1st Lt. Phil Ventura with Moe Lauzier

My goodness good morning Milan here with you on Boston talk Dayton. AM 680 WR KL.

Bush a they would reserve the sour for our friends in the military joining us right now as a guy. Who has done an incredible job in being able to line of people logistics of getting guests on this program every Saturday morning our time is not is simple is it would sound it's not simply a matter saying hey -- could you be here for 7:5 on Saturday morning you're gonna do an interview and you and me and radio station in Boston. No if it was that simple and I would say thanks to -- and tear filled good morning welcome to WRKO.

Itamar demolish the pleasure to actually get to be on the show here haven't worked a -- a few months now.

Yeah you've been -- he went into we started with together way back in September -- I -- restaurant and I would just mentioning that. It's not the easiest thing in the world to be able to arrange to have a guest on the matter effect you and I spoke a few days ago. About the possibility of putting -- a whole bunch of people. And do you explain to me the logistics of doing that is in in a war zone in particular -- is almost impossible.

Yet in the real challenge is getting people not just on the phone to call and but to make sure that they're comfortable with that in May know where to go with it so. The other concern about a training involved in just kind of reassurance that. For some reason the military and I think maybe in the in general society there is. In immediate destructive via media. Which I don't know it get because I was a journalism major in college and and I have you know colleagues that work in journalism so I don't sense that but that for some reason president al initial hesitancy to deal with the media and so it. My biggest challenges to get people over they had been comfortable enough to call in.

I think a lot of the major sources of good news tend to look for hostility in the news and LA as suicide bomber going into a marketplace and killing seventeen people will lead when the the rebuilding of a complete school in a small town a school that hadn't operated even back in the days of Hussein -- prior to the war our guys going in. Volunteering an enormous amount of of time off -- Beyond their duty time to do it that gets no coverage.

Sure and that's one of the ways that I actually attract people to do radio work is to say that -- do you dislike the news do you think it's unfair do you think it's biased. But here's your chance to have a direct way to impact that it -- share your own news in your own viewpoints with people back listening. In Boston with WRKO or wherever else in the country that we're engaging.

As we spoke once before the whole concept of this began -- a whole idea began and I guess a couple of years ago when I spoke with a fellow by the name of Glenn goal but he's and he's now in marine sergeant major is a matter of fact he'll be -- our guest after you he was serving in Djibouti at the time. And not only were his men on very dangerous patrols seeking out Al Qaeda running firearms are running weapons from Eritrea in and other parts of Africa through Djibouti into Somalia and then that's dangerous duty in itself. When their free time what -- they doing there were building a basketball court the built the baseball field. Are we teaching kids how to play -- how to swing a bat and hit a ball. And so -- so what I brought him on to talk a little bit about that and through the goodness of heart of lots of our listeners that they were overwhelmed with equipment and with uniforms and with clothing and sneakers and so on and so forth in Djibouti is probably the -- place on earth so all of these kind of things were really fantastic so that's got to the whole idea said you know will we got to look at at our troops. Doing something other than what we in instinctively believe they're doing and in that I just outshooting the killing people they literally are winning the hearts and minds of people in doing good things good deeds -- and -- going unnoticed.

Sure and it's an incredible thing to get to see here is to watch something in country happened whether it's you know. Winning the hearts tonight is an operation -- good bad or ugly and watching it. Become a news story you know CNN or at a radio station and a newspaper mean. The military is as huge bureaucracies so. To get -- story from Djibouti to. You know the western media is a process and a lot of times -- stories get laughed and -- process which is why it's fantastic it shows like yours allows the chance to. After that bureaucracy and you can hear it right from the boots on the ground and -- it's been a very big benefit to us and hopefully the listeners as well.

While tell you I think it has and of all the things we we do or have done the single thing that has gotten the most mailer most email has been this segment for example last week I wasn't here. And we didn't have a guest done I know an aunt sent me an email same -- you feeling okay you weren't on the air not non -- Hey how come you didn't do your you military segment the smart well I wasn't there that you -- I mean it was just it was it was very I was both surprised and pleased to hear that and because that would that tells us is it's appreciated by a lot of people. I mean it's say normally the only feedback I get -- listen stupid the hockey just let's you know that the threat here.

Yeah I do about my job a lot of time due out -- known as a good news but it's it's good on people cannot. -- kinda dropped a note for the positive.

Now tell me other good stories coming out of of Iraq right now that we should hear about. Well talking about throwing out curable.

Now okay it's what I would ideally -- every day. It's been an interesting week in the last week. It wasn't secret news but we had secretary right here the end she was up in the northern part of the country and really highlighting the process of reconciliation at that part of the country and -- especially has been going through. And I think it's important to understand the context behind some of that. You know back in the media and get you know 32 news -- it uses a bird rights and country and -- yet. But does he was here to highlight that in and around -- not central Baghdad to meet with that leaders here. I think that's a fantastic contrast. You know with how we deal with things you know we're here on. -- order diplomatic level where we're dealing with things about senior leaders talking to directs senior leaders. What the same time in the news last week is a torture house being uncovered that Al Qaeda had been using. And to me that it is not perfect contrast between the way we are dealing with things here in the ways Al Qaeda. And there are allies you're dealing with things I think that's an important message to get out.

At a -- effectively have a -- house anywhere in the world I think it's an important message to get out because that's what we're dealing with you know and Arab American were all upset about the possibility of three of top terrorists in the world being -- boarded they have a a terror houseful of people could be hung on hooks.

Exactly and in the stands state of community -- One thing I've really learned in this job is that the definition of a good news story ever so bad news story. Is really in your in your perspectives and I mean honestly any sort of torture palace is an awful thing it's not good news to be -- meant. But I am glad at the same time that the western media and people back in the United States are beginning to realize now what kind of enemy we're dealing -- And that was actually the fifth torture house. Like that that we found in the last year it's the first and that the media and it's actually the most mild of the size but that is not an uncommon thing.

Now who would get torture house or the implements and they used on.

Well anybody in the neighborhood that oppose them or anybody that they were trying to leverage against and another good part of that story that didn't really get out is that the reason we've found it was because of tips from the local citizens. -- I was locals who had had enough -- that led coalition forces to it.

It was anyone captured in that. In that event.

Not that was directly related to it but. You know I hope they're -- think -- in the works and we just don't know about it yet.

It was lieutenant filled enter as I -- right now on AM six AW RKO attractive little bit about the dissemination of news the who we we take our First Amendment very seriously and as I'm sure you do. And there's always a fear. The -- we go to the to the news to the people who are making the news for the news the sometimes it can be skewed and sometimes the opposite can be true he can be the news but a poor person carrying a biased and allowing it to show through in the news story I admit to my bias I think you guys are doing a fantastic job. And it's a story that ought to be told and make no bones about it and I don't apologize for and anyway but sometimes we get the stories in the other direction there is a bias there and we don't know what the is it any at any stage. And and are people wind up looking like. Well like Kallis jerks a minister in this and it's unfortunate nine -- really -- quite frankly resented as an American -- should we be on the side of our soldiers you're damn right we should be. And how many people do we have serving in country now you know off the -- that Rodham -- that number.

I don't know but I do not but that's the pardoning news but I did see today it was that secretary gates -- signaled that by the end of 8. Will be about 50000 less of where we're -- right now. Of that that is good news and when you keep things like. Last week and over of but the basra province -- him directly control you can begin to see that that'll that'll be reducing forces next year. But it won't be a cotton -- run type job will be these areas have been handed over are under company to control and well continually be decreasing our footprint in country and that's a fantastic.

Below London has got me scared to death is what's going on in northern Iraq both with -- Turkey's incursions into Iraq. And though the story that gets a little less attention but is still out there and that is the Iranians coming in to the Kurdish areas of Iraq as well what's the official position of the military in dealing with that.

Well we've been pushing person talks between Iraq Iran and coalition forces for the past few months now and a lot of those on again off again kind of thing unfortunately because well I'd much rather have our senior leaders sitting and talking about things verses. Deploying at other places and fighting back with bullet. But Turkey PKK situation net you've mentioned to have an interest in one I mean I've really been watching it just -- since I've been here. I'm actually amazed it hasn't been. It has been blown up more than it has with those cross border intrusions and the position is that the PKK is that terrorist organization. It and they do have some legitimacy in what they're doing and what they're driving towards but not really in the current world situation we have today.

So there's always been an a desire on the part of courage to reunite them in they're roughly broken up a third a third in the third between Turkey Iran. And Iraq and they happen to be sitting on huge oil deposits so the interest in keeping them separate is quite strong I would think on the part of all three countries to keep them and literally under the thumb or under the heel of the boot. Which is what makes the Kurds were Iraqi situation so interest think. And that they continuously tell us we are we are Iraqis forest -- second.

in one thing I think it is important for us as westerners to think about is the sense of history in our own -- whose history goes back. You know couple hundred years and I don't think as Americans we typically look at history as. Well the United States look like a thousand years from now and the people here in the Arab world have memories much longer than ours in history. And look. Hundreds and hundreds of years forward. One thing we see in the media recently is the debate over will the United States have permanent bases and direct. And I think in the west we don't think -- that quite the same they do here. Let me say permanent or what does that mean maybe you know you're administration's Serbs in 400 years or something like that all the other look at it is how dangerous now we'd still be here yeah.

Oh look at Korea -- that we had troops in Korea already we're talking share 55 years sixty years now. So I guess that that's a legitimate question and maybe something we -- to have to think through. Listen I appreciate you being on with me this morning in more than that appreciate everything that you've done since you've been since you've been deployed -- ranked in helping us have guests tonight look forward to continuing to be able to do that with few each week so caught our -- Albion touch with you during the week in the meantime. Which who have very merry christmas say hello to done -- for me. He's one of my favorite sergeants and in Iraq he's quite a character he's a local guy it's matter of fact we have a date to go to a to a club here in Boston and have a have a -- Sam Adams when he comes back.

Well and for his behalf let's push that any great news you want to read about what's going on here is -- Yes I correct that -- sergeant -- web site that you maintain Sunday multinational forces that are act here and I want that he cares very passionately about and what they can really find pretty great news and of images and videos so.

On my friend got my third and god bless you be safe merry christmas and booby to confuse. It thank you fill -- lieutenant Philip venture US airports deployed in Baghdad you in Iraqis the person who is responsible for getting a solidifying gas. And will be in touch with him during the course of the week and will have another guest again next entity it's 7 AM on Boston's talk station coming up after the break will be marine sergeant major -- gold who we forest two when he was Djibouti years ago seems like another century ago where youth sent to all kinds of a neat stuff over their for of the kids in the in the orphanage that was near the base where he was operating out of and he and his guys when the teaching kids how to play baseball there who unfortunately the majority uniform that were sent out there were Yankees so Djibouti is loaded with Yankee fans noble. Sometimes diplomacy does backfires and here it was speak with. We'll speak with sergeant Gilbert just ahead -- the year on Boston talk station AM 680 WRKO