Ray Reynolds is, indeed, an SFC with the National Guard's 234th Signal Battalion. As a civilian, he is a firefighter in Denison, Iowa. Sources close to Reynolds say that he based his claims on information gleaned from publications by the United States Agency for International Development, as well as from contacts with influential Iraqis and the police chief of Baghdad.
Independent research has found his list of accomplishments to be a mixture of accurate, misleading data. For a point-by-point breakdown of the claims, consult the TruthOrFiction.com reference listed below, but here is a quick breakdown:
Accurate
Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.
Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons stored there so education can occur.
The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be off-loaded from ships faster.
100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed, compared to 35% before the war.
An interim constitution has been signed.
Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the first time in 30 years.
Inaccurate
The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August. (Oil Production hit 2 million barrells a day in April, 2004)
Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in Iraq. (While some treatment facilities neede repair, clean drinking water is not a new thing in Iraq)
The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before the war. (Electricity production is only slightly higher than pre-war levels)
Elections are taking place in every major city, and city councils are in place. (Elections remain a point of contention and have been suspended in some cities)
Unproven or misleading
Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city. (Work is still underway)
Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets. (The goal is to train and implement 35 - 50 thousand. The first class of 400 graduated in January, 2004)
Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country. (About 25,000 were hired and trained as of February 2004)
Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US soldiers. (Only 2,000 were operational as of February 2004)
Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever. (Most of the post-war work on the telephone system has focused on restoring service lost or damaged during the war)
Girls are allowed to attend school. (Girls have been allowed to attend school since 1970, more boys than girls typically enrolled)
SFC Reynolds intended his message to be spread far and wide, but underestimated the reliability of e-mail. As this one circulates, forwarders have added comments, commentary and additonal 'facts' that have less validity than Reynold's collection. Also, some forwarders have been incorrectly connected to Reynolds and this information. Break this chain.
