Operation Iraqi Freedom correspondence

Tom Paone · September 16, 2008

This letter was sent by U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Peter Paone during his deployment to Iraq in 2008. The four-page letter was mailed free of postage from this combat zone (shipped in envelope with museum ID 2011.2021.1). In the message to his son Tom, Paone describes his new home in a camp outside Baghdad, the extreme weather conditions, and the movements of the rest of his unit. He also asks after his son’s internship and suggests several ways that he could be involved from Iraq. Letters such as this demonstrate the continued importance of mail to troop morale in modern warfare. Paone takes care to write out his new address clearly and asks his son to write soon.