Reply #8: Found the original article >

[Stephanie]

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/46076

<snip>

On Aug. 18, Diaz and companion soldiers flew into Baghdad International Airport and rode in heavily armored buses to the city's International Zone. Shortly thereafter, he tackled his duties as an intelligence officer for U.S. teams that are training Iraqi police and security forces, including paramilitary public order battalions as well as commandos of the notorious Wolf Brigade. He said he works seven days a week and has only a few hours off each Friday morning.

"I develop an intelligence summary for the Americans who are mentoring the Iraqi police forces," Diaz said.

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Did Diaz return to the U.S. on emergency leave with an agenda -- to offer a positive spin that could help counter growing concerns among Americans about the U.S. exit strategy? How do we know that's not his strategy, especially after he discloses that superior officers encouraged him to talk about his experiences in Iraq?

"You don't," he said. "But intelligence officers are not public affairs officers. We're analysts. I can tell you that the direction we've gotten from on high is that there is a concern about public opinion out there and they want to set the record straight.

"Have I been coached about what to say? No. Nobody said, 'Diaz, you've got to go out there and say this.' "