand.

Michael Fumento's "Covering Iraq" (Nov. 6) is the first article I have read that gets to the heart of the problem in the perception of the war here at home. I returned from Iraq six months ago, and while there I observed exactly what Fumento describes: Many reporters are lazy, irresponsible, or just don't want to tell the real story. I was an adviser to Iraqi special-police commandos who regularly went into Baghdad, Tel Afar, and Ramadi neighborhoods and dealt directly with Iraqi civilians and police. The units I accompanied probably had a broader experience of what was going on in those areas than traditional units did. They were designed to gather intelligence that our military units couldn't get, help us pinpoint insurgents, and eventually take over responsibility from our troops. We frequently sought journalists to go with us and observe these units in action, but were turned down each time by reporters who preferred to stay holed up in the Green Zone.

Maj. Dan O'Rourke 

St. Louis, Mo.

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