Ducks in Iraq**Turkey's Added****

[tunica du4u]

In my spare time I edit the Mississippi DU DuckNotes,
which just mailed out the Spring edition. I recieved this
email this evening from a Ms. soldiers wife stationed in
Iraq. Kinda strange as I never imagined a greenhead in Iraq.

Sir:
My name is Rebecca Bedford, from Smithville. My husband,
SFC Paul Bedford, is currently serving in Iraq with the 155th
Brigade Combat Team out of Mississippi. Paul is a DU member
and ardent duck hunter. I kid him that he is missing his
chocolate lab more than me and the kids. Today I received his
copy of Duck Notes, which I will send on to him in his next care
package from home. In it I saw several pictures of DU members
around the state. I thought this picture of him would make an
excellent addition to your next edition.
We live up here near the Tombiggbee Waterway, where ducks
like to hang out, and Paul in stationed in An Najaf, between the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers, (known as the Garden of Eden,
Cradle of Civilization). Two of his best hunting buddies are
in his platoon, and he has been e mailing me messages that
he has sure missed getting to go out hunting this season.
Says there are plenty
of ducks there, and they have been doing some reconnaissance
work on how to bring those Iraqi ducks in. He jokes that if he can
bring some in, he will have to use a camel as a retriever. Imagine
my surprise when he sent the attached photo. His platoon had
to escort their colonel to the plantation home of a very wealthy
farmer in the area. While the colonel was inside visiting, he
and several of his men played with the children outside. They
had some ducks they kept for pets or eggs or something. So
he had to get his picture made.
Paul is the platoon sergeant over the Cavalry Scout platoon,
based in Fulton, MS. Thank you for your consideration. I am
sure it would do his heart good to see his picture in Duck notes.
Respectfully,
Rebecca Bedford

quite naturally this will be in the fall edition and here now

[BeastMaster]

now that is kewl........

[Double R 2]

Awesome! Reckon that greenhead got layed to rest on a bed of coals?

[tunica du4u]

I wondered at first. The ducks in Nam looked different from our ducks, ducks in Germany look different, but in looking at Brittancia I found :
the common mallard (A. p. platyrhynchos) breeds throughout Europe, most of Asia, and northern North America; it winters as far south as North Africa, India, and southern Mexico.
I would like to see that camel retrievin' tho

[Broke Ducker]

that is too kewl ,

[ducman77]

great pic

[bigwater]

thats neat.. ya know i can't remember where but i once saw a picture taken in either iraq or iran .... it was of a guy that lookd to be middle eastern .. he had obviously been hunting and had a funky stringer of some kinds ducks.. i can't recall where i saw that photo

[Spoonallard]

Tunica can you get me her address? I'm going to send her a couple of of hand made duck calls to send him. I just bought some from a guy out of IL by the name of Hayes. Yall may have heard of him. They are pretty decent calls. It might be fun for those guys. They might even get that camel to retrive after all.
Spoon

[tunica du4u]

Sure will spoon. I sent her an email back this evening b4 leaving work to get it as I was going to send a handful of Ms. Du stickers and some chrome duckheads. Probably Bob Hayes. He does some good calls if it is. I'll let you know in the morn when I get to work.

[Double R 2]

There's a possibility I'll be hunting about 450 miles north of there in SE Turkey January '06, at no cost save airfare. Have been invited, but it's contingent on availability of my host securing his visa. I was unaware that mallards were common to the area and have anticipated primarily eurasian species of teal, shovelers and wigeon with the possibility of shelducks. You'll will be the first to know if it happens.

[jjperry82]

my husband Sgt. Perry is also currently serving in Iraq as a matter of fact SFC Bedford (in the above pic) is one of my husbands leaders and friends. I would like to THANK YOU to everyone who is showing their support for them. It means just as much to the families as to the soldiers. Paul if you are reading these I would like to see a retrieving camel too. I think if you and Evan work real hard on you could probably make it happen you too are a MESS together BE CAREFUL!! we love all yall tell my hubby I love him. Make Evan be good and if he cant make sure he is at least good at it.

Jenn

[Nabby]

That's wild. I had no idea Mallards were in Iraq. When I was in Korea I kept hearin this KOO KOO...KOO KOO. Drove me nuts. It was always right outside our barracks. I thought it was a monkey but turned out it was a KOO KOO bird. Looked like a big crow. I didn't think there was really such a thing.

[ducman77]

Those jokers will make you go koo-koo.

[Drakeshead]

I think I saw maybe one mallard drake and hen on our convoy in, but you can get some of the locals to get you a mallard if you want. Some of the KBR civilian employees had the locals get them a mallard and they had themselves a bit of a cookout.

I do have some pictures of a black and white duck that is in some of the potholes over here. So, it is true, ducks are even over here. With this all in mind, do you think ol' B.R. is going to want me to form an Iraqi DU Chapter?

[ducman77]

I bet he would want you to start one and I would make sure that he had to attend the banquet.