Selected questions and Ben's replies will be posted here.

Do any of the servicemen or women need or want anything to be sent to them? My school is having a fundraiser to send anything they are looking for - we would be more than happy and willing to get it for them! We are behind them 110% and hoping you keep safe! We are rooting and praying for all of you! We are all thankful for what you are doing! And don't forget there might be protesters, but there will always be more supporters!!!!
Claire A., Norwood, Mass.

APRIL 14 – Claire - It's great that you are getting involved in your community at your age. What the troops here say they enjoy the most from students are handmade cards and posters that show their support. Many of the operations buildings on base have these kinds of posters and cards hanging up. As for monetary support, there is a program set up that allows citizens to donate money to purchase phone cards so that troops can call home. See http://www.defendamerica.mil/support_troops.html for more details.

Do the US troops show interest in public opinion about the war that is [expressed] in other countries?
Frances Torti, Bellville, Argentina

APRIL 14 – Yes. Before the war in particular, many US troops followed the diplomatic maneuvering with great interest. Some troops are bitter at French opposition to the US and UK over Iraq in the United Nations. When crowds came out to cheer US forces in Baghdad, one soldier quipped, "I wonder how that translates into French?"

In general, military personnel are more knowledgeable about foreign nations than average citizens. This is because so many of them have been deployed all over the world. At this point in US history, the sun never sets on the US military. I still remember how surprised I was when I overheard a teenage soldier refer to "Tajikistan."

I find it interesting that I have heard very few negative comments about the Germans here, even though they were just as much against the war as the French. My guess is that many US service men and women have served long rotations in Germany, making them more sympathetic to German culture.

I just read your Dispatch #21 regarding the Giant Voice. Welcome to the military! Been there, done that, got the T-shirt! :-)
Tod Hegstrom, Phoenix, Ariz.

APRIL 14 – That dispatch has generated the most positive feedback of any of the dispatches. I guess people everywhere can relate to dealing with red tape.

Where do you sleep? Are there Port-A-Potties? Do you have weapons, and if so, do you know how to use them? If you don't personally have them, do you feel safe? Are there special soldiers who protect the embedded guys? Of course, reading your comments, I assume you are in a rather fixed area. Will you be moving up?
Carolyn Dain, Golden, Co.

APRIL 6 – I am embedded with the Air Force, which means that I am staying on fixed bases. The base in Kuwait where I've spent most of my time has a surprising number of amenities. There are several mess halls and bathroom trailers with running water and regular toilets. I sleep in a tent, as do many troops on base. Others sleep in warehouses or trailers.

When the Air Force moves forward, it moves personnel to other fixed bases. I have just moved forward to Talil in Iraq. The facilities here are only starting to get built up. So I am sleeping on a cot inside an aircraft hangar, which has wide openings on either end. There is no running water, and we use homemade portable toilets. They are essentially wooden booths with a piece of plywood inside to sit on. The hole is very thoughtfully lined with duct tape to avoid splinters.

I do not have a weapon. The Pentagon forbids embedded journalists to carry firearms - not that I would want to carry one, anyway. It compromises a journalist's civilian status. And, personally, I have no firearms training. Generally, I feel safe, but that is because both Talil and the base in Kuwait have extensive perimeter force protection. There are no special soldiers with the Air Force to protect embedded journalists.

With the weather getting hot, do troops sleeping in tents have outlets near their cots for small electric fans? What kind of fan could they use? I'd like to send my daughter one.
Beth Kelly, Franklin, Mass.

APRIL 6 – At the air base in Kuwait, most tents in Tent City have pretty fancy air conditioning systems. The air is blown into a canvas pipe that runs along the ceiling. There are slits in the pipe that circulate the air in the tent. It's perfectly comfortable. The marines on base, however, do not have air conditioning in their tents. I would imagine it would depend where your daughter is stationed. If she's in a fixed location, then a larger fan would be practical. Otherwise, get her something small and portable, because everyone already has a ton of gear to move around. You might also consider sending along a small power converter.

I don't have a question today, but would like to comment. Our son is in the Hounds of Heaven Squadron. I want to thank you for your dispatches from the 332nd. I was so happy to find out about the website and to be able to read them. They are giving us an additional perspective on what our son is experiencing and what else we can do to support him. Information is so important to families as we wait for our loved ones to return. Thank you again.
Lynne Engberg, Rosemount, Minn.

What has disturbed you the most during your stay?
Zachary Wong, Jericho, N.Y.

APRIL 6 – I have only seen mini-outrages:

Have you met any Iraqis that speak fluent English? What do they say?
Hillel Felman, New York, N.Y.

APRIL 6 – Not a lot of Iraqis hang out at air bases in Kuwait. The last Iraqi I met who spoke English was with me at the Kuwait City Marriott waiting with all the journalists to embed. He worked for Radio Sawa, an experiment by the Voice of America to get the US government's perspective heard in the Middle East. Interestingly, he escaped Iraq after the Shiite rebellion in southern Iraq was quashed by Saddam Hussein's forces following Desert Storm. (The rebellion failed when the US decided not to assist it.) He predicted that people in southern Iraq would rejoice if the Baghdad regime was toppled -- but that they would be more hesitant in the early stages of the war after what happened the first time they rebelled.

I'm continuing to read your dispatches as often as you post them. I wanted to pass along that not only have I been reading them, but I heard you interviewed on our local KTAR AM 620 radio station. Well done, keep up with it!
Tod Hegstrom, Phoenix, Az.

APRIL 6 – Thank you!

What is the most beautiful or touching thing you've seen there?
M. Lorraine Cook, Lakemont, Ga.

APRIL 6 – One day, I needed a ride to a store on the Kuwaiti side of the base. One of the Combat Search and Rescue guys agreed to swing by the store and drop me back at the press center. We got horribly lost trying to find the place. Not a lot of the Kuwaitis on base speak English. I knew that my escort had better things to do and I started to feel badly. We finally found the place and I purchased much-needed Kuwaiti cell phone recharge cards. When we walked out of the store, I noticed he bought a variety of candy bars. He mumbled that Iraqi kids probably haven't had a good candy bar in their lives. I was touched by his spontaneous gesture.

Are there any journalists who are not "embedded"? If so, are they beholden to any more or less restrictions than you are as a representative of both a newspaper and the United States?
Elizabeth Manley, New Orleans, La.

APRIL 3 – In my capacity as an embedded reporter, I don't feel like I am a representative of the United States. However, I am the guest of the US military, and that does involve some restrictions. In exchange for letting me on this base, there are certain topics I have been told in advance that I cannot cover - almost all of these have to do with "host nation sensitivities."

The average airman is incredibly tight-lipped about operational details. During interviews, they usually censor themselves beyond the actual restrictions the Pentagon has placed. For instance, I cannot report any details about pending or ongoing missions. However, when a flying mission is over and the targets determined to be destroyed, I am allowed to give details, unless the particular mission needs to remain classified.

There are indeed "unilateral" reporters, who are moving about the theater of operations. Some eventually join up with particular military units with whom they've developed a personal rapport. These reporters still have to play by similar rules or risk being escorted off the battlefield.

Others operate independently in key cities, and with the aid of a translator and driver have a much better chance of interacting with locals. They can make their own schedule, enjoy freedom of movement, and aren't subject to Pentagon restrictions. Most of the Monitor's reporters in the region are "unilaterals."

Are the troops aware that many of the antiwar protesters support them fully, but blame the president for starting military action needlessly?
Leander Kalpaxis, Ridgewood, N.Y.

APRIL 3 – I have gotten mixed feedback on this issue. Staff Sgt. David Kennedy, with the 332nd Communications Squadron, says about half the friends and family who write him and wish him godspeed are against the war itself. "I get e-mails all the time basically saying that we know that you gotta do what you gotta do, but we'd rather have you home. They know I have a job that I've got to do," he said. These troops accept that protesters can be opposed to the war and remain loyal to them.

But, Navy Seabee Tyler Aholt expresses the predominate attitude when he says, "If they are not backing up those that are in charge of us, then in the long run, they're not backing us up."

How strong is [the troops'] faith? Is it as strong as their conviction that what they are doing is right?
John, Bangkok, Thailand

APRIL 1 – First, let me refer you to a recent dispatch on religion and war convictions.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to judge the depth of someone's faith. However, I have been impressed with some people's religious discipline.

The small Eastern Orthodox community here has been maintaining a no-meat, no-dairy fast for Lent. The chow hall cannot accommodate that kind of diet, so, they glean what they can from the offerings. Orthodox priest Timothy Ullmann says, "I eat a lot of tomatoes and cucumbers, and peanut butter for protein." Along similar lines, the chow hall does not offer kosher foods, leaving Jews who want to keep kosher to eat kosher Meals Ready to Eat. Many of the things that Catholics would normally give up for Lent are not available on base anyway, including alcohol. Maj. Neal Murphy with the 190th Fighter Squadron. decided to give up sweets. Not long after, a CARE package arrived filled with baked goods and treats. He gave them away to his squadron.

What effort can we put forth here in the US that will help the troops keep up their morale?
Maureen Scott, Hopewell, Va.

APRIL 1 – The troops have appreciated the efforts of church groups, classrooms, and other organizations that have sent messages of support. A lot of the “ops shacks” (operations buildings) hang posters, one I saw was from an elementary schools that read: "We're proud of you."

One thing that keeps coming up in my discussions with servicemen is how they have been hearing from people they haven't talked with in years. Often a spouse at home will send out the e-mail address to distant relatives, former co-workers, or long-lost friends. This helps people remember how wide a support net they have.

Are there any journalists who are not "embedded"? If so, are they beholden to any more or less restrictions than you are as a representative of both a newspaper and the United States?
Elizabeth Manley, New Orleans, La.

APRIL 1 – In my capacity as an embedded reporter, I don't feel as though I am a representative of the United States. However, I am the guest of the US military, and that does involve some restrictions. In exchange for letting me on this base, there are certain topics I have been told in advance that I cannot cover - almost all of these have to do with "host nation sensitivities."

The average airman is incredibly tight-lipped about operational details. During interviews, they usually censor themselves beyond the actual restrictions the Pentagon has placed. For instance, I cannot report any details about pending or ongoing missions. However, when a flying mission is over and the targets determined to be destroyed, I am allowed to give details, unless the particular mission has to remain classified. In practice, many pilots believe that all missions are always classified. They are concerned that any operational details would give the enemy knowledge of how they fly their missions.

There are indeed "unilateral" reporters, who are moving about the theater of operations. Some eventually join up with particular military units with whom they've developed a personal rapport. These reporters still have to play by similar rules or risk being escorted off the battlefield. Others operate independently in key cities, and with the aid of a translator and driver have a much better chance of interacting with locals. They can make their own schedule, enjoy freedom of movement, and aren't subject to Pentagon restrictions. Most of the Monitor's reporters in the region are "unilaterals."

How do the American and British troops get along on the base? Do they hang out together or are they kept separate?
Matthew B. Walker, Lisle, Ill.

MARCH 30 – The British do have their own sector within Tent City and their own operations buildings, but I do notice Brits and Americans chatting together. Armies are cosmopolitan organizations. People deploy so frequently to far corners of the world that they develop a strong ability to interact with different cultures.

I understand that being on an air base you may not have much contact with this, but, in your experience, what has been the reaction of the civilians liberated by the US forces?
Dan Metzger, Bluffton, Ohio

MARCH 30 – It's almost impossible to gauge this from an air base. The pilots are the only people who go into Iraq and come back, and all they can report is what they see from the air. Helicopter crews say they have been waved at, though that was in southern Iraq. And one pilot mentioned he noticed much less waving the deeper into the country he flew.

Do you have to pay to go over there, or does the government pay you?
Phyllis Hall, Gastonia, N.C.

MARCH 30 – The military provides embedded journalists with a gas mask, chem-bio gear, transportation between civilian and military locations, and room and board. The Monitor covers all my other work-related expenses. And the government certainly doesn't pay me any form of salary.

What is the weather like? Do the troops seem to be in good spirits? My son is with the 101st Airborne, and April 3 will be the second birthday missed with his family.
Beverly Phillips, Cincinnati, Ohio

MARCH 24 – I talked with Master Sgt. Dave Scott, a military weather forecaster on base. For this past week, the average high temperature was 78 degrees, and the average low temperature was 60. We are currently in the extended part of Kuwait's winter. The temperatures are mild and it rains about once a week. "All of the sudden, out of nowhere in mid-April, it will stop raining and it will get real hot," Scott says. Temperatures at that point should be consistently above 100 degrees. Luckily, the humidity here is currently only about 15 percent.

It is nearing springtime in the central US and there is a rush of waterfowl, redwings, and robins to signal the change of season while we are preparing for spring planting. What are signs of spring's approach in the desert? For example, is there is an increase in poisonous insect activity?
A. Chase Turner, Great Bend, Kansas

MARCH 24 – According to a weather expert here, the jump from winter to summer comes quickly in mid-April. In terms of poisonous creatures, few remain on base as it has grown more crowded, says Staff Sgt. John Cogley, who works in the base's pest control office. Outside the base perimeter, there are some dangerous lizards, snakes, scorpions, and camel spiders. A camel spider is a cross between a scorpion and a spider. It's about the size of your fist and it has large fangs. California has a smaller species of these, known as wind scorpions.

There are four species of scorpions, including black-tailed and yellow scorpions. Black desert cobras and sand vipers are among the poisonous snakes found in Iraq. However, rats, mice, and flies give pest control the biggest hassle, Cogley says.

Can you explain the code name, 10-03 Victory?
Sarah Josephson, Fargo, N.D.

MARCH 23 – That's the name the military was using prior to the conflict receiving an official name, in this case Operation Iraqi Freedom. There has been some grumbles on the base that the moniker "Iraqi Freedom" isn't terribly creative. Although, after the "Infinite Justice" fiasco, bland might be better.

( See related dispatch: Code name: '10-03 Victory' )

All questions and answers