Perhaps you've heard of Sgt. Ray Reynolds.

He's an Iowa National Guard guy serving in Iraq. He sent an e-mail to a couple dozen friends touting accomplishments of the U.S. in Iraq. At the same time, he was bemoaning the fact that the media only seem to report car bombings and roadside attacks.

He then listed some accomplishments and closed with:

"Don't believe for one second that these people do not want us there. I have met many, many people from Iraq that want us there, and in a bad way. They say they will never see the freedoms we talk about but they hope their children will. We are doing a good job in Iraq and I challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me ..."

His friends did forward the message - again and again. The thing went around the world, raising the ire of anti-war types who alleged it was all propaganda.

Reynolds was interviewed by newspapers, TV stations and news services.

As it turns out, some of what Reynolds said was true, some was false and some was half and half.

But nonetheless, it is interesting that part of the Iraq story - especially as it relates to the good things happening in Iraq - isn't represented in the news.

To that end, I visited one Web site - that of USAID - the U.S. Agency for International Development.

According to their site:

"USAID's history goes back to the Marshall Plan reconstruction of Europe after World War II and the Truman Administration's Point Four Program. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed the Foreign Assistance Act into law and created by executive order USAID.

"Since that time, USAID has been the principal U.S. agency to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty and engaging in democratic reforms."

They've been chronicling strides made in Iraq under a link called "Reconstruction Accomplishments Overview" in the following sectors:

Agriculture, airports, bridges and roads, community action program, economic governance, education, electricity, food security, health, local governance, marshlands, seaport, telecommunications, transition initiatives, water and sanitation.

Here are some abbreviated samples from a few of the sectors:

Agriculture

• Winter Crop Technology Demonstrations: On 334 hectares in 15 governorates, 128 farm families are establishing plots with new crop varieties for extension field days.

• Kirkuk Veterinary Hospital Renovation: The renovation of this hospital was completed in early April 2003 under a $96,000 ARDI grant; the hospital serves more than 100,000 livestock in the area.

• Taza and Rashad Veterinary Clinic Rehabilitation: This project was completed in early April 2003 through a $50,000 grant, which was matched by supplies and equipment from the Ministry of Agriculture. These rural clinics are the two principal sources of vaccines and medicines for animals in 125 local communities.

• Internet Connectivity and Repairs to a Student Union Building: The Baghdad University School of Agriculture will receive a $75,000 grant that will benefit 4,509 students.

• Seven grants, totaling $394,000, were approved in February 2004 to build the capacity of Iraq's agriculture sector. The grants' emphasis on veterinary programs allows an immediate highly visible response to the challenges that face herders and farmers in the North and Central regions.

• Developed a transition plan for the Iraq Ministry of Agriculture to move the agricultural sector from a command and control production and marketing system to one that is market-driven.

Airports

• Processing an average of 20 non-military arrivals and departures a day at Baghdad International Airport.

• More than 5,000 military and NGO flights have arrived and departed at Baghdad International Airport since July 2003.

• Completed infrastructure work to prepare Baghdad International Airport for commercial air operations.

* Repaired Terminal C and administration offices.

* Installed three X-ray machines.

* Installed small terminal for VSAT communication systems and new diesel powered generators, allowing Iraqi airport control centers to communicate.

* Rehabilitated Iraqi customs office in the arrival hall.

• Rehabilitated Baghdad International Airport's East Fire Station; airport fire protection training for a team of more than 80 Iraqis is ongoing.

• Preparing Al Basrah International Airport for commercial operations. Ongoing projects include:

* Repairing runway, taxiway and apron striping.

* Installing two baggage X-ray units.

* Repairing passenger support facilities.

* Installing VSAT satellite communications.

* Installed security fence.

* Repairing airport water and sewage treatment plants.

• Completed evaluation of reconstruction requirements at Mosul Airport.

Community Action

• Established more than 650 Community Action Groups in 17 governorates. The projects undertaken by these groups are part of a campaign targeting grassroots democratic development.

• CAP has committed $51 million for 1,395 community projects across Iraq; 845 projects have already been completed.

• Iraqi communities have contributed more than 25 percent of the value of the community projects. Contributions have included labor, land, buildings and other in-kind assistance.

Education

• Provided technical assistance for the resumption of Ministry of Education functions and salaries.

• Funded 5.5 million examinations for transitional grades, which ensured the smooth continuation of education.

• Awarded 627 grants worth more than $6 million to rehabilitate schools and equip Directorates General.

• Rehabilitated 2,358 schools countrywide for the first term of the 2003/04 school year.

• Provided materials, equipment and supplies:

• Distributed nearly 1.5 million secondary school kits that include pens, pencils, paper, math supplies and other essentials.

• Distributed 159,005 student desks, 26,437 teacher desks, 59,940 teacher chairs, 26,050 metal cabinets, 61,500 chalkboards and 58,500 teacher kits.

• Delivered 808,000 primary student kits.

• Delivered 81,735 primary teacher kits.

• In consultation with the Iraqi Ministry of Education, reviewed 48 math and science textbooks for grades 1 through 12.

• Printed and distributed 8,759,260 textbooks throughout Iraq.

• Trained 860 secondary school Teacher Trainers during September 2003 to January 2004 nationwide.

• Trained 31,772 secondary school teachers and administration staff.

Water And Sewer

• Nationwide: Rehabilitating sewage and water treatment plants that currently by-pass untreated sewage generated by millions of people into the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

* Repairing and rehabilitating water systems throughout Iraq.

* Repaired hundreds of breaks in Iraq's critical and long neglected water network, significantly increasing water flow.

• Baghdad: Expanding one water plant and rehabilitating three sewage plants.

* Rehabilitating and adding 45 percent capacity to Baghdad's Sharq Dijlah water plant (previously named Saba Nissan water plant), adding an additional 225,000 cubic meters a day to the water supply by August 2004, mostly in the overpopulated eastern sections.

* Installing back-up electrical generators at 41 Baghdad water facilities and pumping stations to ensure continuous water supply.

* Rehabilitating Baghdad's sewage treatment plants-Rustimiyah North, Rustimiyah South, and Kerkh to benefit 3.8 million people by October 2004.

* Rehabilitated 70 of Baghdad's non-functioning waste lift and pumping stations.

OK, enough. You're getting the picture.

And if you go to USAID's Web site, you can get the whole picture. Frankly, it's staggering to read all that has been done in that country since the end of the "combat stage" of the war.

This stuff is your tax dollars at work.

This is all the work that gets lumped into the word "reconstruction."

Now I don't pretend to suggest that everything in Iraq is rosy. Far from it. Just a month ago in this very column, amid the pullout of troops from Fallujah and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, I wrote how I got the sense that things were going badly in Iraq.

But honestly, if you go to USAID's site and read about the work we're doing there, you can't help but feel a certain sense of relief or accomplishment.

And a sense of hope that perhaps the U.S. can execute a timely exit strategy and Iraq will be a fairly pleasant place to live. [[In-content Ad]]